Joey Graziadei’s ‘Bachelor’ season has come to a close, and ABC announced the next ‘Bachelorette’ will be Jenn Tran. Tran, who is Vietnamese American, will be the franchise’s first Asian American lead in its 22-year history.
Joey Graziadei’s delightful Bachelor run came to a close on Monday night. A quick ode to the franchise’s most refreshing male lead (no spoilers): He handled producer-planted drama with grace, endearingly struggled with self-doubt, and once confused the late RBG with Gypsy Rose Blanchard during a White House visit. All in all, a delightful himbo who I was happy to root for. Congrats, Joey.
Congratulations, also, to the franchise’s newest Bachelorette, Jenn Tran. Following weeks of fan speculation, host Jesse Palmer and season-20 Bachelorette Charity Lawson announced that the 26-year-old aspiring physician’s assistant would be taking on the lead role during Monday night’s After the Final Rose special. Tran, who was a contestant on Graziadei’s season, will be the first Asian American lead in the franchise’s 22-year history.
“I feel so, so grateful and so honored to be the first Asian Bachelorette,” Tran, who is Vietnamese American, told Palmer on Monday. Growing up, Tran recalled craving more Asian representation on television and her frustration seeing Asian characters relegated to side characters or stereotypes. “To be here today, being like, I’m going to be the main character in my story, I can’t think of how many people I’m inspiring and how many lives I can impact,” she said.
According to Variety, a premiere date for season 21 of the Bachelorette hasn’t yet been released, though the series is set to air over the summer. Here’s hoping Tran subjects her guys to her infamous pineapple, chocolate sauce, and sriracha poutine.
