Danielle Valente
You know Jenna Lyons, fashion icon. Let's get to know Jenna Lyons, RHONY star.
Yes, the fashion designer has officially joined Bravo's The Real Housewives franchise as a member of the RHONY season 14 cast, which rebooted the show with six new women to replace series veterans like Ramona Singer, Dorinda Medley and Luann de Lesseps. (You'll be able to see those NYC ladies in season 5 of Ultimate Girls Trip.)
And the reboot is going to be a different experience for Bravoholics, one that's more inclusive and represents New York's diversity, according to executive producer, Andy Cohen. "Our loyal fans have spoken as to what they want to see and what they don’t want to see — and we’ve taken that all into account," he revealed to Variety in spring 2022 about the RHONY shakeup.
"We’re looking for a group of women who are real friends, and who are of diverse backgrounds, races and religions," he added.
One of those said friends includes Lyons, who's certainly made her mark not just on New York, but on the fashion world. Considering she once revealed to Harper's Bazaar, "I eat a lot of ice cream, chocolate, and cookies and I drink rosé champagne," it's obvious that we're already on board!
Let's get to know the new reality star.
Who is Jenna Lyons, 'RHONY' reality star?
Jenna Lyons is an American fashion designer, businesswoman and TV personality hailing from Boston, Massachusetts.
The 55-year-old first entered the fashion scene as a student at Parsons New School of Design and interned for Donna Karan while there, according to The Business of Fashion. Upon graduation, she landed a role as a designer at J. Crew, and from there, her success with the company grew.
She accelerated in the ranks from a junior designer to vice president of women’s design and eventually president of the company. "Amazing things happen when you're having fun and doing something you love," the fashionista once said.
Lyons is known not only for her androgynous style but for taking the J. Crew brand to new heights, be it with partnerships with Prabul Garung or notably having Michelle Obama don J. Crew pieces while campaigning alongside her husband.
Why did Jenna Lyons leave J. Crew?
In 2017, after more than two decades with the company, Lyons stepped down from her position at J. Crew to work on personal projects, including her false eyelash line, LoveSeen.
As many shoppers who rely on the store for their work capsule wardrobe and embrace its preppy aesthetic know that J.Crew has also been involved in financial trouble, something that was hard for Lyons upon her departure from the company.
"There’s this thing that happens when you are in a company you are charged with, and feel responsible for the team," she told The New Yorker. "When that is the case, and things get bad, you don’t want to go. But then, of course, when things are really great, you don’t want to go, either. How do you find the right time? It is really hard."
She further revealed to Elle: "For 27 years, I knew what my job entailed and where my paycheck was coming from. This was the complete opposite and it was as scary as it was exciting. It’s the people I work with who got me through."
What is Jenna Lyons' net worth?
Does Jenna Lyons have the highest Real Housewives of New York City cast net worth? With an estimated net worth of $5 million, she's definitely up there!
What is Jenna Lyons' Instagram handle?
Stay up-to-date on all of Lyons' fashionable adventures over on her Instagram page at @jennalyonsnyc, where she has more than 340,000 followers.
What is Jenna Lyons' medical condition?
On a July 2023 appearance on The View, Lyons opened up about her genetic disorder, incontinentia pigment, a rare genetic condition characterized by abnormalities of the skin, eyes, teeth and central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities.
“All my teeth are fake. I paid a lot of money for them,” she joked on the talk show. “My hair is also fake. I can take it off. It’s like a hat. It’s not a wig.”
She added: “My eyelashes are fake. I have no eyebrows, and I also have scars all over my skin.”
“I was really conscious. It’s one of the reasons I went into fashion,” she revealed. “I wanted to look better. I was constantly trying to find ways to fit in.”
The disorder inspired Lyons to create LoveSeen, a range of "cruelty-free, natural-looking" fake eyelashes. “When I was doing a lot of red carpets, I kept trying to find eyelashes that looked good and they were just huge on me. I couldn’t wear them,” she explained.
Is Jenna Lyons gay? Who is she dating?"
Yes, Jenna Lyons is not only gay but the first openly gay Real Housewives star.
Though the reality personality was previously married to a man, artist Vincent Mazeau, from 2002 to 2011, she realized after their divorce that she was attracted to women.
She recounted the realization during the July 24 episode of RHONY, telling the rest of the cast how it took place during a conversation with a friend, who was also gay.
“My relationship was falling apart with my husband, and I asked her, like, what happens with women — I was just curious,” Jenna said. “By the end of the conversation … I just wanted to kiss her, and I was completely surprised. Something kind of went off inside of me, and I was like ‘Something feels different here,’ and then I started to have dreams about her.”
The woman was Courtney Crangi, whom Jenna dated for six years before the couple split in 2017.
Though she cagey with the rest of the RHONY women about her present-day love life, Jenna Lyons does currently have a girlfriend: photographer Cass Bird.
Does Jenna Lyon have kids?
Lyons has a son, Beckett Lyons Mazeau, who was born on October 3, 2006, with ex-husband Vincent Mazeau. The former couple shares joint custody of the 15-year-old.
Catch Jenna Lyons in season 14 of The Real Housewives of New York on Bravo at 9pm Eastern on Sunday nights, or stream the next day on Peacock.
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