Whitney Rose certainly isn’t afraid to handle a little prick on and off reality TV.
Ever since The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City premiered in November 2020, Rose, 39, has agreed to share the good, bad and downright difficult parts of her life for Bravo cameras.
When season 6 premiered in September, the Bravo star kicked things off with a financial confession very few people would share with their friends, much less the whole world: She lost tons of money after a failed business merger.
“I have a jewelry company, Prism, and Wild Rose Beauty skincare. I decided to merge my skincare company into another entity and create a new one with my husband [Justin],” Rose exclusively shares with Us Weekly in the annual Reality Stars of the Year issue. “We had massive success in the beginning, and some things transpired that I can’t talk about legally, but I decided to resign as CEO in November of 2024 after launching in June of 2024. It was really hard, because I merged my beauty brand into it, so I had to close the doors on that and fight for my brand back.”
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The business risk came at a cost to the tune of what Rose describes as “six figures,” but less than half a million dollars.
“Luckily, I was able to see the writing on the wall quick enough and pump the brakes and stop the bleeding,” she says. “What was the true loss was that we had massive success, and I thought I finally did it. I finally hit the jackpot of why I’ve built this brand and built this business. For it to not be that and to lose six figures is devastating.”
No matter how difficult it was, Rose never hesitated in sharing her reality with the cameras. After all, isn’t that what makes a Real Housewives star, well, real?
“I’ve always been real. I’m gonna keep it real so I’m gonna own it out the gates, because I want to tell the truth and I want to control my story,” she says. “I don’t want people to make up their own version of it. … I’ve watched some of my castmates and other Housewives not speak their truth, and the truth always comes out. I’ve watched and learned people do it the opposite way and try to pretend like everything’s perfect, when in fact we know it’s not. So, I decided I was not going to take that path.”
If viewers thought one failed business was going to knock Rose down to the ground and cause her to give up, they clearly haven’t watched the mother of two go through highs and lows with her cast, which also includes Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, Heather Gay, Mary Cosby, Angie Katsanevas and Bronwyn Newport.
“Luckily, I have other businesses, and despite the public’s opinion, I am good with money, and I have other investments,” she says. “Justin and I just took a sabbatical for a couple of months and decided to reset and decide what we’re going to do next. But it’s been hard.”
Despite attending red carpet events, hosting lavish parties and taking unforgettable trips around the world with her costars, Rose says being a reality star is by no means an easy job. In recent seasons, the Utah resident has opened up about her healing journey, which has included therapy to tackle family estrangements, childhood trauma and more. While she has vowed to be an open book on the reality show, some things are still too personal to share.
“I actually was going to quit the show because I just didn’t think that … my trauma involves many people. It’s not just me,” Rose explains to Us. “There are other people involved, and I didn’t want to expose those people. They didn’t sign up to do this show — I did. I didn’t know how I could mentally and emotionally get through this.”
Rose’s healing journey also led the reality star to feel vulnerable on the small screen. To this day, she finds it difficult to relive an explosive fight from season 3 with Gay, 51, who is both her costar and third cousin.
At the time, Gay denied remembering a rumor that Rose had heard about Barlow, 50. Meanwhile, Rose thought her friend was lying and accused her of not having her back.
“I really dislike watching when Heather and I fight in lingerie in Arizona. That was so hard,” Rose says now. “I was so intoxicated. I was so emotional. I just shared with the group that I was processing some trauma from my childhood, and my best friend and I got into a fight, and that was terrifying.”
At one point in season 3, Rose came very close to saying goodbye to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City for good.
“I actually had my attorney crafting a letter to quit when I was in the height of all of my healing trauma, and it was the hardest season of my life,” she says. “Heather and I were at odds, and I didn’t have my girl.”
Before Rose could send her letter to Bravo, her husband found out he had been fired from his job, leaving one of the show’s original cast members to power through.
“I had to step up for my family and stay, and Lisa was actually the one who convinced me that I can do this,” she recalls.
As season 6 continues to play out, Rose continues to hold her head high knowing she is continuing to speak her truth on her own terms. While the businesswoman knows she is still a work in progress, she vows to always tell the truth and nothing but the truth.
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“I think it’s really easy for Housewives, or anyone on reality TV, to hide behind, ‘Everything’s perfect. I don’t want to talk about it. Do not open that door. I’m not going to go there,’” she says. “I’m really proud of myself for just opening the doors and being authentic and real and honest about how hard it is really to overcome a failure in business.”
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Stream old episodes anytime on Peacock.
To learn more about Rose and the other Reality Stars of the Year, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
