One episode into the new-look Real Housewives of New York, Brynn Whitfield has already established herself as the series’ chief antagonist. Brynn started two fights in episode one, refusing to attend a dinner because she didn’t like the restaurant her fellow housewife, Erin Lichy, picked, and suggesting Erin was angry that another housewife had questioned her dietary choices. RHONY is set to get spicier, with Brynn likely instigating most of the drama.
Brynn Whitfield is biracial; the identity of her parents is unclear
Brynn Whitfield is biracial. She states on her Bravo bio that her white grandmother, Darlene, taught her invaluable lessons about ‘owning her narrative as a biracial woman’. The identity of Brynn’s parents is unclear.
Darlene, who raised Brynn in a small Midwest town, died in May 2021. Brynn posted a touching tribute to her grandmother, asking people to appreciate their parents before death takes them away. Brynn wrote:
“Don’t call your mom today and only chat for a few obligatory minutes. Stay on the phone for as long as you possibly can, maybe even ask her if you can record the conversation. When you talk- Thank her over and over again for being your mom. Tell her you know she did her best, and her best was more than enough- in fact, it was perfect. Because one day… you will feel how I do today.”
Brynn joined the RHONY cast as part of a campaign by showrunners to promote diversity. “We are searching for a multicultural group of friends who really best reflect the most exciting city in the country,” Bravo head, Andy Cohen, said.
The push for diversity backfired somewhat, as Brynn and her castmate, Orthodox Jew Lizzy Savetsky, got involved in a racial feud that likely led to Lizzy’s departure from the series. The altercation started when Lizzy declined to set Brynn up with a Jewish man, saying that she preferred to set Jews up with other Jews, Page Six reported.
Lizzy explained that Orthodox Jews prefer unions between Jews to preserve the ethnic lineage. Brynn disagreed, claiming that Lizzy’s terminology resembled that used by ‘horrific people [meaning Nazis] who did evil things to your people’. Insiders told Page Six that in an off-camera argument over the phone, Brynn used the ‘N-word’, which she’s socially permitted to use.
Lizzy allegedly feared that Brynn planned to tell other castmates that Lizzy used the N-word. Before her fears came to pass, Lizzy’s husband, Ira Savetsky, called the show’s producers to report the incident. Enraged, he used the N-word, which he isn’t allowed to do. Ira apologized, but it was too late. Sources told Page Six that Lizzy had other unspecified complaints against the series, bolstering her decision to leave.
“From the time [it was announced she was joining the cast], I was on the receiving end of a torrent of [anti-Semitic] attacks,” Lizzy said. “As this continued, I realized that this path was no longer right for me and my family.”