Out Former J. Crew Executive Jenna Lyons Joins The Real Housewives of NYC

The cast of The Real Housewives of New York City's reboot has been announced, and it includes gay businesswoman Jenna Lyons, the former president of J. Crew, now an interior designer.

The announcement came during a taping of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Sunday night at BravoCon in New York City, Variety reports. The cast members walked out onto the stage, surprising attendees. Cohen is executive producer of the show.

Besides Lyons, the cast includes Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Lizzy Savetsky, Jessel Taank, and Brynn Whitfield. Taank will be the first Indian-American on the Housewives franchise, according to Variety.

GLAAD praised the casting of Lyons. "Bravo has a long history of casting interesting, entertaining, and dynamic LGBTQ people in their highly popular programming, and it's exciting to see Jenna Lyons, a highly successful woman in business and a member of the LGBTQ community, join the newly rebooted The Real Housewives of New York City, which is one of the network's most beloved series," said a statement from Anthony Allen Ramos, GLAAD's vice president of communications and talent. The New York franchise has been a longtime supporter of GLAAD, with cast members raising funds and awareness for the organization.

Lyons joined J. Crew as creative director in 2008 and became president in 2010. She is credited with overhauling the brand's image and making it successful once again. She left the company in 2017. She is not the first out queer housewife on the franchise; that distinction goes to Julia Lemigova, Martina Navratilova's wife, on The Real Housewives of Miami. However, Lyons will be the first in New York.

The Real Housewives of New York City's new season will be its 14th. It will chronicle the lives of "an all-new group of seven dynamic women who run in the same social circles, thriving in one of the most diverse and electric cities in the world," says Bravo's official description. "From fashion and real estate, to philanthropy and social influence, these women have made their mark in NYC and will now share their lives as they juggle careers, family life and jam-packed social calendars in the city that never sleeps." The season will be taped this fall and will air next year on Bravo.