Jenn Tran, one of the contestants on ABC’s “The Bachelor” this season, was named the new “Bachelorette” during the show’s finale on Monday night.
Tran, 26, will be the first Asian American woman to star in the dating reality show.
“It’s honestly incredible and I feel so, so grateful and so honored to be the first Asian Bachelorette in this franchise,” Tran, who is Vietnamese, said in an interview with the show as part of the announcement.
“Growing up, I’ve always wanted to see Asian representation on TV. I feel like it was really sparse. Anytime Asians were in the media it was to fill a supporting character role, to fulfill some sort of stereotype and I always felt boxed in by that because I was like, I don’t see myself on screen. I don’t see myself as a main character,” she said.
Out of 32 women, Tran was among the final six still in the running for Bachelor Joey Graziadei. She was eliminated in episode seven, but she made a lasting impression on the audience.
During her one-on-one date with Graziadei, she opened up about her family life, saying her dad wasn’t always present and her mom, a Vietnamese immigrant, took care of them alone.
“She is the woman I want to be when I grow up,” Tran said. “She came here from Vietnam, and she left medical school to give my brother and I a better life. And when my dad left, she took on the role of two parents and never complained once.”
She described her relationship with her mom now, who she says watched her on “The Bachelor.”
“In Asian culture, you live with your parents until you’re married and even after you’re married, sometimes,” she said. “She’s never really seen me as a full adult. But watching me on TV and watching me fall in love, she’s really just seen me grow into my own and it’s been monumental for our relationship.”
Another contestant this season, Rachel Nance, who is Filipina and Black, said she received racist hate from fans of the “The Bachelor” after Graziadei chose to keep her on the show as opposed to another popular cast member.
“I’ve just been getting a lot of hateful messages as soon as the episode aired,” she said during an episode last week, citing people using racial slurs for Asian and Black communities. “A lot of racist comments towards me.”
But so far, fans seem to be overjoyed with the news of Tran’s new role as “The Bachelorette,” posting their support for her on social media.
“THE BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IS OUR FIRST ASIAN BACHELORETTE. I LITERALLY PRAYED FOR THIS,” one fan said on X.
Tran is currently living in Miami and studying to become a physicians assistant, the release said. She’s also bilingual.
Her season will be available to watch on ABC and Hulu when “The Bachelorette” returns this summer.
