Jill Zarin speaks up after ‘RHONY’ firing and Bad Bunny video
Jill Zarin has broken her silence after being dropped from E!’s upcoming Real Housewives of New York City reunion series, The Golden Life, following backlash over her comments about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 2026 halftime show.
Speaking to In Touch on Tuesday, 10 February, the 62-year-old reality TV veteran said she felt blindsided by the decision.
“They didn’t even give me a chance,” Zarin said, referring to a video she posted to social media criticising the performance, which she later removed.
“I took it down right away. People make mistakes. I’m human.”
The network’s decision was confirmed earlier the same day, with producers announcing that Zarin would no longer be part of the project.
In a statement to Us Weekly, Blink49 Studios said: “In light of recent public comments made by Jill Zarin, Blink49 Studios has decided not to move forward with her involvement in The Golden Life. We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values.”
The move came just days after Zarin publicly slammed Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime appearance on Sunday, 8 February.
In the now-deleted video, she called the globally watched performance “the worst halftime show ever” and criticised both the language and the staging.
“I just don’t think it was appropriate to have it in Spanish, and, quite frankly … grabbing his [expletive] area … I think it was totally inappropriate,” she said in the clip.
“You’ve got all these young kids watching the Super Bowl, and he doesn’t have to be grabbing himself every five seconds because he’s so insecure. Seriously.”
She went on to add that she didn’t understand the lyrics and claimed the show felt politically charged, saying it “looked like a political statement” and suggesting it was linked to immigration issues.
Her remarks quickly spread online and sparked strong reactions, with many viewers pushing back against her interpretation of the performance.
The criticism didn’t stop there.
The View addressed Zarin’s comments during a “Hot Topics” segment, while several Real Housewives stars, including Bethenny Frankel, Lisa Rinna and Tamra Judge, publicly praised Bad Bunny’s show.
Zarin’s own daughter, Ally Shapiro, also spoke out in defence of the artist.
Despite Zarin’s exit, The Golden Life is moving ahead as planned. The 10-episode series will reunite Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Kelly Bensimon and Sonja Morgan, with filming set to begin this spring in South Florida.
The show follows the former New York-based friend group as they come together again in Palm Beach, Florida.
For now, Zarin maintains that the fallout has been harsh and immediate, insisting she wasn’t given an opportunity to address the situation before losing her place on the series.
