Celebrity

Jenna Lyons' Net Worth Could Make Her The Wealthiest RHONY Star

Before joining the RHONY reboot, the fashion maven was the president and creative director of J. Crew.

by Jake Viswanath
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 12: Jenna Lyons attends Bravo's "The Real Housewives Of New York City" Sea...
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Perhaps the most surprising addition to the new Real Housewives of New York City cast is Jenna Lyons. As the former president and creative director of J. Crew, Lyons helped turn the brand into a billion-dollar company and shape its new image by dressing the likes of Michelle Obama. The New York Times once called her the “woman who dresses America,” a title she embraced until she left the company in 2017. Now, she’s about to make an even bigger name for herself as one of the six new Housewives on the RHONY reboot, and most signficantly, the show’s first openly queer Housewife.

Speaking on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March, Lyons explained how she ended up on the cast, with Fallon remarking that he never pictured her doing the show. “Same, but I didn’t have a job,” she quipped. “I was on a podcast, and they asked me if I heard that there was going to be a reboot of RHONY... and they said, ‘There’s never been an openly gay woman on the Housewives,’ and I was like, ‘Hmmm.’” When social media posted an edited photo of her with other rumored castmates, she sent it to Bravo honcho Andy Cohen, who took it seriously. “I DMed Andy and said, ‘This is hysterical,’ and he was like, ‘No, it’s actually a good idea,’” she recalled.

Lyons has built quite a reputation in the fashion world and just may do the same in the reality TV sphere, naturally leading fans to wonder about her net worth. Read on to find out the multiple ways that Lyons has amassed her estimated net worth.

Fashion

 J.Crew's Jenna Lyons poses at the Cafe Boulud in the 4 Seasons Hotel in Yorkville.
Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star/Getty Images

Prior to RHONY, Lyons was best known for her longtime tenure at J. Crew. After starting as a junior designer for menswear in 1990, she gradually climbed her way up the corporate ladder until she was named the president and executive creative director of the company in 2010. Unlike most brand presidents, she also became the face of J. Crew and frequently appeared on the street-style circuit. She stepped down from the position in 2017 after almost 27 years with the company, making it safe to assume that her earnings from J. Crew are a huge part of her current net worth.

Reality TV

As the RHONY reboot’s most well-known cast member, it’s safe to say Lyons is getting a pretty penny for the new season, but she actually has a history with reality TV. In 2020, the fashion maven starred her own reality show on Max (back when it was HBO Max), Stylish with Jenna Lyons, which saw her take on a slew of design endeavors, from home renovations to new fashion projects, while challenging a group of creative associates vying for a spot on her new business team. The series only ran for one season, but it proved that Lyons was Housewives-ready.

Other Business Endeavors

After leaving J. Crew, Lyons launched her own business endeavors, founding the fake eyelash brand LoveSeen. She’s also lent her creative eye to the interior design world, working as a consultant for The Expert, a platform where stylists, designers, and decorators give personalized interior design guidance to customers.

What Is Jenna Lyons’ Estimated Net Worth?

$5 MILLION

According to The Cinemaholic, as of 2020, Lyons’ estimated net worth is an impressive $5 million. However, it should be noted that Freshers Live suggests her net worth could be as high as $50 million.