Kendra Wilkinson Thought Her ’15 Minutes Were Up’ Before New Show ‘Kendra Sells Hollywood’ (Exclusive)

Kendra Wilkinson is opening the next chapter of her life with a brand new career in real estate. The former Girls Next Door star may have made her TV debut in the Playboy Mansion, but now Wilkinson is helping to sell mansions and other properties in her new discovery+ series Kendra Sells Hollywood, premiering on the streamer Wednesday, Nov. 17. 

Ahead of the premiere, Wilkinson opened up to PopCulture.com about the show she said was her favorite to film and her passion for real estate, which extends back to her days on Girls Next Door. “I have always kind of been interested in the real estate game,” she revealed. “When I was living at the Playboy Mansion for five years, I actually invested in a few properties.”

For the past few years, Wilkinson has been focusing on life as a single mom to 11-year-old son Hank Jr. and 7-year-old Alijah following her split from ex-husband Hank Baskett in 2018, but it’s meant taking a step back from the spotlight. “Hollywood ended a couple years ago and nobody was calling,” she admitted. “I wasn’t getting any more deals. It was over for me in Hollywood. My 15 minutes were up, so I had to figure it out.”

“Being a mom of two and [having] no one to rely on, I have to provide,” Wilkinson continued. “I decided on real estate and to fully commit myself to it. So I decided that — I passed the real estate exam the first try and the cameras came back to film it all. I’m so excited about it.” Returning to TV in a totally different way was “a lot of pressure,” the reality personality shared, especially working with high-tier real estate firm Douglas Elliman. 

“First of all, I didn’t even think I could even do TV anymore,” she told PopCulture, joking that years off-camera made her “even more basic” and got her used to living life in her sweats, working to care for her kids. “Just when I think it’s over, it all starts back up again,” she said, adding of Kendra Sells Hollywood, “I love TV and I love real estate. I love it all. And combine it all, and you get a party.”

Wilkinson is no stranger to adversity and she’s “not ashamed of just being vulnerable and really making mistakes” in full view of everyone. “People are like, ‘Oh she’s a joke. … You have to be smart to do this job.’ I’m like, ‘I’m trying. I’m doing everything I possibly can. I’m giving it my best, and that’s all you can do!’”  Kendra Sells Hollywood premieres on discovery+ on Wednesday, November 17.