On the 22nd anniversary of the first episode of “The Bachelor,” the franchise announced its first Asian American lead. Here’s what we know.
Who is Jenn Tran?
Jenn Tran, 26, is a physician assistant from Miami, Florida. She was announced as the next Bachelorette during the reality show’s finale Monday night.
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Wearing a purple dress with a plunging neckline, she walked out onto the stage to greet the audience of Bachelor Nation alumni and fans. Just the previous day, she was in the emergency room in her scrubs, she said.’
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‘Bachelor’ fans already familiar with Tran
This won’t be Jenn Tran’s first appearance on a reality dating show. She was first seen on the gender-swapped show “The Bachelor” with Joey Graziadei. She made it to the top six before being eliminated in Episode 7.
Read more: Jenn Tran’s appearance on ‘The Bachelor’
‘I’ve always wanted to see Asian representation on TV’
Jenn Tran, who is Vietnamese and bilingual, described being the franchise’s first Asian American lead as “honestly incredible.”
“I feel so so grateful and so honored to be the first Asian bachelorette in this franchise,” Tran said.
“Growing up, I’ve always wanted to see Asian representation on TV. And I feel like it was really sparse. Any time Asians were in the media, it was to fill a supporting character role, to fulfill some sort of stereotype, and I felt really 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 continued, “And now to be here today standing in this position being like, ‘I am going to lead my own love story. I am going to be the main character to my story,’ I just can’t help but think about how many people I’m inspiring and how many lives I’m changing.”
“The Bachelor” aired in 2002, and “The Bachelorette” was created a year later. The latter took 14 years before featuring people of color as leads.
Rachel Lindsay was the first Black “Bachelorette” lead, in 2017. In 2021, Matt James became the first Black bachelor.
First appeared on www.statesman.com