Trista Sutter is setting the record straight on what her husband, Ryan Sutter, whispered to her at the Golden Wedding.
As Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist exchanged vows live on ABC Thursday, January 4, Bachelor Nation fans watched while the first Golden Bachelor promised to make his soon-to-be wife the “happiest woman on earth.” After his heartfelt pledge, the camera then panned to Ryan, 49, who could be seen softly saying something into Trista’s ear as the couple sat alongside the other wedding guests.
Viewers quickly took to social media in an attempt to read Ryan’s lips, with some claiming that the reality star said Gerry, 71, making Theresa, 70, happy was “never going to happen.” Trista, however, clarified the “lip reading mistakes” that wrongly decoded her husband’s words the following day — and slammed trolls looking to cause friction.
“Since I was the one to whom Ryan was speaking, I can clarify,” Trista, 51, wrote via X on Friday, January 5, before sharing Ryan’s actual (very romantic) words. “He said ‘the second luckiest’ [person in the world]. Please don’t search for drama when there is only love.”
Trista’s clarification comes less than one month after Ryan made headlines for revealing that the couple, who tied the knot in 2003, had faced a bumpy year together.
“They never said it would be easy but this year was easily one of the craziest, most challenging, most unpredictable years of the 20 we’ve now spent together,” Ryan wrote in an Instagram tribute celebrating the twosome’s 20th anniversary in December 2023. “Big change and heartbreaking loss tested our resolve. “We left a community and friends and a lifestyle – a safe harbor – for a new adventure and to make a new home. We struggled and we cried. We laughed and we loved. We did it all and we did it together, like we always have.”
Whoops is right…when it comes to lip reading mistakes. Since I was the one to whom Ryan was speaking, I can clarify. He said “the second happiest”. Please don’t search for drama when there is only love.
— Trista Sutter (@tristasutter) January 5, 2024
He continued: “You and me, hand in hand, heart to heart. It started in front of millions but today it’s just us. No wedding special, no fanfare, no red carpet. Just Love. That’s all we’ve ever needed. I love you @tristasutter Now and forever. Happy Anniversary!!! HIF ❤️.”
Trista, for her part, also honored their relationship milestone with a heartfelt message. “From this words of affirmation girl, thank you babe for your words and most importantly, for your love. ❤️,” she wrote in the comments section of her husband’s post. “You are my safe harbor, my happy place, and my absolute favorite love story. Here’s to living life and taking chances. 🥂 HIF.”
Trista and Ryan met on season 1 of The Bachelorette, tying the knot in December 2003 during their own ABC special, Trista & Ryan’s Wedding. They welcomed son Max in July 2007, and daughter Blakesley arrived in April 2009.
Throughout their two decades together, the pair have certainly faced their fair share of ups and downs. In February 2020, Ryan began battling mysterious health issues but was initially unable to find a reason for his symptoms. The following year, he revealed he had been diagnosed with Lyme disease.
“I tested positive for Lyme disease,” Ryan shared during a May 2021 episode of Trista’s “Better Etc.” podcast. “It seems like something that I will always have. Now I know, and I can build back my immune system to fight it off.”
Trista later gave Us Weekly an exclusive update on her husband’s health in February 2023, noting that Ryan “has been feeling great” since starting bee venom therapy. She also shared the secret to maintaining such a longstanding and healthy marriage.
“I feel like when we first got married, the advice that I was giving — at least [to] the people who were coming off of the show — was really focus on your relationship,” she explained. “Enjoy all the things that are coming your way, all the fun invites that you’re getting, [but remember] it’s about your relationship. So, put that first, and we did that in moving to Vail, [Colorado], and really prioritizing him and me.
Trista added that even after 20 years, her romance with Ryan can still feel brand new. “I feel like I met him yesterday, but at the same time I look at my kids who are taller than me now and think, ‘Yeah, that didn’t happen yesterday,” she told Us.
