Jenn Tran, the first Asian lead of The Bachelorette, admitted she was disappointed by the lack of Asian men cast as potential suitors on her season.
When asked by Glamour whether she wished there were “more men who came from the same culture and background,” Jenn, 26, replied, “Yeah.”
“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,” she said in an interview published on Monday, July 1.
Jenn gave a shoutout to one of her contestants, Thomas N. “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,” she said. “They can be in this position as well. I’m hoping that it inspires them.”
Through the years, the franchise has notably lacked racial diversity. Matt James was the first Black male lead of The Bachelor in 2021. His season stirred controversy when images resurfaced of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell attending an antebellum-themed party years before. (Matt, 32, and Rachael, 27, ended the show together, and are still linked.)
Former host Chris Harrison attempted to defend Rachael’s actions in an infamous interview with Rachel Lindsay on Extra, telling the former Bachelorette to “have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion.” Chris, 52, apologized for his comments and stepped aside from his hosting role in 2021.
In a candid interview earlier last month with The Los Angeles Times, executive producer Bennett Graebner said they “let Matt down.”
“That season went wrong on so many levels. We did not protect him as we should have,” Bennett told the outlet. “The finale of that season was the darkest day I’ve had on this franchise. Here was this great Black man, and we should have been celebrating his love story. Instead, what we saw was a man burdened and overwhelmed by issues of racism. It was really sad for me, personally.”
Bennett and executive producer Claire Freeland noted that it’s a “priority” to cast another Black lead. For now, Bennett and Claire are hoping to take a step forward with Jenn.
“Our hope is that they will see Jenn and realize this is a safe space. We’re not saying it will solve and fix everything. But it is a step,” Bennett said, while Claire added, “We had extensive discussions with Jenn prior to filming. She is proud of her Vietnamese culture and she wanted to know if she could speak about that. We told her we wanted her to be her most authentic self.”
The Bachelorette airs on ABC on Monday, July 8, at 8 p.m. ET.
