Jill Zarin, an OG cast member of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” has been fired from E! Alumni series “The Golden Life” was announced on February 3, before the show went into production. Zarin, famous as a master of disasters, fell from grace due to self-inflicted harm.
The show’s producer, Blink 49 Studios, released a statement on Tuesday, severing ties with Zarin. “In light of recent public comments by Jill Zarin, Blink 49 Studios has decided not to move forward with her involvement in ‘The Golden Life.'” We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our standards and values. ”
On Super Bowl Sunday, after Bad Bunny’s halftime show performance, Zarin saw fit to rant on Instagram: “We all agree, it was the worst halftime show ever. We are now celebrating 250 years in the United States. “But I don’t think it’s appropriate to do that in Spanish.” Zarin went on to say that Bad Bunny grabbing his crotch in front of children was also “inappropriate,” adding, “And he doesn’t have to grab himself every five seconds. Is he really that insecure?” Zarin, who doesn’t speak Spanish, said her performance “looked like a political statement, because there were literally no white people in the whole thing,” when she made the big arm-waving gesture to exclude Lady Gaga (among other things). Zarin almost immediately deleted the post from Instagram Sunday night and turned off comments on the grid post, but the video was captured and posted in its entirety by content creator Gibson Johns.
“I think this was a political statement, but I’m not taking sides,” Zarin continued. “That’s just what I think. I think it was an ICE issue.” She went on to say that it was “so sad” that the NFL was “sold out” and “such a shame!”
She wasn’t finished yet. And when Zarin remembered that she, who is white, was actually featured during Bad Bunny’s performance, Lady Gaga was lost. “And Lady Gaga had plastic surgery. I didn’t recognize her! I literally had to Google her face to see who it was. We all couldn’t agree on who it was,” Zarin said with a laugh. “It was kind of fun in the middle of halftime. At least it gave me something to do because it was so hard to watch.”
Since Sunday night, the Bravosphere has stood united against Zarin’s comments, with “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Tamra Judge tweeting “What an actual F*#k” at Johns. “The Real Housewives of Dubai” star Chanel Ayan tweeted, “I had to unfollow you because it was disgusting,” along with a vomiting emoji. Margaret Josephs of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” wrote, “I’m horrified, disgusted, and disappointed, but that’s how I feel every day. But overjoyed by the NFL and Bad Bunny’s beautiful representation of America.”
Zarin’s firing is the latest setback in a haunted attempt to reunite the original cast members of Bravo’s magical series “The Real Housewives of New York City,” which first aired in 2008. After a chaotic Season 13 in the summer of 2021, which was derailed by racism, Bravo put the show on hold. Then, in March 2022, the network announced that it would reboot RHONY from scratch with an all-new cast, but that veteran cast members (possibly including Zarin) would be given their own series. However, complex contract negotiations (particularly Zarin’s demands) soon got in the way, and the veterans had to settle instead for the poorly received “Ultimate Girls Trip,” starring Luann de Lesseps, Dorinda Medley, Sonya Morgan, Ramona Singer, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, and Kristen Taekman. The series aired on Peacock in December 2023 and ended.
The so-called “legacy” cast members from the original “RHONY” only become more controversial. For example, Singer, who was also at fault for RHONY’s ill-fated season 13, was disinvited from BravoCon 2023 the night before after he used an abbreviation for the N-word in a text exchange with a Page Six reporter. Aside from the toxic behavior of the cast, some of the geographical considerations for the women are also more complicated. Singer, Zarin, and Sonya Morgan have moved to Florida, which is why “A Golden Life” is set there. (Countess Luann and Kelly Bensimon will likely be transplanted there during production.)
Zarin’s post made it clear how much Bravo didn’t want to do with this project. The network should have had the right of first refusal. On Monday’s SiriusXM radio show, “Real Housewives” executive producer Andy Cohen called Zarin and Taylor Armstrong (formerly of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) “two people who are no longer employed by Bravo.” (On Sunday night, in protest of Bad Bunny’s performance, Armstrong posted a meme of a “Gladiator” with Russell Crowe’s head on his Instagram Story and wrote, “Was it fun? It’s embarrassing for the NFL and Apple to have a Cuban flag in full Spanish during the Super Bowl halftime show!!”)
“Call E!” Cohen concluded.
Even Zarin Fabrics, the legendary Lower East Side fabric store once owned by Zarin’s late husband Bobby, wanted to distance itself from Jill. On Monday night, the company’s Instagram account posted a photo of Zarin with a large red “X” on his face. The message began by saying, “Zarin Fabrics stands firmly against racism, discrimination, and rhetoric that seeks to exclude or degrade people based on their identity, culture, or background,” before making it clear that Jill is no longer affiliated with the store and condemning the company’s language that undermines “creativity, collaboration, and respect for the diverse communities that shape art, culture, and expression.”
