Jenn Trann, a physician assistant student, will be the first-ever Asian lead in the show's history.
Jenn Tran is the latest Bachelorette. During Joey Graziadei's season finale of The Bachelor, Charity Lawson and Jesse Palmer announced the physician assistant student as the leading lady for season 21 of The Bachelorette.
The 26-year-old Miami local burst onto the scene on Joey's season of The Bachelor, and quickly became a fan favorite.
"I'm overwhelmed. It's crazy. It feels so surreal to be sitting here," she said of landing the Bachelorette role. "Honestly, I feel like just yesterday I was literally in the emergency room, in my scrubs, working, and now here I am in stilettos, in this little gown."
Jenn's casting as the latest Bachelorette makes her the first-ever Asian lead for the show, something that means a lot to her.
"It's honestly incredible," she said. "I feel so, so grateful and so honored to be the first Asian Bachelorette in this franchise. Growing up, I always wanted to see Asian representation on TV. I feel like it was really sparse. Anytime Asians were in the media, it was to fill a supporting character role, to fulfill some sort of stereotype."
"I always felt boxed in by that, because I was like, 'I don't see myself on screen. I don't see myself as a main character,'" Jenn continued. "Now, to be here today sitting in this position, and being like, I am going to lead my own love story, I am going to be the main character in my story, I just can't help but think about how many people I'm inspiring and how many lives I am changing."
Read on for everything you need to know about Jenn Tran.
What happened with Joey?
When Jenn arrived to Bachelor Mansion, she was "blown away" by Joey, a feeling that only grew when they went on a one-on-one date together.
"I never knew what a happy couple was," Jenn confessed, before telling Joey that she's estranged from her dad. "Growing up, my parents' relationship got really bad. I'd always felt so unwanted by my dad... I definitely went through periods where I thought I was never going to be loved and that I would never find anybody."
Joey went on to reveal that he saw "a real future" with Jenn, who did tell him that she was falling in love with him. Before Hometowns, though, Joey sent Jenn home.
"It's heartbreaking," she told the cameras. "I know that we would've been amazing together. The fact that he made me feel so safe so soon was something that I've never felt before with anybody. I just hope that I find someone as special as him one day."
How's her relationship with her family today?
After revealing her complicated family dynamics during the season, Jenn spoke out on the "Women Tell All" episode, giving an update on where things stand with her parents and brother.
"My mom, sometimes we butt heads. Especially with our adult relationship. It's been a little strange just because in Asian culture, you live with your parents until you're married, and even after you're married sometimes," she explained. "She's never really seen me as a full adult. Watching me on TV, and watching me fall in love, she's really just seen me grow into my own. It's been monumental for our relationship, because I can feel her seeing me as my own person."
Her mom's support, Jenn said, "means everything."
"She is the woman that I want to be when I grow up," Jenn said. "She came here from Vietnam. She left medical school to give my brother and I a better life. When my dad left, she took on the role of two parents and never complained once. She's just always been there through thick and thin for my brother and I no matter what. She honestly just means everything to me."
Before The Bachelor, Jenn said she and her family didn't "really talk about our emotions," but that changed after the show.
"My brother and I for the first time talked about our father. We grew closer in that and I'm so grateful for that," she said. "I've had cousins who I haven't talked to in years reach out to me, just showing their support and saying blood is thicker than water and no matter what they're always going to be there for me, which has been incredible to hear."
What is her job?
Jenn graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2020. She then entered school to become a physician assistant, which she had to put on hold to go on The Bachelor. Her school supported her choice, and ultimately allowed her to repeat two required rotations after the fact. Jenn, who has dedicated her life to helping others, often posts about her job on Instagram and gives fans an inside peek at a day in the life.
What does she do for fun?
Jenn, a bilingual Vietnamese beauty, enjoys reading, paddleboarding and traveling whenever she has the chance. Her Instagram is filled with pictures of snuggling her foster cat, spending time at the pool and the beach, and hanging out with her friends.
What is she looking for in a man?
During the season finale of The Bachelor, Jenn told Jesse that she wants somebody "who has a really big personality."
"I want someone who has that kind of banter. I'm all about having fun. I'm all about having that cheeky banter. I want someone who can take it as much as they can dish it," she said. "If we just spend the whole night literally making fun of each other, that would be the most ideal night ever."
In an interview with ET, Jenn added, "If your sense of humor is my sense of humor, that is all that I really want, because, at the end of the day, lust is gonna fade and all this other newness is gonna fade, and if you have the same sense of humor and you still have that friendship in the end, that's what's gonna make a lasting relationship."
"I hope they don't have too much chaos. I think there's only room for one person to be chaotic in a relationship, and that's me. I claim that," she additionally quipped to ET. "I want someone to ground me. I'm a Sagittarius, I'm a fire sign, so I'm a little crazy... I bring that fiery energy. I want someone to have a little bit of fiery energy, but also to like ground me a little bit, put me in a place."
With that in mind, Jenn told ET that she's ready to "flirt my little booty off."
As for her relationship goals, Jenn said on the season finale that, by the end of her season, "I hope I have a ring on this finger."
"I hope that I find my person," she said. "Someone that I truly feel like is 100 percent my perfect match, and someone I'm compatible with, someone who he and I can have fun and feel like we're each other's person."
Then, speaking to the men whom she'll soon meet, Jenn said, "This experience is absolutely crazy. All I can hope is for them to really open up their heart to this, because that's what I did. I got so much out of it. It didn't end the way I wanted it to, but I grew and I learned so much from it."
On a less serious note, Jenn added, "I really hope they're ready to have some freaking fun."
What will her season be like?
ET exclusively reported in March that Jenn's season will be unlike any other, as it won't film at Bachelor Mansion. It will instead host its first night at Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Santa Susana, California.
"I think what I've been trying to tell myself [is I'm the] first Asian Bachelorette, first PA student, we're really breaking the mold this season," Jenn told ET. "I feel like a new mansion is the perfect way to break the mold... I'm gonna bless it with some really good vibes."
After Jenn wraps up her first night as the Bachelorette, she and her remaining men will immediately leave the U.S. and head to locales including Australia, New Zealand and more. Season 21 will be one of destination, which is sure to delight Jenn.
"I'm so excited," she said of traveling throughout her season. "As a Sagittarius, we love to travel, we love to be independent, we love to do crazy things. I don't know where we're going yet, but I can't wait to find out."
As for how she'll handle herself during her season, Jenn admitted ET, "I don't really have a game plan."
"I'm really just gonna be my freaking self and that means all the good, the bad, and the chaotic, and the psychotic. That's really what you're gonna have to look forward to," she said. "You're not going to get polished Jenn, sad and perfect Jenn. You're going to get crazy Jenn."
Season 21 of The Bachelorette will premiere July 8 on ABC.
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