It’s official: Brynn Whitfield won’t be holding an apple next season, and for longtime Real Housewives of New York City fans, the news comes as more of a confirmation than a surprise.

In a heartfelt statement shared to her Instagram Story (June 9), Brynn revealed she’s stepping away from reality TV “for now,” choosing to focus her energy on Hoppy, the dating app she co-founded and currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer. 

“Last week, Hoppy hit a massive download milestone,” she wrote. “I can’t even put into words how surreal it feels. All I want to do now is pour every ounce of energy into building Hoppy into the #1 dating app in the world.”

Fans of RHONY know this wasn’t a sudden decision – it’s been brewing for a while. Tensions reached a boiling point during the Season 15 finale trip to Puerto Rico, where Brynn found herself at the center of some of the most emotional and contentious scenes of the reboot. The most significant moment came when castmate Ubah Hassan accused Whitfieldof sleeping with someone to get on the show, leading her to disclose that she had been sexually assaulted in the past – something she said Ubah was aware of.

Hassan denied knowing the story, and the fallout from the misunderstanding sparked an off-screen war of words that spilled into interviews and social media. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Whitfield stood by her version of events, saying, “I know for a fact that I said it, but when someone’s screaming into the phone, the other person might not necessarily hear them.” She called it “shocking” that her costars would accuse her of lying, especially about such deeply personal topics like suicide and sexual assault. “Maybe don’t use those words to describe the situation,” she said. “I just feel like I wasn’t shown much respect.”

While fans were divided over the drama, many Bravoholics weren’t surprised by Whitfield’s announcement. The vibe between her and the rest of the cast felt tense by the end, and some viewers noted that she seemed emotionally checked out even before the finale aired.

And it’s not just Whitfield going through a period of change, the entire RHONY franchise appears to be in transition. While rumors swirled earlier this year about Bravo quietly canceling the series, a network rep shut down those claims, confirming that RHONY is simply on hiatus. 

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The casting process for a new season is already underway, with a post from Shed Casting in January teasing, “Come and get your apple.” That post reignited speculation that the rebooted cast may look very different in the next chapter.

As for Whitfield, she’s wasting no time diving into her next ventures. Alongside running Hoppy, she’s continuing her podcast Please See Below, which she called the place where she feels “the most me.” She also teased an upcoming book,  one she describes as her most vulnerable project yet. 

“To-date, I’ve only shared a fraction of who I am, what I’ve been through and what I’ve learned,” she wrote. In classic  Whitfield fashion, she closed her message with a cheeky line that had fans talking: “We’re done dating his dad. It’s time to steal his inheritance.”

Love her or not, Whitfield made her mark on RHONY, and whether or not Bravo fans agree with how her time ended, no one can deny she brought the drama, the humor, and the chaos. 

Photo Credit: @brynn_whitfield on Instagram.