Real Housewives of New York star explains why she’s...

Businesswoman said she wants to ‘reprioritise’ her life. The Real Housewives of New York has been hit with a shock departure as one headline-making star has revealed she won’t be returning for a second season. Handbag designer Rebecca Minkoff, 42, faced backlash last year when she pulled a pregnancy prank on her castmates. She then pretended that she wasn’t sure if her husband, Gavin Bellour, was the father.

Image Credit: The Independent [Rebecca Minkoff said she wants to ‘reprioritise’ her life]

The Real Housewives franchise follows a group of affluent and glamorous women as they experience the dramas and power plays of everyday life. Minkoff joined the show in 2024 for its 15th season, but has said she is now wanting to “reprioritise” her life and won’t be continuing with it anymore. “2025 is a new beginning for me and with current events in the world, I am reminded the importance of family, friends and community now more than ever,” the businesswoman wrote in a post on Instagram.

Image Credit: The Independent [Andy Cohen (middle) and the ‘Real Housewives of New York’ cast]

“The last month has given me new perspective on wanting to focus on my wildly amazing four kids, my supportive husband, my business of 20 years, the Female Founder Collective, my podcast and MY BOOK.”. She continued: “As much as I have learned along the way with this franchise and fans, I want to reprioritise the things that mean the most to me: designing, giving back, supporting women and raising my family.

“I am truly grateful for the experience, the friendships and the fans that have been part of this RHONY chapter. Time to turn the page.”. Speaking to Elle last year, Minkoff explained that she joined the show because she was thrilled by the uncertainty it promised. “I said to my husband the day I signed on, ‘I can predict our life if we don’t do this, but I can’t predict our life if we do, and that’s exciting,’” she said.

“When thinking about it, I was like, ‘The only way I can do this is by being me.’ And if no one likes that, then I get voted off the island. I have to go in there holding true to everything I’ve built, otherwise I look like a fraud on both sides, and you don’t know who I am and you lose trust. “It is not lost on me that there’s a huge irony in that, but I think there’s a way to play in that, too. You’ve met my friends [on the show] who have things to fight about. Do you need another person doing that? Or would it be nice to have someone being like, ‘Can’t we all just get along?’”.