The Bachelorette Mourns Loss of ‘Highly Admired’ Family Member
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Jenn Tran’s journey to find love kicked off on July 8, but the premiere episode of her season of The Bachelorette ended on a somber note with a dedication to the late Stephanie Leifer. Who was Stephanie Leifer from The Bachelorette? Keep reading to learn more about the former ABC executive.
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Who was Stephanie Leifer from The Bachelorette?
Stephanie Leifer was a former programming executive at ABC. She worked at the network for a combined 28 years, having first joined in 1994 as an assistant in the TV movie department. By 2002, she had risen through the ranks to become the senior vice president of Comedy Development, a role in which she oversaw the development and production of all ABC comedy pilots.
In 2010, she became the head of Current Programming, where she was responsible for all current series in production at ABC Studios. She held the title until 2022, when she left the company. During her long tenure at ABC, Leifer was part of some of the biggest and most critically-acclaimed shows in the network’s history, including Lost, Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. Before starting her career in entertainment, Leifer worked as a literary assistant at Writers and Artists Agency and a production associate at WGBH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts.
Two years later, Leifer passed away at age 56 on June 27, 2024, following a battle with cancer. She leaves behind a husband, Joseph, and two children: daughter Amelia and son Noah. The Bachelorette, another series she oversaw, paid tribute to the late executive with a touching note at the end of the Season 21 premiere. “In loving memory of Stephanie Leifer,” the tribute card read.
“Stephanie was a beloved member of the Disney Entertainment Television family for nearly three decades, and our hearts are broken by the devastating news of her passing,” a spokesman for Disney Entertainment TV said at the time of Leifer’s death. “She was a highly admired executive, whose creative impact was only matched by the relationships she nurtured both within the company and across the industry. Our sincerest condolences go out to her family, especially her husband and our colleague, Jonathan, and their two beautiful children, Amelia and Noah.”
Leifer’s tribute rolled across the screen just after Bachelorette Jenn Tran told her group of suitors that they would be traveling to Melvin, Australian, next week, marking the first time the show has gone abroad this early on in the season. Tran herself is another first, as she is the first Asian-American Bachelorette in the show’s history.
“Growing up I never really saw a lot of Asians in the media, and that really hindered me from believing that I could make something of myself and do some things, so for me to be here today and kind of be the role model that I’ve always wanted is honestly really surreal for me,” Tran said during an appearance on Good Morning America. She added that she’s “excited to be able to inspire a generation of people.”
The Bachelorette airs on Mondays on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu.
Watch ‘The Bachelorette’ on Hulu
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