‘Real Housewives of New York’ Star Jenna Lyons Exits After 2 Seasons

Jenna Lyons won’t be holding an apple anymore. The famed fashion guru has announced her exit from The Real Housewives of New York City after two seasons of starring on the reboot of the longrunning Bravo reality series.

Lyons made history as the first openly gay Housewife as a full-time cast member on the franchise. She was viewed as a peacemaker of the group, but also criticized for not sharing much of her personal life.

She revealed her exit in a lengthy Instagram post, noting that she was asked back, and considered, before ultimately choosing to leave and focus on other ventures. “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,” she wrote in part, captioning a cast promo shot for Season 15.

“And after thinking it through I have made the difficult decision not return to the show,” she added. “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.”

Lyons joined RHONY in Season 14 alongside fellow newcomers Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jessel Taank, and Brynn Whitfield. She returned in Season 15, with the addition of Racquel Chevremont, also a lesbian. RHONY last aired in February 2025, and Season 16 had been put on pause amid casting issues. Andy Cohen hinted at BravoCon 2025 that the cast for the new season had been locked and an announcement was expected shortly.

De Silva, Lichy, and Taank are expected to return. Whitfield exited after a tumultuous Season 15 that featured her making racially insensitive comments. “After a lot of thought, I’ve made the decision to walk away from reality TV. For now,” she wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram Stories on Monday.