The Bachelorette star Jenn Tran has admitted the lack of Asian men in her cast of bachelors was a disappointment to her.

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Jenn was raised by Vietnamese immigrants in New Jersey, and prior to being cast as the Bachelorette, she was studying in Miami, FL, to become a physician assistant.

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Since Jenn is the first Asian-American woman to star on The Bachelorette and looked forward to representing her community, she was apparently surprised there weren't more men from her culture and background cast on Season 21.

"I can't really speak to the casting process and the decisions that were made, but it is unfortunate that there weren't a lot of Asian men this season," Jenn told Glamour magazine in an interview.

"Asian men haven't always seen themselves in this position, and I am hoping that me being here and [suitor Thomas Nguyen] being there, that the both of us can inspire other Asian men to realize that they can do this too if they want."

Jenn added, "They can be in this position as well. I'm hoping that it inspires them."

The Bachelor franchise, which premiered its first season in 2002, has been long criticized for its lack of diversity in multiple areas.

It took 13 seasons for the franchise to choose its first Black lead in Rachel Lindsay, but since them, Matt James, Tayshia Adams, Michelle Young, and Charity Lawson have all served as leads.

ABC also aired The Golden Bachelor last year featuring senior contestants, and The Golden Bachelorette is set to debut this September.

The Bachelor producer Bennett Graebner recently admitted to the casting department falling short for Jenn's The Bachelorette season.

"That's on us. We didn't do what we needed to do," Bennett told the Los Angeles Times.

"Our hope is that they will see Jenn and realize this is a safe space. We're not saying it will solve and fix everything. But it is a step."

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However, Jenn's conversation with Thomas N. was a highlight of The Bachelorette's July 8 premiere on Monday night. The pair bonded over having immigrant Vietnamese parents, who had made sacrifices and put their own dreams on hold to give their kids a better life.

"That was probably one of my favorite conversations, and I think back to it a lot because it's not every day that you get to bond with somebody on your immigrant parents and you get to connect with somebody on that level, because not everybody can understand that," Jenn told Glamour.

"That was a really special conversation for me because he really understood where I was coming from, and my family means everything to me."

Thomas N. is a 31-year-old retirement advisor from Tucker, GA, but he's also a professional swimmer who almost made the Olympics in 2016.

Thomas N. made it a point to make his parents proud in America, and Jenn has been doing the same, both on and off television.

"Knowing that my parents immigrated over here to give me a better life, the sacrifices that they made, and the internal battle that I have with giving back to them in every thing and every way that I could, but still trying to be independent -- being a child of immigrant parents is something that not everybody can understand," Jenn explained.

"And so, having that conversation with Thomas N. really meant the world."

By the end of Jenn's first night as the Bachelorette, she narrowed down her pool of bachelors from 25 to 18 men. Thomas N. received a rose, but it was Sam McKinney who had received the First Impression Rose.

At the end of the premiere episode, Jenn broke down into tears about how she finally felt wanted, desired and valued.

Jenn told the cameras, "Coming into tonight, it was really hard for me to believe I was everyone's first choice. I felt like I was in somebody else's shoes, but all of these men made me feel so special and so deserving, which I don't feel like often."

"I definitely feels right," Jenn continued.

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Jenn shared with Glamour how she had grown up in a "very mainly white suburban town" and so she always felt like "the other" or an outsider.

"I was a minority," Jenn noted.

"I never felt like I fit in. Growing up, I never really felt like I was anybody's first choice because I was unique in my own way, and I didn't always see it as a strength or a superpower. I always wanted to shy away from it and be like everybody else."

But Jenn cried on The Bachelorette how her bachelors made her feel "worthy of love" and worthy of their time, affection and attention.

"I guess I didn't expect it," Jenn confessed. "I'm crying on the first night, what the heck!... I'm so happy. I just feel so grateful."

Jenn is overall proud of who she is and where she came from.

"I'm excited to be able to share that with everybody. But yeah, in that moment, it was really heartwarming for me because I've never felt like I have been wanted in that way," Jenn recalled of her tears on Night 1 of The Bachelorette process.

"It's a really tough feeling to navigate and pinpoint. Because sometimes you're like, 'Why am I feeling this way?' And it's like, well, if you really look at it, my entire life, I've been the other person on the outside looking in. That's why being in this position means so much."

Jenn concluded, "It's because people like us can see this and be like, 'You know what? It doesn't need to be that way.'"

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

Click here to read episode-by-episode spoilers about how Jenn's The Bachelorette season unfolds, including her winner and runner-up.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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