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After two seasons on The Real Housewives of New York City, Brynn Whitfield has officially stepped away — and she’s now revealing the candid reasons behind her exit. Speaking on her podcast Please See Below, Brynn shared that the decision was a long time coming and not an easy one.
“I decided at the reunion that I wasn’t going to do it,” Brynn said plainly. “I was like, ‘This is too much.’” That reunion marked the tipping point for the 39-year-old, who reflected on conversations with her brother and therapist that helped solidify her choice. “My brother and my therapist were like, ‘We’re not allowing you to do this ever again,’” she recalled.
Brynn’s final season wasn’t without drama, culminating in a confrontation with castmate Ubah Hassan. Despite her firm decision not to return full-time, Brynn admits she considered a more casual role on the show, similar to the “friend of” status held by Kathy Hilton on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. “That’s perfect to me because I’m like Kathy. I’m just a young, more lame version of Kathy. A less rich version of Kathy,” Brynn joked. “I just want to show [up] a couple of times. I don’t need to hold an apple or a diamond. I just want to come in. Let me just be my dumb self, enjoy it, [then] bye guys. See you later.”
When Brynn announced her departure via social media earlier this month, she admitted it wasn’t a pre-planned statement but rather a spontaneous decision. “I knew I just wasn’t going to do it,” she explained on the podcast. “I was hoping that they would either fire me, or I was hoping that they would cancel the show. Or they would be like, ‘Hey, we’re done casting, we signed everyone. Sorry, Brynn. Thank you so much.’”
One of the main reasons Brynn is stepping back from reality TV is to focus on her growing business. “After a lot of thought, I’ve made the decision to walk away from reality TV. For now,” she wrote on June 9. “Last week, Hoppy — the dating app I co-founded and proudly serve as Chief Marketing Officer — hit a massive download milestone. I can’t even put into words how surreal it feels. All I want to do now is pour every ounce of energy into building Hoppy into the #1 dating app in the world.”
Looking back on her time with RHONY, Brynn described it as “one of the most fun, chaotic, and magical chapters of my life” and said it was “the honor of a lifetime” to help reboot the show in 2022. She expressed deep gratitude to the fans and everyone who supported her journey. “From day one, I’ve believed RHONY is a fan’s show — we’re just temporary custodians of something that truly belongs to the viewers. I hope I made you laugh (a lot), cry (a little), and more than anything — I hope there’s a TV in heaven so that Mimi (who LIVED for her shows) could watch me and be proud.”
Brynn’s heartfelt farewell continued, “To every person who gave me a chance, cheered me on, and afforded me love and grace — thank you.”
For now, Brynn Whitfield is trading reality TV cameras for a front-row seat in the tech startup world, focusing on growing Hoppy and building her future beyond the Bravo spotlight.