By Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News
Jenn Tran, a contestant on the latest installment of “The Bachelor,” has been selected as the next star of “The Bachelorette” spin-off.
The 25-year-old Vietnamese-American physician’s assistant student, hailing from Miami, Fla., makes history as the first Asian lead of the long-running ABC dating competition franchise.
“The Bachelor” host Jesse Palmer made the announcement during Monday night’s season 28 “After the Final Rose” that Tran would be the object of affection for season 21 of “The Bachelorette.”
“Growing up, I always wanted to see Asian representation on TV,” she said. “Now, to be here today… being like, ‘I am going to be the main character in my story,’ I can’t help but think of how many people I’m inspiring and how many lives I can impact.”
Tran was eliminated in Week 7 along with Kelsey Toussant on season 28 of “The Bachelor,” where over two dozen women vied to win the final rose from Joey Graziadei. The professional tennis coach, who revealed his Gilbert syndrome diagnosis last month, proposed and got engaged to Kelsey Anderson in the season finale.
Tran is described in her show bio as a “bubbly and compassionate” person who “has dedicated her life to helping others.”
“The Bachelor,” which launched in 2002, has been a ratings leader for the Disney-owned broadcast network ever since.
Throughout the years, the series has embraced some diversity with a few firsts, including Matt James and Rachel Lindsay becoming the first Black Bachelor and Bachelorette of the franchise, respectively.
In 2013, Venezuelan ex-soccer player Juan Pablo Galavis was chosen as the first Latino star of “The Bachelor” after 17 seasons, while Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams, who both have Mexican heritage, became the franchise’s first Latina bachelorettes in 2020.