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Jenna Lyons opened up about her exit from The Real Housewives of New York City on Wednesday, months after confirming her departure with an Instagram statement.
As rumors continue to swirl in regard to who will and won’t return to the Bravo reality series for its upcoming 16th season, Jenna, 57, admitted to struggling as the show’s older, gay cast member as she reflected on her missed connections with her co-stars and spoke of the “much younger” women being brought in.
“The first season, I was the oldest person, and I was also the only gay person, and I didn’t realize until the second season where they brought in another woman who was closer to my age and also gay [Racquel Chevremont], how alone I felt,” Jenna began in a clip of SiriusXM’s TODAY Show Radio shared on January 14.
“And it’s not that the women made me feel alone. It was just like … Imagine, like every time you’re having a conversation about sex or dating or anything around relationships, like I could not relate. I felt completely on the outside,” she continued.
Jenna also felt that she and her castmates simply didn’t have much in common.
“With the age gap, like my child is in college, their kids are all young. My career has happened and I’m in a different stage of life. They’re all trying to like, hustle and I’m like, I actually am not in that place in my life. I actually want to do meaningful, careful, thoughtful things that matter to me. I’m just in a different place,” she explained. “So I found that I didn’t have as much connection in the first year.”
After admitting that things were “much easier” and “more fun” during her second season, season 15, Jenna suggested that she wasn’t on board with the cast of season 16, which has not yet been publicly confirmed.
“Three of the people are gone, and the new people that are coming in, they’re much younger,” she claimed. “And I’m like, ‘I don’t think I’m gonna feel great in the situation.’ I don’t want to do something that doesn’t make me happy, and I just was like, ‘I don’t think I’m going to feel good,’ and I don’t need to do it.”
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When Jenna confirmed her exit from RHONY last year, she said that although she was offered a “friend” role on season 16, since she preferred her personal life be kept off-screen, she felt that the new group was headed in a different direction.
“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,” she stated. “I have so much respect and gratitude to the Entire BRAVO team who produced the show with grace and care … I am so grateful to [Andy Cohen] for the opportunity and support … And most importantly to all the fans who have said hi on the street, asked for a photo, supported me here on Instagram.”
“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU !!!!- it’s so incredibly meaningful,” she added. “I will be watching and b*tching from the sidelines with love and outfit judgement.”
The Real Housewives of New York City season 16 is expected to go into production soon.