Jenna Lyons Skips BravoCon 2023 as Questions Rise Over Whether She’ll Return to RHONY

The The Real Housewives of New York The cast took the stage for the series’ official panel at BravoCon 2023 on Saturday with one notable absence: Jenna Lyons.

Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield were in attendance at the Caesars Forum in Las Vegas for the third annual Bravo Fan Convention. But Lyons – easily the franchise’s biggest star – was not among them.

“Jenna is at an event tonight. She’s sorry she couldn’t be here,” Whitfield said on the panel, later adding that Jenna was “in bed with her girlfriend.” He teased Whitfield, “I got a selfie this morning, she’s so happy,”

“I talked to Jenna last night,” Taank repeated. “She is very happy.”

Her absence comes as questions are raised about whether Lyons will return RHONY next year for what will be its second season (and the franchise’s 15th).

For more information on PEOPLE’s BravoCon, click here.

Brynn Whitfield, Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank and Ubah Hassan.

Gavin Bond/Bravo via Getty Images

The founder of Loveseen lashes and former president of J.Crew did not hide how uncomfortable she was with his show, she even said RHONY executive producer Andy Cohen during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen last month that her “thorn” of the season was “the whole show.”

“I really thought it would be easier,” she said. “It was hard! It’s shocking how, when the camera is actually on you… I thought I could handle it, but you know, I couldn’t.”

A similar apprehension was expressed before the premiere of the play. “I’m literally terrified,” she said in March during a guest appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonrecalling his experience of filming the reality series.

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“I thought I would do better,” she admitted further View in July, explaining that the show didn’t help her become more familiar with female friendships. “I had this idea, ‘Oh, I was at the head of a very large company. I was working with a lot of people.’ But I realized that I paid all these people. [That’s] really different. Everyone listens to you and likes what you say when you pay them!”

“This was a different experience for me,” she added. “And I’m not good in groups. Like, I’m good one on one and I’ll tell you anything and I want to hear all about you. [In groups]I sit in the corner and then look away.”

Jenna Lyons at the ‘Real Housewives of New York’ Season 14 Reunion.

Peacock

This can lead to criticism from stars and fans alike, which Lyons certainly experienced this season, with many calling out her unwillingness to share her then-girlfriend on the show. The two have since divorced, but it’s unclear if her new partner, Cass Bird, will be open to participating.

In October, Cohen was asked by a caller to his SiriusXM Andy Cohen live if he thought Lyons would be back for another season. “I hope so, I hope so,” he said. “She, you know, I think her girlfriend is a little camera shy, so it’s a challenge. But I do. I really hope they do.”

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He went on to praise Lyons on the show, agreeing with the caller that he would like to see more of her interactions with her 17-year-old son, Beckett Mazeau, who she shares with ex-husband Vincent Mazeau.

Bravo doesn’t usually release any casting decisions and had no official comment on Lyons’ potential return when reached by PEOPLE.

Ubah Hassan, Jenna Lyons, Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva, Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield at BravoCon 2022 Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty

Lyons joined RHONY in the midst of rebooting part of the franchise. Former housewives Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Leah McSweeny and Eboni K. Williams were axed from the show so Bravo could build a cast that better reflects the diversity of the Big Apple.

Mission accomplished, especially Lyons RHONYthe first openly homosexual housewife. The show was previously hosted by Friend of the Housewife, Barbara Kavovit, who identified as bisexual. The Real Housewives of Miami currently starring Julia Lemigova, who is married to tennis legend Martina Navratilova. Braunwyn Windham-Burke came out as a lesbian during her final season The Real Housewives of Orange Countywhile The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Taylor Armstrong — who joined RHOC last season as a friend — she also recently came out as bisexual.

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Meanwhile, even though Lyons was absent from BravoCon, the panel still contained plenty of fire with De Silva, Hassan, Lichy, Taanka and Whitfield reminiscing about the fun and drama of the season.

Coincidentally, Lyons and her co-stars were named the first-ever hosts of BravoCon 2022.

BravoCon 2023 continues through Sunday, November 5 as Caesars Forum in Las Vegas.

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Source: HIS Education