NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: After many years of fans proclaiming that the 'Real Housewives' universe is fundamentally queer, we are now living in the golden era of openly LGBTQ+ Real Housewives. Jenna Lyons is the most recent addition to this growing pool, having been chosen as a prominent cast member in the upcoming relaunched edition of 'The Real Housewives of New York City', a brand that has long needed an update.
Many people were startled when Jenna was unveiled as a part of the reimagined 'RHONY' ensemble at BravoCon in October 2022. According to Page Six, the former J.Crew president stated that it is just time to "try something different and challenging." The fashion designer attended Parsons School of Design and began working at J.Crew as an assistant menswear designer at the age of 21 before rising through the ranks to become the company's president and executive creative director before leaving in 2017. Jenna told Page Six that she expected her phone to ring off the hook after leaving J.Crew, but the calls never came.
'Who do I need to call?? I am available'
Jenna was at The Wing in SoHo in December 2021, giving an interview to a podcast called 'Dyking Out', after being told that she wasn't doing enough to represent her queer women's group. "I felt really badly," she said a year later over avocado toast at Sant Ambroeus. "That was never really something that occurred to me." So she recorded the podcast, and about an hour into the chat, the interviewers offered an idea: Ms. Lyons as a cast member on 'RHONY'. "I'm down," she said, and those two words may have transformed her life.
When another gay podcaster superimposed Jenna's face onto a promotional photograph of the 'RHONY' cast in February 2022, Jenna posted it on her Instagram story, stating, "Who do I need to call?? I am available." It was a bit of a joke, she explained, calling it "one of those moments where somebody posits something that seems completely unlikely, and out of humor, I said yes."
Nonetheless, she sent a message to Andy Cohen, the Bravo host and executive producer of the 'Real Housewives' franchise, whose Christmas parties she had attended. "You know what... this is a good idea," Andy responded by direct message. Jenna responded with a laughing emoji. Then an emoji with two red exclamation points appeared. Then there was a heart emoji.
Andy said one month later that Bravo was in the midst of recreating 'RHONY', which has lost ratings in recent seasons, with a whole new ensemble. According to Variety, he sought a new "multicultural group of friends" from "diverse backgrounds, races, and religions" for the show's 14th season. Jenna received a call a few months later asking if she would undergo a screen test. Jenna has always been a captivating figure — slim and tall, with big spectacles and a blouse that is frequently unbuttoned to her navel.
What made Jenna perfect for rebooted 'RHONY'?
Andy described being the typical Housewife on the show as "funny, dramatic, outspoken, and surprising." It is also often inferred that Housewives are wealthy. Jenna clicked for him because you couldn't take your eyes off her. "When she comes on the screen, you want to see more of her," he explained. Even better for his revamp ambitions, "She’s a real player in New York."
Jenna, for one, hoped that being on television would aid her business ventures, such as her fake eyelash firm, LoveSeen, which she started in 2020. Being on the 'Today' show once resulted in an increase in sales. "We need the exposure," she explained. She also enjoyed the concept of injecting some queerness into a predominantly straight series. Jenna said she was a fan of the early seasons of 'New York City' and watched current episodes of 'Atlanta,' 'Salt Lake City,' and 'Miami' before deciding whether to be a part of the revival.
Brace yourself, as when Season 14 of 'The Real Housewives of New York City' premieres on July 16, 2023, at 9 pm ET on Bravo, it will look quite different.