Will Jenna Lyons ever open up to her Real Housewives of New York City co-stars? The group tries to crack through her tough shell in the TV Insider exclusive clip from the Sunday, September 10, episode (above).
The sneak peek begins with Jenna saying she doesn’t think the women would have given “a s**t whether I was there on the plane or not,” referencing the previous episode. “That’s not true,” Erin Lichy shoots back. “See, maybe that’s the problem.” Jenna seems to doubt her place in the group when she admits, “It never would have occurred to me that you would have cared.” This confuses the group.
“You exclude yourself,” Sai de Silva says, as Brynn Whitfield chimes in, “You give gifts instead of connecting.” Jenna has frequently gifted the ladies lavish presents throughout Season 14. Could her belief that the women don’t care have been informed by Jessel Taank‘s uncomfortably negative reaction to the lingerie she gifted her in Episode 2? Taank recently unpacked that moment with TV Insider (see the video here).
Sai and Brynn then explain their shock over learning more about Jenna’s personal life when she’s speaking with strangers than in their own talks. When Sai attended Jenna’s fake eyelash brand casting, for example, she revealed the story behind her chosen name, sharing that her given name is Judith.
“I feel like I got to know you a little bit better through interviewing other people,” Sai says of this moment. “I’m looking at our friend group, and it makes me feel like Jenna doesn’t feel comfortable sharing with us,” she adds in a solo confessional. “We have to change this situation.”
Jenna has had several opportunities to share details about her personal life throughout the season. The group has asked her about her breakup on several occasions in the hopes of opening the door to communication. However, as explained in a previous episode, Jenna was outed by the New York Post in the past when she was in her first relationship with a woman. Perhaps it’s not the RHONY cast she’s afraid of sharing with, but rather the cameras themselves?
Jenna explains why she opened up to the model during that casting. “If someone is struggling, like for instance, I remember sitting across from that girl and she was shaking so badly, and so by talking about something that happened to me, it felt a little easier for her,” she says. “I knew it would take the focus off of her.” Brynn notes that the same logic hasn’t applied when she’s shared her personal struggles.
Will this episode make Jenna open up more to her co-stars? Find out this Sunday on RHONY.
The Real Housewives of New York City, Sundays, 9/8c, Bravo
