After Matt James found love on ‘The Bachelor,’ his mother is ready to shoot her shot on ‘The Golden Bachelor’ this fall

As of today (August 30), the cast has officially been revealed for the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor, and a whopping 22 women will be vying for Gerry Turner‘s heart.

If you watched the YouTube video titled “Meet the Ladies of The Golden Bachelor – Series Premiere THURS SEPT 28 on ABC” posted by Bachelor Nation on ABC, you may have noticed a familiar face hidden in the brief trailer…

If 70-year-old Patty Cuculo James looked familiar to you, that is because she is the mother of one of Bachelor Nation‘s beloved leads: Matt James.

Fans of The Bachelor franchise got to meet Patty back in 2021, during Matt’s season of The Bachelor. He sat down with his mother during the season 25 premiere, praising her for his upbringing:

“My mom raised us in a Christian household… That foundation was everything for me. I’ve seen all the sacrifices that my mom has made in my life. She put aside everything so that I would have the opportunity to be the man that she knew I was capable of being.”

Based on what we saw during his season of The Bachelor, it is clear that Patty is extremely special to Matt (as well as his younger brother, John), but family is equally as important to the mother of two. In the brief trailer, Patty had just one line, and it was very telling as to what she is looking for in a lifelong partner:

“I’m looking for someone that cares about family like I do.”

With daughters and granddaughters that he loves so dearly, Gerry might just be the perfect man for Patty!

After there was speculation that his mother would be a part of The Golden Bachelor‘s first-ever season, Matt has been seamlessly dodging questions in interviews to keep the secret under wraps. In an exclusive interview with US Weekly last month, Matt James and his partner — Rachael Kirkconnell — put on their best acting skills:

Matt: “I keep getting that question Like, if someone knows something, let me know!”

Rachael: “We truly, truly, truly don’t know. We don’t know if she’s on it or not. I’m very excited to see whatever happens. I’m really excited for Gerry. I think he’s going to be a great Bachelor. I mean, he seems like the absolute perfect candidate, so I’m really excited to watch. … I’m rooting for love [for Patty] any day, whether it’s on TV or off.”

Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 28 to see Patty’s journey to find love unfold on The Golden Bachelor – we hope the handsome Gerry Turner is the one!