Personally, I was skeptical from the start when Bravo announced that Rebecca Minkoff would be joining the Real Housewives of New York. During her short-lived time on the series, Rebecca was the perfect wallflower who rarely interacted with the women. So when she announced her departure, no one was exactly surprised.
Rebecca Minkoff never talked about Scientology
I think it was a pretty fair assumption that one of Rebecca’s major storylines should have been about her choice of philosophy, Scientology. The federally recognized religion (probably for tax purposes) hasn’t gotten the best PR for a good few chunk of years now. So it stood to reason that Rebecca might want to talk about her experiences with the group. However, all anyone got was a cold shoulder when they tried to approach the fashion designer. She shut down any talk, positive or negative, about Scientology. And frankly, it only made the iron curtain it hides behind a bit more mysterious. Rebecca went as far as to tell Us Weekly, “It was never brought up in a manner that was respectful.”
While I can understand Bex’s trepidation since the RHONY ladies definitely mocked her beliefs a tiny bit in their confessionals, she didn’t exactly help herself. Multiple times, Bravo cameras caught the women trying to ask genuine questions. Even though she often claimed she was “totally open” about her faith, that just didn’t seem to be the case. Even though Rebecca often tried to shout from the rooftop that Scientology is “a world-recognized religion. There’s nothing secret,” the group has come under fire for acting cult-like. The religion has also been accused of covering up crimes committed by its members.
Rebecca Minkoff wanted to promote brands
Above all, Rebecca was a businesswoman. The Real Housewives of New York women have always been hustlers. It’s one of the traits viewers admire about them. But it always felt like a marketing pitch when it came to Rebecca. During most interviews, she tried to hock side deals, such as the paperback version of her book Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. She also noted in an unaired scene that she chose to do the show to bring awareness to her fashion brand. She shared that during COVID-19, she lost 70% of her business. According to a recent interview, it was a sound strategy for Bex to join the series.
While at a conference, she told Inc. “I’m like, why would anyone come on this show?” She added, “For the betterment of society?” Yikes, that is a bit of a low blow to all of the Bravosphere. Rebecca noted, “Everyone here is doing it for business. And you’re a liar if you’re not admitting that. So I came out and said. I said, ‘It’s good for business, it’s good for brand building.’” The former Bravo star said her numbers had already improved as she claimed, “We’re getting new eyeballs.” I can only assume Brynn Whitfield isn’t one of them, as she would never go to Nordstrom Rack.
Rebecca Minkoff didn’t connect with anyone
Let’s be real. Rebecca failed to make any genuine friendship connections with the ladies in the cast. She came on knowing Erin Lichy but their friendship ended after Rebecca felt that the realtor’s “tone” was not worthy of her time. In turn, Erin didn’t feel her former friend was supportive enough after she lost her father. Rebecca never found her footing with Brynn, who took every chance she got to throw a jab or two. It probably didn’t help that she took some of her pranks way too far.
In a November episode, Rebecca with the help of Erin, came up with a pregnancy prank that fell flat amongst viewers and her peers. Even though Rebecca claimed that she didn’t self-produce, some moments felt forced. She shared with DECIDER that she tried to get Jenna Lyons to have a pretend feud with her over fashion. She noted, “I kept joking with her. I was like, ‘We should do fake fighting over, like, who’s more stylish,’” Rebecca shared. “And she was like, ‘We’re good.’ I was like, ‘But it’d be so funny if we did that!’” All I can say is thank goodness Jenna had the sense to not participate in that setup.
So, another apple bites the dust. While it was an attempt at introducing new faces I can’t say many fans will miss Rebecca.
The Real Housewives of New York is available to stream on Peacock.
TELL US – WILL YOU MISS REBECCA MINKOFF ON RHONY?
