The Bachelorette will soon return to ABC for Season 21 in the 2024 TV schedule, with none other than Jenn Tran in the lead role of a woman looking for love. Her selection as new Bachelorette made history, as she is the first Asian American lead in Bachelor Nation, which isn't a franchise known for its diversity. Ahead of the Season 21 premiere, Tran opened up about the larger lack of Asian representation, particularly when it came to Asian men during her time in the spotlight.
Jenn Tran entered Bachelor Nation after a near-death experience on a boat prompted her to decide to go for it, and she remained in the running for Joey Graziadei's heart – a.k.a. the star of The Bachelor Season 28 – until shortly before hometowns, and was announced as the next Bachelorette lead in the Season 28 finale. Just days before her time in the spotlight begins on July 8, Tran spoke with Glamour about the shortage of Asian representation, saying:
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. 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.
Thomas N. is one of the man vying to get down on one knee for Jenn Tran on The Bachelor, with ABC's bio stating that he comes from a large Vietnamese family and he is proud of the culture and the heritage of his family. He's a retirement advisor who likes to give back to a community, and is looking for a wife who is ready to start a family and loves him.
It remains to be seen if he's the last man standing at the end of Jenn Tran's time as Bachelorette, but she did share her high hopes that both of them appearing in Bachelor Nation can inspire others. The franchise has made efforts to showcase more diverse leads and singles in recent years, with executive producers recently acknowledging that people of color weren't represented in Bachelor Nation and it's "inexcusable" that they didn't have a Black lead for a decade and a half.
The first Black lead was of course Rachel Lindsay back in The Bachelorette Season 2, and she ranks as one of the Bachelor Nation veterans who found fame even after the end of her time on one of the shows. Matt James was the next Black lead, as star of The Bachelor Season 25. Unfortunately, his season may be better remembered for controversy over Rachael Kirkconnell and the ousting of longtime host Chris Harrison.
We can only hope that Jenn Tran's Bachelorette journey will be short on controversy and full of fun as she searches for love on reality TV. Season 21 of The Bachelorette premieres on Monday, July 8 at 8 p.m. ET. If you want to revisit earlier days of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, you can find previous seasons streaming with a Hulu subscription.
