Rachel Lindsay couldn’t be happier to see Jenn Tran make Bachelorette history as the show’s first Asian-American lead.
“Love is inclusive, and it’s about time that reflected Asian representation,” Lindsay, 38, told TMZ on Tuesday, March 26. “I am so excited for the young girls and women who will see themselves on screen be adored and revered. They are all deserving of this moment and love.”
Lindsay, who was the first Black lead, went on to share her hopes for how fans will react to Tran’s upcoming season of the show. “I deeply hope the franchise not only protects Jenn at all costs but allows her to fully represent herself as an Asian woman.”
Lindsay’s season aired in 2017 and she has had an up-and-down relationship with the Bachelor Nation franchise over the years, namely her February 2021 interview with former host Chris Harrison, in which he asked fans to give Rachael Kirkconnell “a little grace” after photos leaked of her attending an Old South-themed party on a plantation in college.
Several Bachelor Nation stars rallied around Lindsay after she faced harassment for the interview and subsequently deactivated her Instagram. (Kirkconnell apologized for her past actions and praised Lindsay and other BIPOC creators for holding her and others accountable.)
Harrison, 52, also apologized for his interview comments and officially exited the franchise in June 2021.
In a Vulture essay that same month, Lindsay wrote that she was “no longer making myself available to The Bachelor universe” and no longer wanted to be a “figurehead” for the franchise.
“I am no longer a spot-filler. I am no longer the face of what is diverse,” Lindsay, shared. “The goal for me was always to be that person until I could step away because the change had happened, and I could sit back and enjoy it.”
Lindsay — who announced her divorce from her Bachelorette winner, Bryan Abasolo, in January after four years of marriage— had previously cohosted “Bachelor Happy Hour,” a Warner Brothers-produced show, and made appearances at several Bachelor live specials.
Tran, for her part, said she felt “so grateful and so honored” to become the show’s first Asian American lead during The Bachelor season 28 finale on Monday, March 25. “Growing up, I’ve always wanted to see Asian representation on TV. I feel like it was really sparse,” she told host Jesse Palmer. “Anytime Asians were in the media it was to fill a supporting character role, to fulfill some sort of stereotype and 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.”
Tran’s casting has been met with surprised reactions, as many fans expected Joey Graziadei’s Bachelor runner-up, Daisy Kent, or season 28 contestant Maria Georgas to fill the role. Kent, 25, revealed during the show’s After the Final Rose special that she turned down the gig.
Tran previously called out Bachelor Nation’s Asian representation after The Bachelor’s official Instagram account tagged contestant Lea Cayanan in a photo of her.
“This is why Asian representation on TV is so important. The lack of exposure directly correlates to the ignorance,” she said in a February TikTok post. “I’m not saying everyone is guilty of cultural ignorance, but it is disheartening to see how many news articles about me have used pictures of other Asian women who clearly do not look like me. Let’s continue to take accountability, learn from others and lead with love always.”
