Any woman who decides to join Bravo TV’s The Real Housewives franchise had better know what they are getting into. While it can bring fame and fortune, it can also bring public scrutiny into the cast’s private life — and those marriages hanging by a thread ahead of their first appearance never last. But, fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff thinks she has the guts to join the fierce ladies as a “friend of” on The Real Housewives of New York City this season.
The first part of her decision was purely from a financial standpoint. “I said to my husband the day I signed on, ‘I can predict our life if we don’t do this, but I can’t predict our life if we do, and that’s exciting,’” she told Elle magazine. His response was probably what most of us would have said: “You’re f**king crazy…but okay.” But fellow co-star, and fellow fashion star, Jenna Lyons’ claims to Glossy that her LoveSeen false-lash brand grew “about 400 percent” likely had Minkoff signing her Bravo contract as fast as she could.
Rebecca Minkoff.Steven Ferdman/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images.
However, Minkoff is likely to see some pushback from reality show fans due to her association with the Church of Scientology. While she practices both Judaism and Scientology, she failed to address the topic in her 2021 memoir, Fearless. There’s nothing worse than a cast member who isn’t open about all aspects of her life. “I’m totally open, but it’s not my job to proselytize,” she told The New York Times in 2021. “I think there’s a lot of confusion when people hear the word ‘religion’ — immediately you hear that I pray to L. Ron Hubbard,” she told the outlet. “I study it, I take classes and that’s the extent of it, and it’s helped me stay centered. I don’t have all the answers. When I needed someone, it was a place for me to go get some answers.”
Minkoff had to be pressed on the topic in both her New York Times and Elle interview, which raises a few eyebrows about how it will be addressed — or avoided — on the Bravo show. Former Scientologist Leah Remini hasn’t weighed in about Minkoff’s casting yet but will likely chime in when Season 15 premieres on Oct. 1. However, she has been critical of Minkoff in the past, retweeting writer Yashar Ali’s complaints about the fashion designer.
“@RebeccaMinkoff who has, along with her family, propped up Scientology with millions in donations, Ali wrote in May 2022. “Scientology is one of the most anti-LGBT orgs on the planet and engages in conversion therapy.” We’re predicting that it won’t be a boring season of RHONY this year, Minkoff’s addition to the cast already brings an explosive element to the scene without even watching a single episode.
Before you go, click here to see the best reality TV shows on right now.