She's the queen bee of New York City but this socialite's days on the small screen may be numbered. On Saturday night, Jill Zarin and her husband, Bobby enjoyed dinner at Savanna's in Southampton where he was overheard telling Jill she should not return for another season of "The Real Housewives of New York."
“Bobby made it clear that it was Jill’s decision but couldn’t understand what she would have to gain from returning to a fifth season,” a friend at the next table tells me. “Her daughter is in college and it’s time to take her parents on the cruise of a lifetime they have always wanted to do. Plus the success of her Skweez Couture and other deals she has coming up are a full-time job.”
Jill, who doesn’t need the $265,000 a season each lady earns, has never been the last to leave a party but knows that when it is time to make her exit, it's best to do so on a high note.
“The 'New York' show has been super successful but next season will never top the numbers they have now and after the failures of D.C. and Miami shows, everyone thinks the high point of the franchise is behind them not in front of them,” a Bravo insider tells me. “Everything has to come to an end. And the reunion show Part 2 ratings were very disappointing.”
A spokesperson for Jill did confirm that she was at the Southampton restaurant with her husband but declined to comment on whether Jill had made any decision about her future with the show. However, I was told that her shapewear line was picked up by major department stores during market week last week and to expect some big news about her other products in the upcoming weeks.
Although no final decisions have been made, Jill is hoping to be freed from her Bravo contract -- she has two more years to fulfill her reality TV obligation. Although we can't imagine the New York housewives sans the fiery redhead, it sounds like we may have to get used to it.