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Credit: Mei Tao/Bravo
All castmates from season 14 of Real Housewives of New York will return for the new season – including Jenna Lyons, who was rumored to be quitting.
Meanwhile, Jenna opened up about her contract negotiations with Bravo, and she shared why her girlfriend won’t be involved.
“Honestly, I’m gonna be the one who has to dispel the rumors because season 15 — it’s there,” said Jenna in a cast announcement video shared by @bravotv.
“It’s there— and so are all the ladies. The ✨ENTIRE CAST✨ is returning to #RHONY for Season 15!” wrote Bravo TV in the caption of the post, which included blurbs from all the stars.
Speaking with The New York Times, Jenna shared she initially wasn’t sure she would return.
“I’ve taken on a lot of projects. There was some concern about my ability, just time-wise, to commit to it, and that was a big deal,” she said. “I also have a new relationship and wanted to maintain privacy. It was not just me. We all had to figure out, like, Can this work? I wasn’t sure. Definitely not sure.”
She said her relationship was a point of discussion concerning her negotiations with Bravo.
“They have been very amenable,” she explained. “I have a relationship, but I would like to not name her. I want to keep her out of the press. That is my commitment to her. It’s off the table. I joined this process. She did not.”
“There was a lot of filming in the home, and it was just exhausting,” she added. “It’s so disruptive. They were very open to reducing that exposure and not having so much ‘home time.’ My son is prepping for college. It’s a very intense time.”
But Jenna expects pushback from castmates (again) over her restrictions about filming her personal life.
“I will say there are kids involved, and so I don’t care what anybody else says. As an adult, it’s my responsibility to protect them as much as I possibly can,” she said. “Jessel (Taank), Erin (Lichy) and Sai (De Silva) are all mothers, and I think Brynn (Whitfield) and Ubah (Hassan) are very sensitive. Ubah also has a relationship that I think she wants to keep very private. There’s an understanding: When children are involved, it’s just a different conversation.”
She also addressed why she’s wearing a ring amid speculation that she’s engaged.
“This is a very serious answer: She kept telling me, ‘Jenna, your shirt is buttoned down too low.’ And I was like, ‘If you want me to button my shirt, you have to put a ring on my finger,’” Jenna answered.
