The New ‘RHONY’ Cast Actually Isn’t Really *That* Rich
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The new Real Housewives of New York cast, rebooted for season 14, has been shining a light on society’s most important, pressing topics: whether it is “weird” to eat cheese, the politics of Hampton's sleepovers, and the definition of a “good” restaurant in 2023. (Catch may or may not be one of them, but only Bravo producers will ever know.) Their arguments about charcuterie, though, are spliced between glimpses of what viewers really clamor to see in this Bravo franchise: The luxurious lives of New York’s upper crust.
Observing the “elite” behind closed doors, behaving in unexpected ways, is a big reason people watch, and what draws them in, says Danielle Lindemann, a sociologist at Lehigh University who teaches the Sociology of Reality TV and authored the book, True Story: What Reality TV Says about Us. “These women are ostensibly ‘money,’ but they’re also hitting each other with their handbags, pulling hair, and getting wasted. There is an appeal there.”
Indeed, six new, flashy housewives joined the reboot after a somber reunion-less season 13, but this crew is a little different than other Bravolebrities.
There’s Jenna Lyons, the first openly gay housewife and former J. Crew exec; Jessel Taank, the first Indian housewife who works in fashion PR; Brynn Whitfield, a freelance consultant who is down to “date your dad” if you cross her; Sai de Silva, a digital creator and Scout the City lifestyle blogger, Ubah Hassan, a model, banana-lover, and hot sauce entrepreneur, and Erin Dana Lichy, a former realtor turned renovation and interior designer.
The New York gals certainly put on a show of living life to the luxe-est, but are they really rich rich? Sure, they’re decked out in designer ‘fits and enjoy swanky apartments. But they’re not traipsing around $19 million Beverly Hills estates picking fresh lemons like Real Housewives Beverly Hills’ Yolanda Hadid. Or waiting for Kyle Richards’ private chef to deliver a perfectly plated, multi-course meal at a well-dressed table. That being said, Sai and Brynn have been very open about growing up poor, and make no secret of the fact their lives look very different than they used to.
Of course, there are different types of “rich,” and your financial status can depend on things like income, family inheritance, retirement funds, assets, and the city you live in, according to US News.
Generally speaking, a net worth of more than $2.2 million in the US falls into the “wealthy” category, a 2023 Charles Schwab survey says. But, of course, New York City “rich” is different from Salt Lake City “rich.” And in Manhattan, it takes $3.3 million to be considered “wealthy.” It makes sense: The median apartment asking price in Manhattan in 2022 was $1.5 million, per Bankrate. You could buy a literal mansion for that price in Utah.
Of course, without looking at their tax returns, it’s impossible to know their actual net worths, says Esther Kuznetz, a financial advisor working with high-net-worth women and president of STAR Financial Solutions.
And Bravo viewers know there is usually a lot more to Housewives’ finances than meets the eye, says Lindemann. “There are always cracks in the veneer. There are always bankruptcies or questions about how these people make their money. It’s part of the allure of the show,” she explains.
Still, there are indicators to look for when (playfully) examining the Housewives’ finances, like how and where they travel, shopping habits, and properties. So, if you’re curious to know how these freshmen stack up against established Housewives, Lindemann and Kuznetz are breaking it all down.
TLDR; All that glitz and glam doesn’t seem to add up to the kind of major dough this franchise is known for.
Is the new RHONY cast New York-rich?
It should shock no one that New York City is an expensive place to live. Good Housekeeping ranks NYC as the second most expensive city behind Singapore. The average rent for a New Yorker hit $5,000 in 2022, per the mag. Plus, New York is full of super-rich residents. As of 2022, it ranked No. 1 for wealthiest city in the world, per the Guinness Book of World Records, with a list that includes former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg and News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch.
In episode 3, Brynn dubs her friends “upper-middle class b*tches,” and that theory seems to hold. So far, viewers have watched these women eating caviar on Pringles and wondering why the heat in a renovated Hamptons home isn’t working. And, rather than pay a four-person glam squad to follow them around a la Erika Girardi (pre-divorce), the RHONY crew seems to do their own primping. There’s *some* ritzy behavior, but other signals are missing.
For starters, they’re on this show. “You don’t see the upper.5 percent of wealth on reality TV, really, because why would they be there, right?” says Lindemann. “They don’t need the money or the fame.”
Other tell-tale signs: The New York elite might take a helicopter to the Hamptons instead of a car, says Kuznetz, referring to the often hours-long drive—without traffic—to a beloved NYC vacation spot.
And instead of bickering about a Catch reservation, super wealthy Manhattanites would have a standing reservation at places like Eleven Madison Park, Tavern on the Green, or the now-closed 21 Club, she adds.
Of course, Kuznetz also emphasizes that not all wealthy people live the same way. One of her clients worth $10 million in liquid assets drives a KIA, but spends $50,000 on African safaris and takes private jets to Europe. So you should be asking yourself, “Are they traveling coach or first class...or do they have their own jet? Do they shop at Macy’s or Saks Fifth Avenue...or do they have a private person who comes to their home with a selection of clothes?” Kuznetz says.
Their real estate is extensive and expensive.
The first thing most viewers note about a Housewife is her abode. And this cast’s collective real estate portfolio is definitely stacked. There’s Jenna’s $6 million Soho loft apartment, Sai’s $4.7 million Boerum Hill townhouse in Brooklyn, and Erin’s two-story Tribeca apartment and Sag Harbor home (which are both likely multimillion-dollar properties), says Kuznetz, who has lived in New York for most of her life.
Tribeca apartments like Erin’s (three bedrooms with 2.5 bathrooms) run between $3 and $8 million. A 6,500 square-foot home in Sag Harbor can cost between $4 and $8 million. Jenna also owns a Hamptons home, and while its location is unknown, it is apparently located right on the water, which likely equates to higher property value.
Jessel, on the other hand, lives in a large apartment in pricy Chelsea, per Bravo. It’s not clear if her family rents or owns, but renting a space that large could cost up to $20,000 per month, according to real estate prices and Kuznetz. Still, Summer House cast members Carl Radke and Lindsay Hubbard paid $13,000 per month for their Manhattan pad, so a multi-thousand dollar monthly rent isn’t out of the question for a Housewife.
Brynn also rents, but hers is a modest one-bedroom in the West Village. During a home visit with Domino, Brynn showed off her furniture, and most comes from affordable stores like West Elm, Williams Sonoma, and Amazon. The least expensive one-bedroom apartment in the West Village neighborhood rents for at least $3,000 a month. The most expensive one-bedroom on the market in that neighborhood is a $9,950/month penthouse.
Of course, upkeep costs major cash, too. Someone like Erin or Jenna, who own at least two pieces of multimillion-dollar properties, is likely paying hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in taxes and other household expenses. That figure only increases with square footage.
Okay, so where did all the Housewives’ money come from?
Jenna is likely the wealthiest of the group, says Kuznetz. The Housewife launched her lucrative fashion career at J. Crew before starting her own false eyelash brand, LoveSeen. In 2016 and 2017, Jenna was paid $1 million per year as the creative director at J.Crew, per WWD. On top of that, she sold her house in the Catskills, which she shared with her ex-husband, for an estimated $850,000, per Page Six. But that’s not exactly Dorinda Medley’s $2 million Blue Stone Manor.
Sai speaks openly about growing up poor, reflecting on her childhood dollar store Christmas tree and her days working at Sears. But now, she runs a successful lifestyle blog and seems to be doing quite well for herself. Kuznetz says she suspects her husband may back some of Sai’s lavish lifestyle. Yahoo reports that Craig, who is pretty private, is retired and takes care of their children, but it’s not clear what he did pre-retirement.
Jessel also likely pools her money with her husband, Pavit Randhawa, for their Chelsea home, says Kuznetz. Pavit is president of Phone Daddy, a site selling reused and refurbished smartphones. But, again, it is hard to estimate income without looking at financial documents. He did work on Wall Street at JP Morgan Chase and Deloitte Consulting, which would indicate a decently large salary. Plus, her 2016 wedding was also featured in Vogue (and it sounded *quite* lavish) so she might have family money, too.
Brynn, however, is the biggest question mark on the show, say Kuznetz and Lindemann. While she works as a freelance consultant, her title leaves more questions than answers. Plus, she seems to live quite lavishly (see: having a driver pick her up, West Village apartment, and wardrobe). FWIW, Brynn calls herself an "aspiring trophy wife." Also of note: Brynn is estranged from her parents and was raised by her grandmother in Indiana, and she talks about living through some rough financial situations while growing up.
Ubah, 39, has been modeling for brands like Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and Oscar de la Renta since age 15, per L’OFFICIEL. She also owns her own hot sauce company, Ubah Hot. She is single (so no sugar daddy cash there), but her cousin is uber-rich Real Housewives of Dubai star Chanel Ayan. All of this points to a pretty lucrative financial situation, say the experts.
How do they rank against other Housewives franchises?
The Beverly Hills crew is more than *likely* the wealthiest, says Lindemann. One look at RHOBH alum and Vanderpump Rules matriarch Lisa Vanderump’s swan moat will demonstrate the slight discrepancy in, ahem, richness. (LVP’s home Villa Rosa sold for nearly $30 million). The same goes for Real Housewives of Dubai star Caroline Stanbury, who built her own mansion in Dubai's Al Barari luxury development. While it's not clear how much the home is worth, other villas in this neighborhood go for around $4 million to $6.5 million. Plus, Stanbury's property literally has its own Instagram account.
There’s also the question of salary. Freshmen Housewives obviously don’t make as much as those with five or six seasons under their belts. Bethenny Frankel explained on Instagram that salaries range from $25,000 during the first season, to seven-figure sums (or more!) in later seasons. Season 3, Bethenny says, is when Housewives really get negotiating power and raises. So, it’s not likely the RHONY squad is making a ton of money from the show right now.
But, you can’t discount the social capital that comes with being a New York City housewife, Lindemann points out. “They seem a bit higher on the cultural capital factor. They seem comfortable running in high-end spaces, and perhaps, even are a bit more sophisticated,” she adds.
And, of course, watching women with supposed cultural cache sling insults over a plate of Provolone is great television, Lindemann adds.
So are they *actually* rich?
The results are in. Using $3.3 million as a signpost for “wealthy” in NYC, some of the Housewives may tip into the “rich” category, but most fall short. These housewives are not truly New York’s crème de la crème when it comes to deep pockets. But deep pockets or not, the ladies are so fun to watch.
And it sounds like season 3 is when big paychecks start rolling in, so I’d bet these Bravolebrities will climb that money ladder pretty darn fast.
Jenna Lyons:
In 2020, Jenna’s estimated net worth sat around $5 million, per The Cinemaholic, but other factors point to a much higher figure, says Kuznetz. Jenna owns two big properties, and she had a million-a-year salary at J. Crew for at least two years during her 26-year tenure at the company, per Barron’s. This, combined with Jenna’s expensive, designer wardrobe, likely bring her closer to the $50 million mark, as noted by Freshers Live. “It seems like her lifestyle is much more expensive than a $1 million income can support,” Kuznetz adds.
Sai DeSilva: ~$1.5M (Not NYC Rich)
Sai’s net worth is estimated at about $1 million (not including her husband’s finances), per Distractify. However, her home is worth more than $1 million, which could mean she’s worth even more, but it’s not clear if Sai owns the apartment herself.
Brynn Whitfield: ~$3M (Not NYC Rich)
While Brynn’s net worth is a reported $3 million, per Distractify, the math doesn’t seem to add up. She only makes money as a freelance consultant, note the experts, and she doesn't she come from family money. Brynn even says that the other women may like Jenna better because she has a bigger bank account, so it doesn’t seem like she’s stacked. Based solely on the information provided on the show, Brynn is likely comfortable, but not rich.
FYI, this Housewife has also run into some tax issues (which at this point is basically a Bravo prerequisite), according to The Sun. Apparently, California filed a tax lien, or charge against the property of someone who fails to pay taxes owed to the government, against Brynn in 2021 totaling $11,359. The IRS filed a lien in 2019 for $16,487, per the outlet.
Brynn and her team did not respond for comment at the time this article was published.
Jessel Taank: ~$5M (NYC Rich)
With a career in fashion PR and her beautiful Chelsea apartment, Jessel is doing just fine, and The Sun estimates her net worth at $5 million. Jessel actually worked for high-end brands like Michael Kors, before starting her own firm, The Right Now, in 2020. Jessel’s company currently works with big clients like HBO Max, UGG, and Kendra Scott.
Erin Dana Lichy: ~$1M (Not NYC Rich)
Erin’s net worth is a reported $1 million, per Distractify. But with her real estate and a blooming business, Kuznetz says it could be higher. Erin’s properties probably cost more than $1 million (perhaps even more than $10 million) though it is not clear if she owns them herself.
Ubah Ali Hassan: ~$1.5M (Not NYC Rich)
The Somali model has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million, per Distractify. She is single, so seems to be supporting her banana and designer clothing habits all on her own. And while she falls below the “wealthy” status, a model for Gucci and Ralph Lauren like Ubah probably pulls bigger paychecks than, say, a Walmart model. It is impossible to know how much her paychecks might be, though, Kuznetz.
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