Dorinda Medley is officially joining E!’s upcoming Real Housewives of New York City spinoff, The Golden Life, following Jill Zarin‘s exit.
“Well, the rumors are true! I will be joining the women on The Golden Life in Palm Beach,” Dorinda, 61, shared in a statement on Tuesday, February 17. “After decades of friendship, and navigating life’s ups and downs together, it will be nice to reconnect with my ‘sisters.’ I am so excited to celebrate and share the next chapter of our lives!”
E! announced The Golden Life earlier this month. RHONY alums Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Kelly Bensimon and Sonja Morgan were initially set to star alongside Jill. However, Jill’s casting was short-lived as she was fired from the show following her comments about Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.
“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 network shared in a statement to Us Weekly on February 10. “We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values.”
Bad Bunny, 31, took the stage for the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 8. His performance garnered mixed reviews, with some Bravo stars — like Jill — sharing their distaste on social media.
“It was the worst halftime show ever,” Jill said in a since-deleted Instagram video. “I just don’t think it was appropriate to have it in Spanish, and, quite frankly … grabbing his G [groin] area … 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 because he’s so insecure. Seriously.”
She added, “I don’t speak Spanish. I would’ve 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’m not taking a side, one way or the other … I think it was an ICE thing. I think that the NFL sold out, and it’s very sad.”
As her video continued, Jill also took a shot at Lady Gaga, who made a surprise appearance during the performance to sing a new version of her collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile.”
“Lady Gaga got a facelift. … I literally had to Google her face to see who it was because we all couldn’t agree who it was,” Jill claimed. “That was kind of fun in the middle of halftime. At least it gave us something to do because it was so hard to watch.”
Dorinda said she was “horrified” watching Jill’s video during an episode of SiriusXM’s “Reality Checked” radio show after the Super Bowl.
“I don’t need to tell you her opinion but I disagree with absolutely everything she said. I don’t think you can walk away from what we had the luxury of witnessing yesterday,” Dorinda stated. “The effect that it had on so many people.”
