Bachelorette Jenn Tran turned the tables by asking Kelly Ripa some personal questions during her latest interview.
“I have a question,” Tran, 26, asked Ripa, 53, on the Monday, July 8, episode of Live With Kelly and Mark. “Where did you meet your husband?”
When Ripa confirmed she met Mark Consuelos at work while filming All My Children, Tran seemingly insinuated that it was similar to her journey on The Bachelorette by replying, “On TV, no?”
Ripa, however, quickly shut down any comparisons. “Those are not the same. We were both professional,” she explained. “Are you acting on your show? I didn’t marry [Mark’s character] Mateo Santos. I married Mark Consuelos.”
The couple, who have been married since 1996, previously said on Live that they hid their marriage from their soap opera colleagues until Wendy Williams revealed their secret nuptials on her former radio program. “We didn’t want it to be perceived that somehow we couldn’t work together,” Ripa explained in February.
The awkward banter came after Ripa questioned why Tran would want to find love by participating in The Bachelorette, but Entertainment Weekly reports neither woman was offended. An insider explained that “Ripa and Tran were ribbing each other during the conversation,” and “the interview was well received on both ends.”
Ripa was nothing but complimentary as she questioned why Tran needed The Bachelorette at all. “You’re drop-dead gorgeous,” Ripa pointed out. “You could meet anybody anywhere, at any time. Why, why, why?”
For Tran, who previously appeared as a contestant on Joey Graziadei’s season of The Bachelor, she was honored to be named the first Asian American to lead The Bachelorette and have the opportunity to find her happily ever after on TV.
“I wanted to portray my story in the best way possible,” she explained on Live. “I wanted to please everybody but that’s not realistic. You can’t possibly please everybody. I just was authentic to myself and told my story in the way that makes sense to me.”
Tran, however, understands why some people would hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity. When she first agreed to participate in the show, the physician assistant student said her mom had no interest in being involved.
“She knew that she was going to have to go on TV at some point because you really have to meet the family,” Tran said. “Her first response was, ‘You’re going to have to hire an actor to pose as your mom because I’m not going on TV.’”
Fortunately, she came around and fans will get to meet Tran’s family this season. “She was excited for me and for me to be the first Asian Bachelorette,” Tran shared. “She knows how much that means too. We have just been wanting representation our whole lives.”
Us Weekly has reached out to ABC for comment. The Bachelorette premieres Monday, July 8, on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
