For the first time, an Asian American woman, Jenn Tran, will star on The Bachelorette this season.
And while the New Jersey-raised child of Vietnamese immigrants is obviously excited about the potential to find love in a new batch of episodes, Tran, who viewers met on Joey Graziadei’s turn on The Bachelor earlier this year, revealed that she was disappointed over something else: a lack of men who share her culture and background.
“I can’t really speak to the casting process and the decisions that were made, but it is unfortunate that there weren’t a lot of Asian men this season,” Tran said in a new interview with Glamour. “Asian men haven’t always seen themselves in this position, and I am hoping that me being here and [contestant] Thomas N. being there, that the both of us can inspire other Asian men to realize that they can do this too if they want. They can be in this position as well. I’m hoping that it inspires them.”
Disney/Frank Micelotta
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Entertainment Weekly has reached out to the show for comment.
Over the years, The Bachelor franchise, which first rolled out in 2002, has been widely criticized for its lack of diversity of all kinds. It’s made some progress in the last few years, by featuring the show’s first Black leads in Rachel Lindsay and Matt James. The Golden Bachelor, which showcased older contestants, debuted in September.
Tran said she really connected with an Asian man who did compete for her heart, particularly in a conversation the interviewer asked her about.
“It’s not every day that you get to bond with somebody on your immigrant parents and you get to connect with somebody on that level, because not everybody can understand that,” Tran said. “That was a really special conversation for me because he really understood where I was coming from, and my family means everything to me. Knowing that my parents immigrated over here to give me a better life, the sacrifices that they made, and the internal battle that I have with giving back to them in everything and every way that I could, but still trying to be independent…being a child of immigrant parents is something that not everybody can understand.”
She teased what promises to be the most dramatic season ever.
“The whole journey happened in a way that needed to happen, and I’m very happy with the way that things ended,” Tran said. “It’s definitely an ending that I didn’t see coming for myself. My family won’t see it coming, and I don’t think the viewers will see it coming too. I’m excited for it all to unfold.”
The Bachelorette premieres Monday, July 8, at 8 p.m. ET.
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