‘ The Bachelor’ franchise names its first Asian American lead in 22 years
KiMi Robinson
On the 22nd anniversary of the first episode of “The Bachelor,” the franchise announced its first Asian American lead.
After Joey Graziadei’s final choice was revealed during Monday night’s finale, host Jesse Palmer revealed that Jenn Tran, a 26-year-old physician assistant student from Miami, Florida, will be the next “Bachelorette” lead.
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.
Being the franchise’s first Asian lead feels “honestly incredible,” she said. Tran is Vietnamese American and is bilingual.
Jenn Tran ‘honored’ to make history as first Asian ‘Bachelorette’ lead
“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.”
As she heads into filming for her season, Tran said, she’s looking for “cheeky banter” and “someone who’s going to be able to take it as much as they can dish it.”
Jenn Tran appeared in Joey Graziadei’s season of ‘ The Bachelor’
Tran was eliminated in Episode 7 of this season’s “Bachelor,” right before Graziadei’s hometown visits.
According to a press release from ABC, “Tran is a sweet and compassionate woman who has dedicated her life to helping others and is currently studying to become a physician assistant. ... When she’s not studying, Tran loves reading, paddleboarding and traveling whenever she has the chance.”