Jill Zarin Says 'I'm Human' After Being Fired From 'RHONY' Spin-Off Over Critical Bad Bunny Comments

Former "Real Housewives of New York" star Jill Zarin is speaking out after being axed from a new reality show before production officially commenced. Zarin, one of the OGs on the original "Real Housewives" series, was fired ahead of season 5 in 2012 and recently faced intense backlash for her critical comments about Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime performance.

Zarin appears to be taking her firing personally, telling In Touch that the E! Network "didn't even give me a chance" to rectify the situation. "I took it down right away. People make mistakes. I'm human."

Zarin's statement follows the announcement by the producers of the new "RHONY" spin-off, "The Golden Life," that they have decided to part ways with the outspoken reality star.

"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 statement read, according to The Blast. "We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values."

Zarin's dramatic firing came after the Bravo OG slammed Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime performance, which became the most-watched in the program's history, with over 130 million viewers.

In a since-deleted video, Zarin criticized Bad Bunny, saying it wasn't "appropriate" to perform at the Big Game in Spanish, Bad Bunny's native language.

Zarin also found an issue with some of Bad Bunny's choreography, calling it "inappropriate" for the "Tití Me Preguntó" singer to be grabbing his crotch during the show.

Zarin didn't stop there. Later in the video, the "Real Housewives" reality star said she would've preferred to enjoy the show with an artist who sang in a language she knew before adding even more fuel to the fire.

"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," she said.

Zarin wasn't the only public figure to voice frustration with Bad Bunny's performance.

Donald Trump, Jake Paul, and conservative names like Kid Rock and Megyn Kelly also found issue with the Puerto Rican-inspired performance.

A source spoke to Page Six after Zarin's firing and condemned the E! Network for making such drastic changes so soon. "A lot of people were not happy about the Bad Bunny show," the source shared, implying Zarin's comments were shared by several others:

"Megyn Kelly had a viral video slamming it. Whether you like him or not, the President of the United States slammed it."

The insider added that E! "completely overreacted." They added that had network waited a week for things to die down, everything would've been OK. "The show doesn't air for nine months," they said.

They finished: "Jill said what half the country was saying, but she got fired for it."

The new "RHONY" spin-off will now feature Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Kelly Bensimon, and Luann de Lesseps. It's unclear whether there will be casting changes since Zarin's departure.

The show's synopsis teases "fallouts and friendship" in the Sunshine State, adding that in "this new 'golden' era of life, the longtime friends are thriving in and around Palm Beach with fabulous homes and a bustling social scene."

The spin-off garnered positive reactions after its announcement in early 2026, primarily because many viewers demanded the original "RHONY" women return to TV after Bravo fired them in 2021.

Zarin's participation in the series was especially noteworthy, given that she has publicly called for her return to the series since her initial firing in 2012. In 2023, the crew was supposed to return for a legacy version of the series; however, that was canned after Zarin reportedly failed to reach an agreement with the show's producers.

It's unclear what Zarin's next move will be. With Bravo officially moving on from most of the women and E! cutting her out of the deal, fans may only have the original "RHONY" archives to look back on.