Who Is RHONY Newcomer Brynn Whitfield?
A big batch of fresh blood is coming to the Big Apple for Season 14 of "The Real Housewives of New York City." As noted by Variety, ratings for Season 13 weren't great, so Andy Cohen and his fellow Bravo bigwigs decided to take drastic action to save the series. Cohen shared that they wanted to put together a new, diverse cast of women who run in the same social circles. "What we're looking for is everything that makes a great Housewife: fun, opinionated, successful, aspirational women who represent a side of New York that we want to see more of," he added.
The new faces will be replacing the reduced "RHONY" cast, which consisted of Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, Leah McSweeney, and Eboni K. Williams, who was a newcomer herself and the series' first Black housewife. Cohen stressed to Variety that one goal of the series' overhaul was to be more inclusive, and he told Page Six that the search for potential Bravo stars was not solely centered on the Upper East side this time around. There's also a "legacy" series in the works, which will star familiar faces from past "RHONY" seasons, but at BravoCon 2022, Cohen noted that it has taken a backseat to the reboot.
Bravo fans got to meet the all-new "RHONY" cast for the first time at BravoCon, and one of the women, Brynn Whitfield, hasn't quite reached "wife" status just yet.
Brynn Whitfield isn't above posting a thirst trap photo
Six of the seven new members of "The Real Housewives of New York" cast made their first appearance on "Watch What Happens Live" when Andy Cohen filmed an episode at BravoCon 2022. Bravo also released brief bios for each of the women, and Brynn Whitfield is one of three cast members who aren't currently married. She is, however, described as a "trophy wife in training."
Not that Whitfield needs a wealthy partner to bankroll her luxurious lifestyle. The Purdue University grad is the PR lead for the e-commerce company Assembly, per her LinkedIn profile, and she has a side gig as a freelance marketing communications consultant. On Instagram, she revealed that she also received her yoga training certification from YogaWorks in 2019, so this Real Housewife is a real hustler.
Whitfield hails from the Midwest, and she's not afraid to wade out into murky water to do a little fly fishing. From the looks of her social media activity, we can also glean that she's a big fan of opera, art, and traveling. During her journeys to Instagrammable locales such as St. Barts and Positano, she also poses for pics that would make Instagram influencers envious — including the occasional thirst trap swimsuit photo. According to her Bravo bio, she's biracial, and while her hair appears to be straightened in most of her photos, she proudly flaunts her fabulous fro every now and then.
Why some Bravo fans aren't thrilled about the new RHONY cast
In addition to posting magazine-worthy photos on Instagram, Brynn Whitfield has mastered the art of social media humor. She captioned one post, "It's all about that sweet, innocent, first date look. A look that says: If you act up — I will marry your dad, become your stepmom, and make your bedtime 7pm." But some Bravo fans aren't looking forward to watching a "RHONY" cast comprised of younger, social media-savvy women.
"So RHONY is now Real Influencers of NY? This is a totally different vibe and it already sucks," read one response to the cast announcement on Bravo's Instagram. "That's a NOPE!! So many things wrong with this ... start with the age. Too young. This looks like a wealthy summer house cast. Pass," another person wrote. Per Bravo, Whitfield's cast mates include fashion entrepreneur Jessel Taank, Instagram series host Lizzy Savetsky, former J.Crew exec Jenna Lyons, home renovation expert Erin Dana Lichy, model Ubah Hassan, and lifestyle blogger Sai De Silva.
Whitfield does at least have a few things in common with her older predecessors, however. Her bio reads, "Brynn has a penchant for interior design, fashion, and hosting dinner parties." When The New York Times spoke to the West Village native in May for a piece about young book collectors, it listed her age as 36. She explained why she loves collecting old books, particularly ones about chess, noting, "People think it's cooler than typical coffee table books."