Jill Zarin has been removed from E!’s upcoming reality series The Golden Life after comments she made about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 2026 halftime show sparked widespread backlash.
The former Real Housewives of New York City star, 62, was originally set to appear in the series alongside fellow RHONY alums Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Kelly Bensimon and Sonja Morgan. The show follows the group as they navigate their next chapter of life in Palm Beach, Florida.
In a statement issued to Variety on February 10, the production company Blink49 Studios confirmed the decision to cut ties with Zarin.
“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 company said. “We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values.”
The announcement came two days after Zarin shared a now-deleted Instagram video criticizing Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance, which took place during Super Bowl 2026. In the video, she referred to the performance as “the worst halftime show ever.”
“It’s 250 years that we’re celebrating right now in the United States, and I just don’t think it was appropriate to have it in Spanish,” she said. “I don’t speak Spanish. I would’ve liked to understand the words that he was saying. To me, it looked like a political statement because there were literally no white people in the entire thing.”
Zarin also accused Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, of “inappropriate” behavior during the performance. She claimed he was “grabbing himself every five seconds,” and made remarks about surprise guest Lady Gaga.
“I didn’t recognize her,” Zarin added. “I literally had to Google her face to see who it was.”
Reactions from her former castmates appeared mixed. Sonja Morgan, another RHONY alum, seemed to enjoy Lady Gaga’s appearance during the halftime show. After a fan posted a clip of Luann de Lesseps from the cast’s season 10 trip to Colombia with the caption “Lady Gaga coming out during the Benito Bowl,” Sonja replied on X (formerly Twitter) with a smiling emoji, writing, “So good.”
Zarin was part of the original cast of The Real Housewives of New York City alongside Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Bethenny Frankel and Alex McCord. Kelly Bensimon and Sonja Morgan joined the franchise in seasons two and three, respectively. The long-running Bravo series was rebooted with a new cast for its 14th season in 2023.
Source: E! News