Can Jenna Lyons save Real Housewives of New York? Bravo producers seem to think so!
After season 13 ratings reached an all time low in 2021, Andy Cohen shocked fans with the announcement that season 14 would usher in a brand new cast, while “classic” cast members will return for a spinoff called RHONY: Legacy.
“You know that we’re at a crossroads for RHONY. We’ve spent a lot of time figuring out where to go. And the plan that we’ve come up with, I think, is a real gift to the fans,” Cohen told Variety in March. “There are thousands of stories to tell here. This is the most multicultural, diverse, and energetic and exciting city in America: We are searching for a multicultural group of friends who really best reflect the most exciting city in the country. We’re looking for a group of women who are real friends, and who are of diverse backgrounds, races and religions.”
Nearly seven months later, the new cast members were revealed at Bravocon; including Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Dana Lichy, Lizzy Savetsky, Jessel Taank, Brynn Whitfield, and…former president and creative director of J.Crew, Jenna Lyons. While Real Housewives of Miami introduced their first lesbian couple in 2021 with cast member Julia Lemigova and her wife, former tennis star Martina Navratilova, Lyons marks the first out gay Real Housewife of the New York variation.
On October 17, Lyons commented on the news in an Instagram video: “Good morning…I’m a little tired today,” she began, wearing her signature oversized black frames. “I just wanted to say a really heartfelt thank you. I have had the most incredible messages from people I haven’t heard from in a really long time, and it feels so nice and I thank you. I know this is a really unusual and unexpected thing but thank you to everyone who’s been so kind.”
