US TV star fired over Bad Bunny tirade
Real Housewives star Jill Zarin has been fired after she ranted about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show. Zarin was initially cast on E!’s hugely anticipated The Golden Life, but the show’s producers, Blink49 Studios, announced they’ve cut ties with her in a statement on Tuesday.
In a statement to Variety, the producers said, "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. We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values."
Page Six broke the news that Zarin, along with fellow RHONY alums Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Kelly Bensimon, and Sonja Morgan, would be appearing in a new show on E! together. The show, titled The Golden Life, was set to start filming in the spring and feature the women reuniting in Palm Beach, Florida.
Zarin has since deleted her Instagram video, in which she called Bad Bunny’s performance, "the worst halftime show ever." She criticized the performance for being in Spanish and for what she perceived as inappropriate sexual content, saying, "It’s 250 years that we’re celebrating right now, the United States, and I just don’t think it was appropriate to have it in Spanish, and, quite frankly, grabbing his ‘g’-area. I think it was totally inappropriate."
She continued, "You’ve got all these young kids watching the Super Bowl, and he doesn’t have to be grabbing himself every five seconds because he’s so insecure. Seriously. It looked like a political statement because there were literally no white people in the entire thing. I think it was a political statement, and I’m not taking a side one way or the other. I just do. I think it was an ICE thing."
Zarin also made negative comments about Lady Gaga's appearance in the halftime show, saying, "And Lady Gaga got a facelift — I didn’t recognise her! I literally had to Google her face to see who it was. We all couldn’t agree who it was. So that was kind of fun in the middle of halftime. At least it gave me something to do, because it was so hard to watch."
Bravolebrities, including Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Bozoma Saint John, responded to Zarin’s comments. Saint John wrote, "‘I’m not taking a side,’ yet very clearly taking a side. Please. I, on the other hand, LOVED Benito Bowl … for its beauty, culture, history, and message."
Bethenny Frankel, another RHONY alum, also faced criticism for her comments. She posted and then deleted a TikTok video, questioning whether such entertainment events should be platforms for personal, cultural, and political views. She later posted another video, praising Bad Bunny for his right to express himself.
