At BravoCon 2025, Andy Cohen announced to a crowd of reluctant fans that they had locked down a cast for Season 16 of The Real Housewives of New York. Now, we’ve learned that Jenna Lyons won’t be a part of it. She’s officially turning in her apple.
The fashion mogul just announced her departure from the series in a lengthy Instagram post, marking the latest cast member of the RHONY reboot to depart the series. It’s almost as if the reboot’s casting never made sense in the first place.
Jenna Lyons was asked to return to RHONY as a “friend of”
“The rumors are true,” Jenna wrote on Instagram, confirming her exit from RHONY after two seasons.
When Jenna joined RHONY for the Season 14 reboot, fans were excited to see the former J. Crew president step into the beloved Bravo series. However, fans quickly became frustrated that she didn’t show her personal life on the show. In Jenna’s post, it sounds like her hesitant approach to reality TV is what sealed her fate. They offered her a part-time role, and she declined.
“I was grateful to be asked to join season 16 of RHONY ‘as a friend of’ – knowing my personal life was not really available to be filmed. We agreed that made sense,” Jenna explained. “And after thinking it through I have made the difficult decision not [to] return to the show.”
She continued, “I would be the oldest and only openly gay woman on the show and feel like this is an opportunity for a new dynamic to emerge.”
Jenna went on to thank her RHONY castmates — all of them except for Brynn Whitfield. According to Jenna, she felt “grateful” for the opportunity to be on Bravo and has “respect” for the team that brought the show together. However, it just wasn’t a good fit.
“I will be watching and bitching from the sidelines with love and outfit judgment,” Jenna concluded.
The Real Housewives of New York is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – DOES JENNA’S DEPARTURE FROM RHONY SURPRISE YOU? IS HER EXIT FOR THE BEST, OR DID YOU WANT TO SEE HER RETURN?
