Dorinda Medley fills Jill Zarin's spot on E!'s The Golden Life RHONY reboot after Super Bowl comments fallout, reuniting Palm Beach housewives
Dorinda Medley (Image via Getty)
Dorinda Medley (Image via Getty)
E! confirmed on February 17, 2026, that Dorinda Medley will join The Golden Life cast after Jill Zarin was removed from the project on February 10, following public backlash over comments she made about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance.
Medley said in a statement,
“Well, the rumors are true! I will be joining the women on The Golden Life in Palm Beach. 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!”
Filming for the 10-episode Real Housewives of New York City–adjacent series is scheduled to begin this spring in Palm Beach, Florida, with Blink49 Studios producing.
The Golden Life cast shakeup
Blink49 Studios confirmed Zarin’s exit in a February 10 statement:
“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.”
Zarin posted a now-deleted Instagram video on Super Bowl Sunday, February 8, 2026, calling Bad Bunny’s performance “the worst halftime show ever.” She added,
“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. 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'm not taking a side one way or the other, I just do...think it was an ICE thing. I just think that the NFL sold out, and it's very sad because this was 75 years, and you know, shame. Shame.”
Zarin later told In Touch,
“People make mistakes. I'm human.”
Medley, 61, joins fellow Real Housewives of New York City veterans Kelly Bensimon, Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, and Ramona Singer.
The series follows their lives in Palm Beach, focusing on friendships, dating, family, and social circles outside New York City.
Earlier reporting suggested Medley was always expected to appear, but the timeline of her announcement accelerated following Zarin’s exit.
Luann de Lesseps previously hinted at a lineup including Medley, telling Decider in October 2025,
“It has be, course, Sonja, Dorinda. We definitely need a bit of Ramona for some of that crazy energy. I’d love to see Kelly come back.”
The Golden Life arrives four years after Bravo rebooted The Real Housewives of New York City in 2022 with a new cast that included Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, and Brynn Whitfield.
The reboot marked a shift away from long-time cast members, including Medley, who exited after Season 12.
Since then, Medley has appeared on The Traitors Season 3 and continued projects connected to Blue Stone Manor.
Other cast members have also remained active.
Singer settled a reported $400,000 legal dispute with Bravo in January 2026.
Bensimon listed her Hamptons home for $27.5 million in 2025.
De Lesseps continues touring with her cabaret shows, while Morgan has pursued real estate investments.
Zarin previously positioned The Golden Life as an extension of the Real Housewives of New York City brand, but her Super Bowl comments sparked backlash.
Bad Bunny headlined the February 8, 2026 Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium, drawing roughly 120 million viewers. Zarin deleted the video shortly after posting it, though clips circulated widely online.
Producers describe The Golden Life as capturing Palm Beach life, including second homes, social events, and long-running dynamics between the women.
Medley previously appeared on Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in 2021 and now returns to group-based reality TV following the franchise reboot.
The series continues development as filming approaches, with Medley joining the cast as production moves forward.
Stay tuned for more updates.
TOPICS: The Golden Life RHONY, The Real Housewives of New York City, Dorinda Medley, Jill Zarin