How Jenna Lyons Went From J. Crew to ‘RHONY’ by Sliding into Andy Cohen’s DMs

Jenna Lyons has a penchant for taking things into her own hands. 

The former creative director and president of retailer J. Crew will be an addition — albeit a surprising one — to the cast of the revamped Real Housewives of New York when it premieres next month on Bravo.

As it turns out, Lyons was instrumental in getting the ball rolling.

After her face was featured on a fan-made Real Housewives of New York poster in February 2022, Lyons shared the image to her Instagram Stories, which she captioned: “Who do I need to call?? I am available.”

In a June 25 profile in The New York Times, Lyons called it “one of those moments where somebody posits something that seems completely unlikely, and out of humor, I said yes.”

However, it quickly became anything but a joke. Lyons took it upon herself to forward the post to Bravo boss Andy Cohen, who responded via DM, “You know what…this is a good idea."

Lyons was officially announced as a cast member on the 14th season of RHONY — alongside Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Dana Lichy, Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield — at BravoCon in October.

Joining the cast did involve some restrictions, specifically when it came to Lyons' 16-year-old son Beckett. Lyons explained that she told Bravo he was not allowed on camera.

“I don’t ever want him to look back on his time during this and be like, ‘I can’t believe I said that,'” she explained. “‘I can’t believe you didn’t protect me.’”

As for her own behavior on the show, Lyons said she got a call from a producer prior to filming Housewives who worried that she "was going to be too controlled on television.”

"I am controlled," Lyons asserted. “If you want me to not be controlled, if that’s what you’re looking for, I’m not the right person for you."

The new season of The Real Housewives of York premieres July 16 at 9 p.m. on Bravo.