‘Bachelorette’ Jenn Tran Defends Her Awkward Questioning Of Kelly Ripa

Heavy/ABC Jenn Tran and Kelly Ripa.

Jenn Tran claims all is good between her and Kelly Ripa one week after they engaged in an awkward exchange on “Live With Kelly and Mark.”

“The Bachelorette” season 21 star spoke out during a July 15, 2024 appearance on Jason Tartick’s “Trading Secrets” podcast to reveal she did not take offense to Ripa schooling her on finding love on TV.

“Honestly, I will say, Kelly and I, it was all in good fun,” Tran, 26, said on Tartick’s podcast. “We have this sarcastic banter. I could tell the vibes, you know. I didn’t take anything she said to heart.”  “The Bachelorette” star added, “I think it was all really in good fun.”

Kelly Ripa Shut Down Jenn Tran After ‘The Bachelorette’ Star Asked Her Where She Met Her Husband

ABCJenn Tran, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

Things went awry during Tran’s July 8 interview on “Live With Kelly and Mark,” which aired hours before her debut as “The Bachelorette” on ABC. In the interview with host Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos, Tran reacted to Ripa’s question about “why” she decided to go on a TV show to meet a man when she could meet a guy “anywhere.”

“Is Hinge any better?” Tran asked the morning show host.

“No not Hinge. The office. Medical school,” Ripa replied.

Tran then questioned Ripa and Consuelos, who met when they were co-stars on the ABC soap opera “All My Children” in 1995 and married months later. “I have a question,” Tran asked Ripa, 53. “Where did you meet your husband?… On TV.”

Ripa fired back. “No, no, no, no. no, no, no!” she said. “Those are not the same,” the visibly fired-up talk show host said to Tran. “We were both professionals. Are you acting on your show?”

Ripa then clarified, “I didn’t marry [‘All My Children’ character] Mateo Santos, I married Mark Consuelos.”

Later in the interview, Tran refused to tell Ripa the fate of one of her suitors and advised her, “You’ll have to watch tonight to see.”

Ripa revealed she would not be tuning into the rose-filled reality show that airs on the network she works for.

Jason Tartick Praised Jenn Tran For How She Handled Kelly Ripa

ABCTHE BACHELORETTE CAST- Back row: Dylan, Brian, Grant, Sam N., John M., Marvin
Row 3: Sam M., Spencer, Brendan, Hakeem, Jahaan
Row 2: Brett, Kevin, Austin, Aaron, Devin, Ricky
Front row: Moze, Tomas A., Marcus, Jeremy, Jenn Tran, Thomas, Jonathon J., Dakota, Matt. (Disney/Michael Kirchoff)

On the podcast follow-up, Tartick commended Tran’s handling of Ripa. “We’ve known Kelly is not a fan of the show,” he said. “I think you handled it perfectly, especially from someone that, you know, has a history of being against the show.”

Tran stood by her stance, noting that a TV dating show is no worse than a dating app. “In this day in age, is Hinge any better? Is Instagram DM any better?” she asked. “Some people may not understand this world, but it’s okay.”

Ripa has been vocal about her hatred of all things “Bachelor.” According to Us Weekly, she once told her audience on “Live With Kelly and Ryan” that the ABC dating show “disgusts” her. The mom of three said she took issue with 25 women “fighting over one ordinary fella.”

According to Inside Edition, when then- “Bachelorette” star Hannah Brown appeared on “Live” in 2019, Ripa told her, “You seem like a lovely girl, You blink twice, I will get you out of here.”

Brown defended her role on the ABC dating competition, telling Ripa, “Being a part of the show is not women fighting against each other, really. Some of my best friends came from the show.”

She later told the outlet she was “really excited” to talk to Ripa about her experience as “The Bachelorette” and how it had been “such a blessing” for her.

Brown’s engagement to her final suitor, Jed Wyatt, ended weeks after he proposed to her on “The Bachelorette” season 15 finale, per Us Weekly.