Whitfield announced her departure from 'The Real Housewives of New York City' on June 9 after two seasons
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Brynn Whitfield on 'Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen' in December 2024.
Brynn Whitfield is opening up about her decision to leave The Real Housewives of New York City.
During the June 18 episode of her Please See Below podcast, Whitfield revealed that she initially didn't want to be the one to leave the show and, instead, wanted the powers that be to "fire me."
"I decided at the reunion that I wasn't going to [return]," Whitfield said. "I was like, 'This is too much.'"
"I knew I just wasn't going to do it," she continued. "But I was hoping that they would either fire me, or I was hoping that they would cancel the show, or they would be like, 'Hey, we're done casting. We signed everyone. Sorry, Brynn. Thank you so much.'"
Whitfield said she was inspired by Paige DeSorbo's social media post announcing her Summer House exit.
"I was like, 'I want that.' I was so happy for her and I was like, 'I kind of want that for myself," she revealed.
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Brynn Whitfield at the 'Real Housewives of New York City' season 14 premiere in New York City on July 12, 2023.
Whitfield admitted seeing DeSorbo's post about her leaving Summer House after seven seasons made her "a little peanut butter and jealous."
"I just want that, like, release," she added.
Whitfield said she toyed with the idea of coming back in a "friend of" capacity, specifically using Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kathy Hilton's "deal" as an example.
"That's perfect to me because I'm like Kathy. I'm just like a young, more lame version of Kathy, less rich version of Kathy," she explained.
"I just want to show up for a couple of times. I don't need to hold an apple or a diamond. I just want to, like, come in. Let me just be my dumb self, enjoy it, [then say,] 'Bye, guys. See you later.'"
Whitfield announced her exit from RHONY on June 9 after two seasons, in a statement posted to her Instagram Stories.
"After a lot of thought, I've made the decision to walk away from reality TV. For now," she wrote in her statement.
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(L-R) Racquel Chevremont, Sai De Silva, Jessel Taank, Jenna Lyons, Erin Lichy, Brynn Whitfield and Ubah Hassan of 'The Real Housewives of New York City' season 15.
"The Real Housewives of New York City will always be one of the most fun, chaotic, and magical chapters of my life. It was the honor of a lifetime to help reboot such an iconic franchise," she continued. "From day one, I've believed RHONY is a fan's show — we're just temporary custodians of something that truly belongs to the viewers."
Despite her sentimental statement, Whitfield said on her podcast that she quit because she was "so done with this whole dark thing."
"I wish everyone well, and I hope everything's fine. I honestly do," she added. "But at the same time, like, I'm so over it. I want to go back to my life. I want to go back to being Brynn."