RHONY season 14 episode 5: Brynn Whitfield opens up about her past

The Real Housewives of New York (RHONY) season 14 aired a brand new episode on Sunday, August 13, 2023. The episode picked up where last week's episode ended. Brynn opened up to the rest of the cast about her devastating past.

Disclaimer: The following RHONY article mentions mental health issues, attempts of suicide, and child neglect. Reader caution is advised.

During Sunday's episode, a vulnerable and emotional Brynn opened up about the death of her birth father and about her grandmother legally adopting the three children. Through her tears, she told the women more about the past, and listening to her struggles, the cast members couldn't help but get emotional themselves.

"I was afraid I was going to get taken away, you know? For three years I was scared out of my mind. It was f*cked up."

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Brynn Whitfield opened up about harming herself in RHONY season 14

In Sunday's episode of Real Housewives of New York (RHONY), Brynn Whitfield, whose friends celebrated Friendsgiving with her in order to cheer her up, opened up about her turbulent past.

She opened up about being adopted by her grandmother and her parents not being in the picture as she grew up, and narrated an incident when she was a first grader.

"When I was a first grader, I drank an entire bottle of Dimetapp because I wanted to sleep forever."

As the other RHONY cast members started to tear up themselves, Jenna Lyons told the cameras that it was heartbreaking. She added that she saw the little girl in Brynn remembering not being cared for and called Whitfield a "beautiful, vivacious, funny, smart girl". She added that thinking that Brynn carried around the trauma that she went through felt awful.

"If I'm cute enough, funny enough, smart enough, and clever enough, then they'll let me stay where I want to," Brynn continued through her tears.

Erin Lichy, who was also emotional after listening to her story, noted that it was "heart-wrenching" to know that the RHONY season 14 cast member went through a level of trauma that none of them can ever understand. She added that she understood why she didn't want to talk about it and noted that they should rally around her and support her whenever Brynn opens up more.

The season 14 cast member further told the cast members about her birth father and noted that he gave up his parental rights. They inquired whether he had ever tried to find her, and she told them that when she was a senior in high school, he got in touch with her.

"When I was a senior in high school, I get a call, my father who I think, didn't even talk to me, more than twice in my life, he was dying, he was in the ICU."

She noted that he had liver cirrhosis, and they had a lovely relationship while he was in the hospital. The RHONY season 14 star noted that she went to see him every weekend.

Brynn further added that he apologized for being absent and told her at the time that there was never a day that he didn't look in the mirror and didn't see a "monster." She added that she forgave him because he was dying and noted that his death was the reason why she didn't like Thanksgiving since he passed away on November 12.

RHONY will return next Sunday with a brand new episode on Bravo.