Jill Zarin has been dropped from an upcoming E! reunion special after facing backlash for her tirade against Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Blink49 Studios, the company producing The Golden Life, confirmed her exit in a statement provided to TMZ.
“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. “We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values.”
An insider also told the outlet that the cast had previously been advised to steer clear of controversial behavior. While the women were reportedly thrilled about the project at first, Zarin’s remarks shifted the atmosphere — though they understood the reasoning behind her dismissal.
Zarin, who was part of the original lineup of Real Housewives of New York City, initially posted a lengthy video criticizing Bad Bunny’s halftime performance on Instagram before deleting it. The clip later resurfaced across social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter).
“It was the worst halftime show ever,” the 62-year-old said in the video linked above. “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.”
“Quite frankly, I didn’t need to see him grabbing his, you know, G area,” she continued. “I think it was totally inappropriate. You’ve got all these young kids watching the Super Bowl and he doesn’t have to be grabbing himself every five seconds. Is he so insecure?”
Zarin went on to say, “I don’t speak Spanish. I would have liked to have known the words he was saying. To me, 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 think it was an ICE thing and I just think that the NFL sold out and it’s very sad.”
The RHONY alum also took aim at Lady Gaga — seemingly the kind of white representation Zarin was looking for — who appeared as a surprise guest during the performance to deliver a salsa version of her hit “Die With a Smile” while a couple tied the knot on stage.
“Lady Gaga got a facelift,” she alleged. “I didn’t recognize her. I literally had to Google her face to figure out who it was because none of us could agree. So that was kind of entertaining in the middle of halftime. At least it gave me something to do because it was so hard to watch.”
Although Zarin is said to have undergone a facelift in 2024, there have been no credible reports indicating that Gaga has had any cosmetic work done.
Meanwhile, Tennessee representative Andy Ogles, a vocal backer of the Trump administration, pushed for an investigation into the Puerto Rican star’s “smut” halftime show. He claimed children “were forced” to watch “explicit displays of gay sexual acts, women gyrating provocatively, and Bad Bunny shamelessly grabbing his crotch while dry-humping the air.” You can read more about that here.
