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The Bachelorette star Jenn Tran has addressed the lack of male Asian representation on her season, saying that she hopes her presence as a Vietnamese American is an inspiration to others like her.
Tran, 26, makes history as the first-ever Asian American lead of the hit reality dating franchise. She was announced as the season 21 bachelorette following her time on the latest season of The Bachelor.
Last month, the network unveiled the 25 men who would be competing for her hand in marriage. And while they hail from all across North America, only one of them, Thomas N, is Asian American.
“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 told Glamour in a new interview.
“Asian men haven’t always seen themselves in this position, and I am hoping that me being here and 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.”
As for the ending to her season, Tran teased: “The whole journey happened in a way that needed to happen, and I’m very happy with the way that things ended.
“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 Bachelor franchise’s history with racial representation has repeatedly faced heavy criticism.
15 years after its 2002 debut, the franchise welcomed Rachel Lindsay as the first Black lead in 2017. It would take four more years for the series to feature its first Black male lead, Matt James, in 2021. However, his season was ultimately tainted by racial controversies that the producers have since apologized for.
“We let Matt down,” executive producer Bennett Graebner recently told The Los Angeles Times. “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.”
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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.”
Season 21 of The Bachelorette premieres on Monday, July 8 on ABC at 8pm ET, with new episodes airing weekly.
