It's the big question following Jenna Lyons' breakout debut on The Real Housewives of New York City Season 14: is she coming back next season?
The Loveseen Lashes founder and former J.Crew creative director was the sole notable name going into the premiere of The Real Housewives of New York reboot last season (which you can catch up on with a Peacock subscription), but was reluctant to be as frank and forthcoming as you'd expect from a reality star having their lives filmed for national television, routinely not wanting to share personal details like her relationship status through the season.
Rumors of Lyons' future on the series have been swirling ever since RHONY Season 14 ended in October 2023, and now the fashionista has finally addressed the gossip during a visit to visit to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, November 21.
"Are you coming back?" the late-night host point-blank asked Lyons, but she initially dodged his directness, replying as if he was asking her to return to The Tonight Show: "When do you want to me come?" But Fallon kept pressing: "No, Real Housewives—are you doing it? Are you doing another season?"
If it was a cut-and-dry answer you were after, Lyons may have been leaving you frustrated:
I don't know, what do you think? don't have an answer. I genuinely don't know.
However, based on the applause from the Studio 6B audience, fans are looking forward to seeing more of Lyons on RHONY, one of the best reality TV shows. "They want you to do it. They love you!" Fallon affirmed.
Lyons also revealed on the late-night show that, despite how "hard" she found filming the reality franchise alongside castmates Jessel Taank, Sai De Silva, Ubah Hussan, Erin Lichy and fave newbie Brynn Whitfield, "people have been lovely" about her and the new cast.
The things I did not realize about that show—and for anyone who is a fan, like, thank you—people have been so nice. Like, I get stopped everywhere and people yell across the street, 'I love you, Jenna!' And I'm like, 'I love you, too!' I have a lot of relationships going on right now. Like, people feel like they’re friends.
You can see the full back-and-forth in the late night video, below.
Speculation about Lyons' participation next season, or lack thereof, circulated after the Bravo personality appeared alongside RHONY executive producer Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
I really thought I was going to have an easier time. 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.
Notably, Lyons didn't join the rest of the New York Housewives in Las Vegas earlier this month during BravoCon fan convention, the explanation for her absence being that she was "at an event."
And she also was pointedly missing during a recent reunion dinner of sorts between the RHONY women. On Sunday, November 19, co-star Sai De Silva posted an Instagram Story of the rest of The Real Housewives of New York cast—sans Lyons—out to dinner, with the caption "The cackling hags club,” a reference to a Jessel Taank quote from this past season.
So, is Jenna Lyons in or out of RHONY season 15 when it hits (hopefully) the 2024 TV schedule? We'll all just have to stay tuned!
