Jenn Tran’s season of “The Bachelorette” premieres tonight. The upcoming 21st season is the first season of the show to feature an Asian American lead.
The first episode will air on ABC at 8 p.m. Tran will meet the 25 men fighting for her heart.
The Vietnamese American placed sixth on the last season of “The Bachelor,” led by Joey Graziadei. She was in the middle of PA school to become a physician’s assistant, when she joined the show.
Tran has also opened up about the racist comments she has received since being announced as the next Bachelorette.
“There’s no running around it. I came back from filming and there was a lot of people wanting somebody else or wishing that I was American,” said Tran, according to The Mirror US. “There’s a lot of racism around it too. There’s just a lot of people who want to have input on it and and wish that it was somebody else and whatnot. I think that you just can’t win.”
“I lived my whole life having some people telling me racism doesn’t exist. Like, Asians don’t have to deal with it. Like, you’re the better minority. Nobody cares,” Tran added. “To have these things about me said online, particularly about my race, it just validates the fact that there is so much hate in people’s hearts still.”
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I am very glad to see this young lady who is pushing through a glass ceiling. It is sad that she has to endure all the hate, but along the way I am thinking that there will be some who see her for the leader that she is. And of course there will be many who are blind to their own ignorance and will never change (but maybe the younger generation will look and learn). Please keep us updated as this story unfolds.