The Bachelorette’s Jenn Tran insisted that she is unfazed by her interview with Kelly Ripa, even if some fans were uncomfortable with their exchange.
“Honestly, I will say, Kelly and I, it was all in good fun,” Tran, 26, revealed during the Monday, July 15, episode of the “Trading Secrets” podcast. “We have this sarcastic banter. I could tell the vibes, you know.”
The season 21 lead explained, “I didn’t take anything she said to heart,” reassuring her fans, “I think it was all really in good fun.”
Podcast host Jason Tartick, who was on season 14 of The Bachelorette, praised Tran for how she handled her and Ripa’s back-and-forth on camera.
“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.”
While Tartick, 35, was proud of Tran, he noted that there was some “noise” after her exchange with Ripa, which took place on the July 8 episode of Live With Kelly and Mark.
During the episode, Ripa, 53, was critical of Tran and wondered why she didn’t try to date outside of reality TV.
“I have a question: When did you meet your husband? … On TV, no?” Tran playfully replied, referring to Ripa’s marriage to Mark Consuelos, whom she met on the set of the soap opera All My Children.
Ripa, who shares three children with Consuelos, 53, argued that meeting on a TV set was “not the same” as going on a dating show.
“We were both professional. Are you acting on your show?” Ripa countered. “I didn’t marry [Mark’s All My Children character] Mateo Santos. I married Mark Consuelos.”
Despite the optics, a source told Entertainment Weekly that the women were both happy with the interview. “Ripa and Tran were ribbing each other during the conversation” and “the interview was well received on both ends,” the outlet reported.
Ripa’s controversial chat with Tran isn’t the first time she’s ruffled feathers with Bachelor Nation. However, a source exclusively told Us Weekly this month that Ripa “asks the questions that people would want asked, it’s part of what makes the show great.”
The insider added, “The show’s numbers have been up since Mark has been cohosting, the back-and-forth is good for the show, it opens up the conversation and that’s what they’re trying to accomplish.”
Tran, meanwhile, confessed on Monday that her choice to become the Bachelorette was “definitely a leap of faith.” For the physician assistant student, going on a reality show for love isn’t all that different than taking a risk on dating in the 21st century.
“In this day in age, is Hinge any better? Is Instagram DM any better?” Tran told podcast listeners, before closing the book on what Ripa thinks about the approach to romance. “Some people may not understand this world, but it’s OK,” Tran concluded.
The Bachelorette airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
