Jenn Tran says she's "disappointed" in the false narrative that Maria Georgas was offered -- and turned down -- The Bachelorette role before Jenn was officially cast as Season 21's star.
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Jenn appeared on the June 26 episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, and host Alex Cooper pointed out how Maria Georgas previously claimed that she had been offered The Bachelorette role and was "doing fittings" before she quit the show because it didn't feel right.
When asked to share her reaction to all of the casting conversations and how Jenn was allegedly producers' backup option, Jenn shared, "Obviously I was really disappointed to see all of that."
Jenn insisted, "The truth of the matter is there are a lot of narratives out there and they're not necessarily the truth. The show has been going on for years and years -- 21 years of this show specifically -- and every season, there are multiple people in contention for the role."
Jenn explained how producers interview and have meetings with "multiple people" about potentially starring on the show every season.
"They'll do fittings or film intro packages, and it's never really you until it's you," Jenn said.
"So that's why I was a little disappointed, because the narratives out there aren't exactly the truth. And I think that when you look at it all... based on the history of it all, there's always multiple people. So it's not you, until it's you."
Maria had appeared on the April 30 episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, and she alleged, "Yeah, I was offered the role. It was mine until I said it wasn't. It became very overwhelming to the point where I had to decline."
Maria added at the time, "It was set in stone. I was in it... [But] it's just not my time... I was like, 'Guys, respectfully, I need to decline. I need to take a step back.'"
Jenn confirmed she hadn't heard Maria's interview with Alex until she returned home from filming The Bachelorette in May.
Hearing Maria's interview and gossip surrounding her The Bachelorette casting naturally put a damper on her experience.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"I obviously didn't have my phone at the time all of this was going down because we had [gone] right into filming after [my casting] was announced. And coming back to all of that, yeah, obviously I was really disappointed," Jenn said.
Jenn reiterated how multiple women were in talks for The Bachelorette gig -- but she was producers' selection.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
When Jenn was leaving the gym one day, she apparently received a text message from a producer asking her to have a quick conversation on the phone. When Jenn called back, she said she was offered The Bachelorette role and she accepted it.
"We had meetings about it. We talked about it for months, and then they asked me. I had a choice, and I chose to do it," Jenn recalled. "I said, 'Yes.'"
Jenn went on to explain why "the narrative" that's out there right now is particularly upsetting to her.
"It was disappointing to come back from this incredible journey for myself and then see all of the speculation around it and to almost have these things kind of take away from what my journey was," Jenn admitted.
But Jenn said she isn't going to stand for that.
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"I'm not going to let anyone have some sort of role in that because my entire life, and the way I grew up, was kind of crazy, and I've always thought about others first."
Jenn said she even went into health care, pursuing a career as a physician assistant, because she cares about other people.
"It took a while for me to really find my voice in certain things, and this is something where I'm so proud to say, 'This is my time and this is my journey,'" Jenn told Alex.
"And that's what I want it to be focused on, because I have a voice now to be able to talk about it and stand my ground on it. This is my journey and I'm so happy about it, and I'm so happy for everyone to finally see that."
Jenn, however, assured Alex that she's talked to the other women who were also up for the position, alluding to Maria and Daisy.
"Everything is good," Jenn revealed. "That's the thing about being in this world and being mature and knowing what world you're in... is that we're all fine and it's all good."
Daisy told Season 21 The Bachelor star Nick Viall during an early April episode of his "The Viall Files" podcast that she was "very open and honest" with producers about the fact she wasn't sure if she wanted to star on The Bachelorette.
Daisy revealed "it was two weeks before" Joey's The Bachelor: After the Final Rose special aired in March that she had made her final decision.
"And they were all super nice and respectful," Daisy said of producers' reaction.
"They understood all of my reasons, too, and they still want to see me grow and do other things. They said, 'If we can help you in any way, we want to.'"
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
A few weeks later, Maria suggested on "Call Her Daddy" that she had backed out of The Bachelorette last minute, partly because Jenn was "verbalizing how badly" she wanted the job.
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Maria apparently was "not in the right headspace" to be The Bachelorette star this year and it was "hard" for her to jump right back into dating on TV after Joey's season."
Alex went on to reveal that Maria had actually been scheduled to come on her podcast and make her The Bachelorette announcement in March. One day before the podcast episode was set to tape, Alex received a call that it wasn't going to happen and Maria was on a plane back to Toronto.
"Everyone was so excited, and I know what this season could have been like, and it would've been great," Maria said. "I just was not ready."
Maria also claimed The Bachelorette producers were actually "so supportive" of her last-minute decision because she had been "open and honest" about where she was at "mentally" and how she felt.
"As much as I wanted my time off, I also wanted Jenn to have her moment, and she is the most perfect Bachelorette in my eyes. I couldn't think of anyone better to do this. She was so ready for it, and that was enough for me to say, 'Yeah, this is not my time.'"
Maria said, however, she was "super appreciative" and "grateful" for all of the fan support.
"I thought in my head, 'I want to do this for them. I want to do this for the people who love and support me.' But that's not doing it for the right reasons," Maria explained, adding how she needed a long break after Joey's season.
"It's so isolating being in there. And I would have to give up my phone -- not my freedom, but having to be alone in that, and I just wasn't comfortable. I wasn't mentally prepared for it," Maria noted.
Maria insisted that she didn't go on The Bachelor for fame and so she wasn't interested in "milking [her] 15 minutes" by continuing on with The Bachelorette just because it was a great opportunity.
In addition, Maria clapped back at Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams, who had called Maria "a little unhinged" and wondered if producers thought Maria would be too difficult to control during the March 27 episode of his "Your Favorite Things" podcast.
"I heard that her demands were ridiculous and they were like, 'No,'" Wells said.
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Maria told Alex on her podcast that when she heard Wells' podcast comments, she immediately "wanted so badly to shut that sh-t down."
"He was like, 'Everyone is going to forget about [Maria] and [Joey's The Bachelor runner-up Daisy]. This is going to be their biggest regret.' Forget about me! At the end of the day, I have to do what's best for me," Maria said.
Maria vented to Alex that it was "so disheartening" to hear Wells say things that "are so not true" because he "knows how mentally draining and physically draining this could be."
Jenn's season of The Bachelorette will premiere Monday, July 8 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
