Brandi Glanville is defending friend Jill Zarin after the latter was fired from E!’s upcoming The Real Housewives of New York City reunion show.
The production company behind new E! show The Golden Life confirmed on Tuesday, February 10, that Zarin, 62, would no longer participate in the upcoming docuseries following her controversial remarks on Instagram about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show.
“In light of recent public comments made by Jill Zarin, Blink49 Studios has decided not to move forward with her involvement in The Golden Life,” the show’s producers told Us Weekly in a statement. “We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values.”
However, Glanville, 53, said in an X post on Tuesday that Zarin should have had a chance to “explain herself” on the upcoming show. (Zarin was expected to film The Golden Life with former RHONY costars Ramona Singer, Kelly Bensimon, Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan.)
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“OK #1 I have a HUGE crush on BadBunny I wanna be his Mrs. Robinson💕the 1/2 show rocked,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum began her post.
The reality star continued, “My friend @Jill Zarin has her own opinion & I don’t agree with it AT ALL but opinions aren’t wrong they’re subjective. I want to watch Jill on TV explain herself & hopefully learn something. Or we can just keep watching ‘yes people’ afraid to share.”
In a Tuesday statement, Zarin told In Touch of her firing, “They didn’t even give me a chance. … I took it down right away. People make mistakes. I’m human.”
Following Bunny’s performance on Sunday, February 8, Zarin declared it the “worst halftime show ever” in a since-deleted Instagram video.
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“I just don’t think it was appropriate to have it in Spanish, and, quite frankly … grabbing his G [groin] area … I think it was totally inappropriate,” she said. “You’ve got all these young kids watching the Super Bowl, and he doesn’t have to be grabbing himself every five seconds because he’s so insecure. Seriously.”
The former RHONY star went on, “I don’t speak Spanish. I would’ve liked to have known the words he was saying. To me, it looked like a political statement because there were literally no white people in the entire thing. I’m not taking a side, one way or the other … I think it was an ICE thing. I think that the NFL sold out, and it’s very sad.”
Zarin also took aim at Lady Gaga’s appearance after the Grammy winner appeared alongside Bunny as a surprise guest. “Lady Gaga got a facelift. … I literally had to Google her face to see who it was because we all couldn’t agree who it was,” Zarin claimed.
Zarin wasn’t alone in criticizing Bunny. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Taylor Armstrong shared via her Instagram Stories that she was “embarrassed for the NFL and Apple for the Super Bowl halftime show totally in Spanish with a Cuban flag!!”
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The reality stars’ comments ignited backlash, with Zarin’s daughter, Ally Shapiro, defending Bunny’s performance. Zarin Fabrics, the New York City store she once co-owned with late husband Bobby Zarin, also distanced itself from Zarin.
“Zarin Fabrics stands firmly against racism, discrimination, and rhetoric that seeks to exclude or diminish people based on identity, culture, or background,” the brand shared in an Instagram post on Monday. “We want to be absolutely clear that Jill Zarin has not had ownership of or been associated with Zarin Fabrics for several years. Our company operates independently, and any public statements attributed to her are made in a personal capacity and do not reflect our values, beliefs, or operations.”
The Real Housewives of Dubai’s Chanel Ayan, meanwhile, wrote on X, “I had to unfollow disgusting 🤮.”
