Jenn Tran, the star of The Bachelorette Season 21, has openly addressed the lack of Asian men in the dating competition, calling it an “unfortunate” situation. Tran, an Asian American woman of Vietnamese descent, first captured viewers’ hearts on Joey Graziadei’s season of The Bachelor. Now, as the first Asian American Bachelorette, she hopes her presence will inspire others.
In an interview with Glamour, Tran expressed her disappointment over the casting choices. “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,” she said. “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.”
The Bachelor franchise has faced criticism over the years for its lack of diversity. Producer Bennett Graebner acknowledged these shortcomings, particularly in casting Asian men this season. “That’s on us. We didn’t do what we needed to do,” Graebner told the Los Angeles Times. “Our hope is that they will see Jenn and realize this is a safe space. We’re not saying it will solve and fix everything. But it is a step.”
Tran shared that she connected deeply with one contestant due to their similar upbringing. “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,” she 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.”
She continued, “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.”
Tran’s journey on The Bachelorette is not just about finding love but also about representation. “I grew up in a very mainly white suburban town, and so I’ve always felt like the other. I was a minority. I never felt like I fit in,” she explained. “Growing up, I never really felt like I was anybody’s first choice because I was unique in my own way, and I didn’t always see it as a strength or a superpower. I always wanted to shy away from it and be like everybody else.”
“But I’ve come to a point in my life now where I’m so proud of who I am and where I come from, and I’m excited to be able to share that with everybody,” she added. “But yeah, in that moment, it was really heartwarming for me because I’ve never felt like I have been wanted in that way.”
Tran also emphasized the importance of representation for Asian American viewers. “Any time anyone comes up to me and they’re like, ‘I’ve been waiting for this moment …’ I know how much it means, because growing up, it’s hard when you don’t have any representation,” she said. “It’s like, Okay, I’m doing this for a reason, and everybody understands how I’m feeling and I understand how you’re feeling.”
The Bachelor franchise has a history of struggling with racial representation. It took until 2017 for the show to feature its first Black lead, Rachel Lindsay. Matt James became the first Black male lead in 2021, but his season was marred by racial controversies. “We let Matt down,” Graebner admitted. “That season went wrong on so many levels. We did not protect him as we should have. The finale of that season was the darkest day I’ve had on this franchise.”
Graebner continued, “It’s hard to say out loud, that people of color didn’t see themselves represented, that they did not see The Bachelor franchise as a safe place. We didn’t have a Black lead in this franchise for 15 years, and that’s inexcusable. It created a vicious cycle, and it’s taken a lot of work to get back to a place where we feel at least we’re working for the positive.”
Tran’s season is seen as a step forward. “Our hope is that they will see Jenn and realize this is a safe space. We’re not saying it will solve and fix everything. But it is a step,” Graebner said. Executive producer Claire Freeland added, “We had extensive discussions with Jenn prior to filming. She is proud of her Vietnamese culture and she wanted to know if she could speak about that. We told her we wanted her to be her most authentic self.”
Tran teased an unexpected ending to her season. “The whole journey happened in a way that needed to happen, and I’m very happy with the way that things ended,” she 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.
Source: Glamour, Los Angeles Times, TODAY.com, Entertainment Weekly
