Jill Zarin’s long-awaited (or criticized, depending on who you asked) return to reality TV just ended before it even began. The former Real Housewives of New York City star lost her spot on E!’s upcoming series The Golden Life following a viral Instagram rant about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show.
The show’s producers at Blink49 Studios confirmed the split on Tuesday. Although Zarin later deleted the video, the backlash had already moved faster than cleanup.
What Jill Zarin said about Bad Bunny, and why Zarin Fabrics distanced itself
In the now-deleted Instagram video, Zarin called Bad Bunny’s performance "the worst halftime show ever." She argued it was inappropriate, and she complained about the performance being in Spanish. She also criticized his dancing, saying, "quite frankly, grabbing his 'g'-area," felt wrong for families watching.
"You’ve got all these young kids watching the Super Bowl," she added. "And he doesn’t have to be grabbing himself every five seconds because he’s so insecure. Seriously."
Then, she suggested the show made a political statement. "It looked like a political statement because there were literally no white people in the entire thing," she said, adding, "I’m not taking a side one way or the other. I just do. I think it was an ICE thing."
Soon after, Blink49 Studios issued a statement, according to Variety. "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 company said.
Meanwhile, Zarin Fabrics publicly separated itself from the reality star. The company’s website banner read, "Zarin Fabrics has not been associated with Jill Zarin since Bobby’s death. We are proud Americans who accept all people no matter what language they speak."
On Instagram, the brand went further, posting an image of Zarin with a large red X over her face. The caption stated, "Zarin Fabrics stands firmly against racism, discrimination, and rhetoric that seeks to exclude or diminish people based on identity, culture, or background."
Social media reactions to Zarin's firing
Online, reactions arrived quickly and loudly. @queensofbravo shared screenshots of the Zarin Fabrics post and tweeted, "Zarin Fabrics is making it 100% clear they are in no way associated with Jill Zarin 😩💀." Then, @milkkarten joked, "would have killed to sit in on the creative brainstorm for this post."
Others focused on the irony of her firing. @alexxmalloy wrote that Bad Bunny had "got a hated housewife fired before filming." Meanwhile, @sonjamorganstan celebrated with the trending Kendall Toole meme and the words, "MAGA ZIONIST JILL ZARIN FIRED FROM RHONY E! SERIES LETS GOOOO."
Meanwhile, @gibsonoma shared an image of Andy Cohen calling The View "Savage" after host Joy Behar asked, "Why do we care what she says?"
@KevH404 posted a meme video, writing, "My entire timeline is just this at Jill Zarin."
Several users pointed to Zarin’s decades-long comeback attempt. @jms_tny joked about "compulsive posting," while @laurjbrown asked, "how racist do you have to be to get fired from a show that Ramona Singer is still doing."
Over on Reddit, Zarin's alleged grandson did an AMA among the mess, saying his "worst" memory of her was "being forced to be on Celebrity Wife Swap."
Finally, @aaferiat said the internet came together to drag Zarin "like she just showed up uninvited to scary island for a second time."
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