Jenna Lyons at the ‘Real Housewives of New York City’ Season 14 premiere party in July 2023.Photo:Michael Loccisano/Getty
Michael Loccisano/Getty
TheReal Housewives of New York Citycast took the stage for the show’s official panel atBravoCon 2023on Saturday with one notable absence:Jenna Lyons.
Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfieldwere all in attendance at the Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, where the third annual Bravo fan convention is taking place. But Lyons — easily the biggest star of the franchise — was not among them.
“Jenna’s at an event tonight. She apologizes that she could not be here," Whitfield said on the panel, later adding that Jenna was “in bed with her girlfriend.” Teased Whitfield, “I got a selfie this morning, she’s very happy,”
“I talked to Jenna last night," Taank echoed. “She’s very happy.”
Her absence comes as questions rise about whether Lyons will returns toRHONYnext year for what would be her second season (and the franchise’s 15th).
For more of PEOPLE’s BravoCon coverage,click here.
Brynn Whitfield, Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, and Ubah Hassan.Gavin Bond/Bravo via Getty Images
Gavin Bond/Bravo via Getty Images
The Loveseen lashes founder and former J.Crew president had made no secret about her discomfort with he show, even tellingRHONYexecutive producerAndy Cohenduring an appearance onWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohenlast month that her “thorn” of the season was “the whole show.”
“I really thought I was going to have an easier time,” she said. “It was hard! It’s shocking how, when the camera’s actually on you… I thought I could handle it and, you know, I couldn’t.”
Similar anxieties were expressed even before the show premiered. “I am literally terrified,” she said in March during an appearance onThe Tonight ShowStarring Jimmy Fallon, when recalling her experience filming the reality series.
“I thought I was going to do better,” she admitted onThe Viewin July, explaining that the show didn’t help her get more comfortable with female friendships. “I had this idea, ‘Oh, I’ve been at the helm of a very large company. I’ve worked with a lot of people.’ But what I realized is, I paid all those people. [That’s] really different. Everyone listens to you and likes what you say when you pay them!”
“This has been a different experience for me,” she added. “And I’m not good in groups. Like, I’m good one-on-one and I will tell you everything and I want to hear everything about you. [In groups], I sit in a corner and then I look aloof.”
Jenna Lyons at the ‘Real Housewives of New York City’ season 14 reunion.Peacock
Peacock
That can lead to criticisms from costars and fans alike, which Lyons certainly experienced this season,many calling out her unwillingness to share her then-girlfriend on the show. The two have since split, butit’s unclear if her new partner, Cass Bird, would be open to participating.
He went on to praise Lyons on the show, agreeing with the caller that he’d like to see, moving forward, more of her interactions with her 17-year-old son, Beckett Mazeau, whom she shares with ex-husband Vincent Mazeau.
Ubah Hassan, Jenna Lyons, Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva, Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield at BravoCon 2022.Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty
Lyons joinedRHONYamid a reboot of the franchise installment. Former HousewivesLuann de Lesseps,Ramona Singer,Sonja Morgan,Leah McSweenyandEboni K. Williamswere all axed from the series so that Bravo could build a cast that better reflects the diversity of the Big Apple.
Mission was accomplished, with Lyons especially beingRHONY’s first openly gay Housewife. The show previously featured a Friend of the Housewives, Barbara Kavovit, who identified as bisexual.The Real Housewives of Miamicurrently stars Julia Lemigova, who is married to tennis legend Martina Navratilova. Braunwyn Windham-Burke came out as lesbian during her final season onThe Real Housewives of Orange County, whileReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsalum Taylor Armstrong — who joinedRHOClast season as a Friend — has also recently said she is bisexual.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Meanwhile, though Lyons was absent from BravoCon, the panel still featured plenty of fire with De Silva, Hassan, Lichy, Taank and Whitfield reminiscing on the fun and drama of the season.
Coincidentally, Lyons and her costars were first announced as Housewives at BravoCon 2022.
BravoCon 2023 is continuing through Sunday, Nov. 5 as Caesars Forum in Las Vegas.
source: people.com
