The Golden Bachelor Contestants Respond To Bradley Cooper’s Flattery And Eddie Murphy’s Criticism Of Gerry’s Divorce

 Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbood and Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.
Credit: The Weinstein Company/Netflix

Nearly a year after The Golden Bachelor first introduced us to Gerry Turner and a mansion full of wonderful women looking for love in their golden years, its stars continue to garner attention from Hollywood’s A-listers. Fan favorite contestant Susan Noles revealed that none other than Bradley Cooper expressed his adoration, while her castmate Kathy Swarts had a message for Eddie Murphy, who recently spoke out about his own fandom of the show, hilariously expressing his frustration with Gerry and Theresa Nist’s divorce.

Golden Bachelor’s Susan Noles Recalls Run-In With Bradley Cooper

Fans of The Golden Bachelor immediately fell in love with Susan Noles for her fun and hilarious personality, and while some Bachelor franchise contestants have found fame outside of the franchise, not everybody receives the kind of flattery that’s followed Susan. I mean, how many people can count 12-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper amongst their biggest fans? Susan recalled her run-in with the Maestro star to US Weekly, saying:

When Bradley Cooper said to me, ‘I am your biggest fan, I am a huge fan. I have so many questions for you,’ I was shocked. I loved every second of it. So people watch this show that you would never think — so many young people come up to me. I [officiated] a wedding the other day and I was surrounded by 20-some-year-olds. They’re like, ‘Oh, my God, I loved it when you said this or I loved it when you did that. Are you really friends with Kathy?’ Every generation of people watched.

I can’t imagine how surreal a moment that must have been for the 67-year-old wedding officiant to have Bradley Cooper call himself your biggest fan. However, that certainly wasn’t the first time Susan Noles received such praise. The Kardashians matriarch Kris Jenner sent a special message to her doppelgänger during The Golden Bachelor’s “Women Tell All” to say that the whole cast had been an inspiration to her family and that Susan, in particular, was “amazing.”

The feedback that Susan Noles said she gets from fans, including about her friendship with fellow cast member Kathy Swarts, speaks to the spinoff’s overarching theme of hope and love, which is what Kathy said in her response to Eddie Murphy’s criticism.

The Golden Bachelor contestants Susan Noles and Kathy Swarts are seen in the audience of The Bachelor Season 28's
The Golden Bachelor contestants Susan Noles and Kathy Swarts are seen in the audience of The Bachelor Season 28's

Kathy Swarts Responds To Eddie Murphy’s Thoughts On The Golden Divorce

Eddie Murphy recently revealed that he was also a big fan of The Golden Bachelor, but like so many of us, he was disappointed when Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist announced they were divorcing after just three months of marriage. “What kind of shit is that?” he proclaimed, and it seems Kathy Swarts is willing to tell him exactly what kind of shit that is. She told US Weekly:

I’ll tell you my message is — this show is about love. It’s about adventure, but it’s about finding love. And I wish I had found love. I know Susan wishes she had found love. And really if you keep that in mind [when watching], the premise is finding love.

What, no "Zip it!"? While it was super frustrating to see the relationship that we watched develop on The Golden Bachelor falter so quickly after The Golden Wedding aired live on ABC, Kathy Swarts implored Eddie Murphy to not let that overshadow the larger message of the show. Gerry Turner and the rest of the cast discussed grief and loss in powerful ways, with many coming to the realization that their love lives weren’t over just because of the stage of life they were in.

It was about finding hope — whether the contestants were widowed, divorced or otherwise — that they could find love again. Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist did find love, and even when they announced their split, they remained confident that they could find love again.

We’ll have to see what Bradley Cooper, Eddie Murphy and other A-listers have to say when Joan Vassos’ own journey premieres on the 2024 TV schedule this fall with The Golden Bachelorette.