Jenna Lyons has been picky about what she will and will not share about her life on The Real Housewives of New York. That typically doesn’t bode well for a reality show, but Lyons is returning for Season 15 and doing so with some conditions, mainly where her new girlfriend is concerned. Lyons, who has in the past stated that she doesn’t want to name her new girlfriend, is dating artist and photographer Cass Bird. Viewers will not be seeing Bird in Season 15 of the show and that was part of Lyons’ deal when she returned to the series.

Lyons’ return to The Real Housewives of New York was not an easy one. When she was on the TODAY show back in November 2023, she talked about why she joined the series in the first place but also talked about why she did not attend BravoCon, which made fans think she was done with the series. Lyons said it was a factor in many things but, at the time, the important part of her interview was when she talked about her new relationship. “But I also am in a relationship now, and I have to take that into consideration. How that impacts not just me but the people around me. So, I have some thinking to do,” she said.

Lyons has also recently talked about how she doesn’t want to name her girlfriend or talk about her on the show. “I have a relationship, but I would like to not name her,” she told The New York Times. “I want to keep her out of the press. That is my commitment to her.” And if you think we might see Bird in the series, Lyon has also made that clear: “It’s off the table. I joined this process. She did not.” In that same interview, Lyons also made it clear that she doesn’t care if her castmates are mad about the Bird part of her life being kept away from the series.

Is It Fair For Jenna Lyons to Keep Her Girlfriend Off the Show?

For many fans, they expect reality stars to bear it all for their consumption. Lyons is setting a clear boundary of what she will and will not share. It’s brave to do something like that on a Bravo show where there have been many secrets exposed for storyline. But it also brings forth a question: Is it fair for a reality star to hide major aspects of their lives, such as a relationship, when they’re paid to share it all?

A social media post implies the ‘RHONY’ cast member had an affair with her now-husband while he was married to someone else.

In Season 7 of The Real Housewives of Potomac, Robyn Dixon opted not to discuss her husband Juan’s alleged infidelity. She later revealed such on her podcast after the season aired. Fans, and some co-stars, called for her to be punished. Some believed she deserved a demotion or firing. Robyn has stated multiple times that she doesn’t regret her choice to hide her marital problems. She has since been reportedly fired and expected not to return for a ninth season, as producers are allegedly looking to shake things up in hopes of revitalizing viewers’ interest.