Jenn Tran, who is the first Asian lead on The Bachelorette, expressed her disappointment over the lack of Asian men among the potential suitors on her season.
In an interview with Glamour published on Monday, July 1, Jenn, 26, was asked if she wished there were more men from similar cultural and background origins. She responded, “Yeah.”
Jenn elaborated, “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 gave a special mention to one of her contestants, Thomas N., stating,
“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.”
The franchise has faced criticism over its racial diversity. In 2021, Matt James became the first Black male lead on The Bachelor.
His season became controversial after images emerged of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell attending an antebellum-themed party years earlier. (Matt, 32, and Rachael, 27, ended the season together and remain linked.)
Former host Chris Harrison faced backlash for defending Rachael’s actions in a contentious interview with Rachel Lindsay on Extra.
Chris, 52, suggested Rachel should be met with “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion,” but later apologized and stepped down from his hosting role in 2021.
Earlier last month, executive producer Bennett Graebner admitted in an interview with The Los Angeles Times that they had “let Matt down.”
“That season went wrong on so many levels. We did not protect him as we should have,” Bennett said. “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 emphasized their commitment to casting another Black lead. For now, they are hopeful about making progress with Jenn.
“The 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.
Claire added, “We had extensive discussions with Jenn prior to filming. She is proud of her Vietnamese culture and wanted to know if she could speak about it. 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.
