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The much-awaited season 21 of The Bachelorette finally premiered on Monday, July 8. The episode saw 25 bachelors of the season introduce themselves to Jenn Tran, the franchise's first Asian American contender. While her ethnicity was a source of pride for the franchise and the fans, she was still subjected to racist comments.
She found out about it after finishing filming season 21 of The Bachelorette and getting back home, which she shared in an interview with People, published on July 7. It was a total shocker for Jenn, who said,
"I was so excited and so hopeful, and then, I go online and I read a bajillion people's opinions on everything. That was really disappointing."
While she was the flagbearer of inclusivity and Asian American equality to the majority, a small chunk of people also called her out for exactly that.
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What did Jenn Tran from The Bachelorette season 21 have to say about the racist comments made towards her?
Jenn Tran from season 21 of the show talked about her experience being on the show in general in her interview with People. While at it, she also opened up about the racism she was subjected to after the makers announced her to be the next The Bachelorette star on the finale episode of Joey Graziadei's The Bachelor season 28.
While she called the period filming of season 21 "the best 2 months of my life," she said people's reactions to her becoming The Bachelorette were a "mixed bag." She said,
"I won't say that it's all been positive because racism still exists."
She continued to share that coping with people's reactions was "tough." She said that after she was announced as the Bachelorette, she immediately left for filming, and while there, she didn't have her phone. So she didn't know what people were saying.
When she came back, she was excited to find out what everyone was saying but was disappointed when she read their negative reactions. She then opened up about how she braved through it, saying,
"It was really tough for me to see all of that, but I continue to stay grateful. I'm so honored to be the first Asian American lead. I know I'm inspiring so many people to embrace their differences."
She continued saying that she knew her story would inspire people because she felt "different" her whole life, and people will see that they don't have to fit in to be normal. She also hoped that they would learn that one should embrace one's true self.
What else did The Bachelorette star Jenn Tran have to say about her experience on the show?
Jenn said that the experience made her happy, and she learned a lot from it every day. She said she was there to find out about herself and what she wanted from a relationship, which she said she did.
She shared that the experience made her question the true meaning of an engagement. She questioned if engagement meant a ring or a commitment. She said that because she was looking for a lasting partner, her definition of the word changed throughout the season. She then shared that she didn't want to put a timeline on important decisions about her future, so she took the season one day at a time.
New episodes of The Bachelorette season 21 come out every Monday on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
