Jenn Tran exuded excitement and optimism after meeting a group of single men eager to marry her on the season premiere of ABC’s “The Bachelorette.” But storm clouds are already forming over her journey to find a husband. Tran is the first Asian lead in the popular reality franchise, and her season has been positioned by “Bachelor” producers as a crucial demonstration that they are honoring their pledge to be more culturally inclusive, moving past the criticisms over racism and cultural insensitivity that have dogged the dating show since its 2002 debut.
Yet as Tran embarked on her romantic quest, one of the franchise’s most prominent people of color is MIA. Jodi Baskerville became the franchise’s first Black executive producer in 2021 after the racism scandal that upended the season starring Matt James, the first Black Bachelor. Now, just three years later, she is absent from the closing credits of “The Bachelorette,” which premiered last week.
Network ABC and production company Warner Bros., who announced Baskerville’s elevation with considerable fanfare, declined to comment on her exclusion from the episode‘s credits, raising questions about whether her role has changed and the franchise’s commitment to reform on matters of race. This season of “The Bachelorette” has already faced criticism about the near-absence of Asian men in Tran’s dating pool.
In an interview with Glamour , Tran herself called the casting shortfall “unfortunate.” Ackno.
