“The Real Housewives of New York City” is only a few episodes into its fourteenth season — its first after a complete overhaul — and there’s already plenty of controversy surrounding the cast, which includes (as seen above) Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva, Jessel Taank, Jenna Lyons and Brynn Whitfield.
Before the show even aired, reports swirled that a cast member had dropped out at the beginning of filming.
The political affiliations of another cast member were questioned after her election donations were made public.
As the season progresses, fans will surely see more drama unfold as we learn more about these six women at the center of one of Bravo’s biggest shows.
Click through to see all the controversies surrounding the “RHONY” Season 14 cast.
The Reboot Itself
After a poorly received and poorly rated Season 13, Bravo took the unprecedented step of replacing the entire cast of “The Real Housewives of New York City.”
Fans had mixed reactions to news of the reboot. Some felt it was long overdue, while others missed the “legacy” housewives that they had watched for over a decade.
In July 2023, Bravo debut the brand new “RHONY.”
The Missing Housewife
When the “RHONY” reboot was announced, influencer Lizzy Savetsky was named as one of the new cast members. However, Savetsky, who describes herself as a “proud orthodox Jewish woman,” left the show after experiencing what she called a “wave of anti-Semitism.”
However, according to Page Six, Savetsky departed the show after a behind-the-scenes call with cast member Brynn Whitfield and the use of a racial slur. Savetsky has not been included in any of the Season 14 footage.
Puke Party
At the premiere party in New York City, cast member Jessel Taank appeared unwell and vomited on the red carpet.
While some speculated it was due to alcohol consumption, Taank cleared the air, stating, “I wish I was drunk!! Unfortunately just a stomach bug guys…nothing to see here.”
Restaurant-Gate
In this first episode, the name of a Manhattan restaurant that cast members Brynn Whitfield and Sai De Silva said they “wouldn’t be caught dead” in was repeatedly bleeped out.
Speculation ran rampant online, with the consensus being the restaurant was upscale seafood eatery Catch.
Erin Lichy seemed to confirm the restaurant’s identity, posting “Catch me (see what I did there?) on bravowwhl tonight.”
Public Outing
Jenna Lyons is a proud gay woman on the show, but her outing was forced.
The former J Crew executive creative director recounted how she was outed by the New York Post back in 2011 after being spotted on a dinner date with a woman. The paper had called her workplace to confirm or deny her sexuality, which Lyons ended up confirming, but it wasn’t on her terms.
“I was so overwhelmed with everything that was happening in my life that I just said yes,” she told “The View.” “It was so hard and I think, you know, I hadn’t really been in the public eye that much. It was all still new for me, and I didn’t expect anyone to care what I was doing in my personal life and all of a sudden everyone cared.”
Donation drama
Erin Lichy was called out for making four separate $100 donations to RedWin, the GOP’s fundraising political action committee right after the November 2022 election which Joe Biden won.
Two of the donations were earmarked for the “Trump Make America Great Again Committee,” leading critics to accuse Lichy of being an election denier.
“Regarding the hateful and misinformed social commentary going on about me, I’d like to dispel these false narratives before they continue any further. I do not deny the election and have never supported stop the steal. I unequivocally believe that the 2020 Presidential election was fair and the President was rightfully elected,” she said in a statement provided to TheWrap.