The Bachelor's After the Final Rose special reveals the next star of The Bachelorette - as she makes history as the show's first Asian American lead

• e-mail

The Bachelorette broke new ground on Monday night when it was announced that an Asian American woman would lead the reality series for the first time in its 22-year history.

Viewers of The Bachelor's After the Final Rose special were treated with the reveal of Jenn Tran as the next star of The Bachelorette for its twenty-first season.

Tran, 26, had competed on the latest Bachelor season for star Joey Graziadei's heart, though she left home empty-handed.

The new reality star, who is studying to become a physician assistant, was sent packing after being selected as part of the final six women vying to marry Joey, but before he went on intimate hometown dates with a smaller group of contestants.

A statement from ABC added: 'When she’s not studying, Tran loves reading, paddleboarding and traveling whenever she has the chance.'

Viewers of The Bachelor's After the Final Rose special on Monday were treated with the reveal of Jenn Tran as the next star of The Bachelorette for its twenty-first season

Tran, 26, had competed on the latest Bachelor season for star Joey Graziadei's heart , though she left home empty-handed

Jenn made a grand entrance toward the end of the special after Joey proposed to Kelsey Anderson, and she looked her best in a plunging violet halter dress.

She joked that her glamorous ensemble was a far cry from her outfit just a day earlier, when she was dressed in scrubs for work.

Jenn, who is Vietnamese American, said that it felt 'honestly incredible' to have been chosen as the next star of The Bachelorette.

'I feel so so grateful and so honored to be the first Asian bachelorette in this franchise,' she gushed.

Her new position as The Bachelorette was also a corrective to a dearth of Asians on TV when she was younger. 

'Growing up, I've always wanted to see Asian representation on TV. And I feel like it was really sparse,' she admitted. 'Any time Asians were in the media, it was to fill a supporting character role, to fulfill some sort of stereotype, and I felt really boxed in by that because I was like, 'I don't see myself on screen. I don't see myself as a main character.'

The raven-haired beauty gave the After the Final Rose audience a taste of what she would be looking for among her suitors on the upcoming season.

She said she was searching for 'someone who's going to be able to take it as much as they can dish it,' and she added that someone she has 'cheeky banter' with would be a major plus.

Jenn also wanted 'someone who has a really big personality.' 

Bachelor viewers had already learned some of the intimate details about Tran's childhood during her one-on-one date with Joey in episode three of The Bachelor.

She revealed to the star that her parents had constantly bickered when she was younger, leading her father to spend six years sleeping in the basement to keep their distance, according to USA Today. 

Jenn also shared that her parents' difficult relationship made her fear that she would never find someone she could have a secure relationship with.

The new reality star, who is studying to become a physician assistant, was sent packing after being selected as part of the final six women vying to marry Joey, but before he went on intimate hometown dates with a smaller group of contestants

Jenn made a grand entrance toward the end of the special after Joey proposed to Kelsey Anderson , and she looked her best in a plunging violet halter dress

'I feel so so grateful and so honored to be the first Asian bachelorette in this franchise,' she gushed

She said she was searching for 'someone who's going to be able to take it as much as they can dish it,' and she added that someone she has 'cheeky banter' with would be a major plus

During her one-on-one date with Joey, Jenn revealed she was estranged from her father and admitted she felt unloved as a child due to her parents' constant bickering 

'I've been in a few bad relationships in the past, and I definitely went through periods where I thought that I was never going to be loved and I'd never find anybody,' she shared. 'And that's because of the way I grew up with my family.'

She added the heartbreaking detail that she 'felt so unwanted' by her father — whom she is now estranged from — and she never felt 'truly loved' due to her parents' bickering.

Things were more positive with her mother though, and she sweetly said that 'She is the woman I want to be when I grow up.'

A premiere date for The Bachelorette season 21 has not been announced yet, but it will air sometime later in 2024.