After ‘RHOSLC’ Season 6 Reunion, Bronwyn Newport Is Walking Into a New Era

With the conclusion of season six of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake CityBronwyn Newport is walking into a new era of her life — literally.

Newport is gearing up to debut its brand-new digital series called WALK-IN this spring, which will see her go inside the closets of iconic guests to explore their most treasured fashion pieces, The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively announce. With a slate of guests including Laverne Cox, Christian Siriano and Betsey Johnson, she tells THR the project is “something I’ve been dreaming up for a really long time” that marries her personal knowledge of fashion with her witty, shining personality

Since she joined the cast in season five, Newport hasn’t shied away from discussing details of her personal life. This season, she also opened up about navigating her father’s Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and a shifting relationship with her mother. That candid willingness hasn’t slowed down as her separation became public.

Below, Newport opens up about her emotional journey on RHOSLC season six, the most rewarding part of working on her new Substack series, her reaction to Emma Stone praising her fashion sense and the treacherous reality show she’s “absolutely dying” to appear on.

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You opened up about some deeply personal topics this season on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. As you look back on the entirety of season six, is there a standout moment?

We saw a quick clip of my mom, dad and me together on his birthday. It almost felt like a flashback where you got to see my dad at home with me. It was, at the time, a really pivotal moment for me. My dad had been sick with Alzheimer’s and dementia for over a decade. A lot of care and thought was put into wanting to share that aspect of my life that is a caregiver for my parents, and what it feels like to live with a family member who has a degenerative disease.

The show is about friendships and relationships, but what shows up in our friendships and our relationships is what’s going on in our homes, right? So much of my dynamic is with my family. And then right after filming ended, my dad passed, which I was not expecting. So to have that footage of him on his birthday, and me and my mom and him all together, means even more now.

I know everyone probably thinks it was my other relationships on camera this season that were so important. But when I was going through it with my dad and his Alzheimer’s and dementia, I didn’t see a lot of that represented in different media; what it feels like to have that guilt of wanting to be there for him all the time, but having to have my own life and how you process losing somebody so slowly over an extended period of time. It’s something I was proud of sharing with the cameras, and I kind of wish you’d see more of how my family rallied around him those last couple of months.

In the third part of the reunion, you talked about how the prominence of social media has impacted your relationship with your mother and also your marriage. As you are being open about your separation, what would you ask of people when they share opinions on your personal life?

It is difficult. I never want to bring up the negative, but I do reference in the reunion how difficult it is — even when I’m at odds with someone, just because I have a tough conversation doesn’t make it easy to see people speak negatively about them online. My mom and Todd have both taken a significant amount of negative feedback and commentary. That’s it awful to watch someone you care about go through. I think it is so wonderful to watch somebody be honest. I try to be very authentic about sharing my real life. But it is my real life, and it is hard to hear all of the opinions everyone has.

When you watch the show, you can appreciate somebody being vulnerable and not exploit that by making them feel worse. Also, this is a year out on some of the stuff we filmed. It is so interesting and difficult for it to re-air and get re-brought up, and then have new opinions come into play.

Bronwyn Newport and Andy Cohen at the RHOSLC season six reunion. Jocelyn Prescod/Bravo

After the reunion was filmed, news of your separation got out to the public. Were you expecting this news to be revealed ahead of the reunion airing?

My intention was to share at the reunion so that it could be me speaking for myself in the place I felt like I needed to. These women were friends with me as I was processing this culmination of my marriage, so I felt they were owed an explanation of some of the rationale of why I was who I was when we were filming, and what was going on in my life, my mind and my home.

I agreed to open my life up to the cameras and Bravo fandom, so in my mind, it was the right thing to do to talk about this there first. It also gave me a platform to speak for myself about how I feel about my separation. My intention was for that to air as we filmed it, which would have been in this last part of the reunion. I’m always disappointed when I don’t get to speak for myself. But I think it would be very naive of me to say I was shocked this came out. I wish it hadn’t, though, of course.

When you talked about your separation in the third part of the reunion, you were very vocal about your love and concern for Todd and how he was navigating this change. But Bronwyn, how are you you doing?

It’s always tricky. Things don’t end easily or cleanly or overnight. I do have a lot of love and respect for Todd. We’ve had a long, beautiful relationship in so many ways, more ways than not. I’m really focused on not going back and rewriting history. Just because we’re not going forward together doesn’t mean those times weren’t meaningful and important to me.

But at the same time, I can hold the grief of what I hoped would happen between the two of us with the excitement of what I know is coming for me in my future. I want to be careful I don’t sound cold — I’m not excited; this wasn’t easy. It’s not easy to stay in these decisions. It would be easier to try to figure it out with Todd. But of course, a new beginning is scary and anxious and all those things, but also optimistic. I believe that you move forward and run towards what you want, and run away from what you don’t want. There are a lot of things I’m excited about on the horizon. I don’t think I could be talking about how hard this was if I hadn’t somehow gotten through it, or if I was in the midst of getting through it. That’s enough of a reminder that I’m going to be okay and I’ll figure it out. Whatever comes next, I can handle, so I should be excited.

You mentioned you have some exciting things on the horizon, and I know you have an announcement to share.

I’m launching my new digital series WALK-IN this year. It’s going to be on my Substack, and it’s something I’m incredibly excited about. It’s something I’ve been dreaming up for a really long time. Each episode takes place in someone’s closet, literally. But it’s not just about their clothes. Of course, always, the clothes and fashion are so important to me, but I think a closet tells you everything about who a person is — where they’ve come from, who they are, what they’re becoming. It’s been so fun for me to go and talk to [each guest] about where fashion intersects in their life and their personality and history. It’s people that you know — Christian Siriano, Laverne Cox, Betsey Johnson — so many other people. They each have such a public persona, but I wanted stories you haven’t heard from their home, from their closet — sitting with me walking through this half-memory lane, half-where do we go from here?

While working on WALK-INwhat has been the most rewarding part of the process?

Looking through other people’s closets. I do be nosy. (Laughs.) My favorite thing is watching somebody talk about something they’re passionate about, the way they light up and get so excited. Giving people a place to talk about something so personal, like putting their whole selves into a design or the first outfit they wore to a major award show — getting people into a space where they can talk about something so passionately and share something is beautiful to watch. As a historian and a lover of all the stories of the houses of fashion and how we’ve gotten here in this day and age, I love it. It’s really vulnerable to let somebody into your closet and explain how we are either expressing ourselves or putting out this outer facade of what we dress.

Bronwyn Newport. Harold Baez

Is this the path you see yourself evolving in the fashion industry? Do you want to do more hosting, like you’re doing with this series?

I love Substack. I also have my little love letters to each of the designers and the houses, and they cover all the awards shows and recap my fashion on the show. I’m happy for the show to be on Substack, which is such a fun home for me to get to kind of talk about all things fashion. Last year I got to host the red carpet for[[People magazine at]the SAG and the Emmy Awards. That is something that 5-year-old Bronwyn has always wanted to do.

What people choose to put on their body on the red carpet is like someone choosing your dress as their wedding dress, and that’s so incredibly touching. Getting to host and talk to people, there’s also a narrative and storyline and craft behind what actors are wearing through their press tours — when they show up at these award shows and how that positions them for a new movie, and the way that all intertwines. I went back during COVID and did an art history degree with an emphasis in museum curation, so for me, it’s not just about what clothing looks like, it’s about the history and what it means to somebody and what feelings it invokes. The red carpet is the culmination of all those things.

An Oscar winner recently praised you in the press. What was your reaction when you saw that Emma Stone said she loves your fashion sense on the show?

Even you saying it again sent a little shiver up my spine. It is so surreal to think that Emma Stone is watching me get on Below Deck in an inflatable Moschino life preserver hat. I bought that five years ago. I’ve worn it once on a trip before, but when they said we were going on Below Deckeveryone else was [thinking about] vacation or flights. I was like, “The Moschino’s coming out.” The second you tell me we’re going to XYZ restaurant, I think Ooh, I have the perfect dress for that. If I was Emma Stone and someone was interviewing me about my lead up to the Oscars, I probably wouldn’t be talking about Bronwyn Newport’s clothes on Salt Lake City Housewives. It blows my mind that’s what she wanted to talk about, and it was very gratifying (laughs) that she was so impressed.

That’s the beauty of the show for me. Y es, there are moments in my life that have been very difficult to share, but the fans resonate with it. There is a community and a love there. And then the silliness and joy in my life that I get to share, having that be also something that resonates with people. I’ve been dressing this way my whole life, and for it to be on Bravo and be appreciated by Emma Stone is not where middle school me who was awkward and dressed differently than everyone else thought I was going.

Do you have a favorite look you’ve worn on the show so far?

Everyone knows me for the YSL heart coat. But my favorite was the Moschino life preserver, just because it was so appropriate for the boat ride. I needed the extra flotation materials going into that potentially sinking ship where we were all not getting along. It’s underrated, but during my first season, Angie [Katsanevas] had a mafia themed anniversary party, and I put a lot of thought into that look.

Bronwyn Newport in Moschino on the RHOSLC-Below Deck Down Under crossover. Courtesy

Something I admire about you is your advocacy for the queer community. I read in your British Vogue profile that RuPaul’s Drag Race is your favorite reality TV show. Is this true?

It is. I always say RuPaul’s Drag Race is my favorite show, and I’m not taking it back. Traitors is worming its way in there. Traitors is a solid, not even No. 2 — let’s say 1.5. It gets better every season. But yes, I love RuPaul’s Drag Race. I’ve seen every spinoff, every episode, every RuGirl on tour across the US. I love the RuGirls, I live for them. So naturally, I love when the RuGirls show up on Traitors. I’m a big fan of Monét [X Change] this season, of course.

If asked, would you appear as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race?

If they asked me, I would start running. I wouldn’t even have time to text them, “Yes,” I would just be on my way. Like, outfit is ready. Schedule is clear. Put me in coach! I’m ready to do it.

Since you brought up Traitorswould you do that show as well?

I am absolutely dying to do Traitors. I think the roundtable would be my specialty. I don’t feel like I lose many arguments. I feel like I would be just fine in a roundtable setting, and there would be nothing to make me happier than getting to put together 87 suitcases of outfits to take to that castle. (Laughs.) There’s some good fashion on Traitorsbut I’d like to think I would elevate it in my own way.

If you went on Traitorswhich Housewives would you want to see on the show?

I’m dying for [Lisa] Rinna this season and Candiace [Dillard Bassett]. But frankly, I’m glad they’re there now. They’re formidable. I love getting to work with the Housewives from other cities, because everyone there is a sisterhood of understanding what it feels like to put your life on camera. But [I’d like] a little bit of space, because I don’t actually film with the [Housewives from other franchises] and have these really intense moments that I do with my castmates in Salt Lake. I would love to be with any of them not from Salt Lake (laughs.) As lovingly as possible, I would like to see my Salt Lake girls only in Salt Lake for now, not in Traitors. But if I had a dream housewife, I think I’d be great with one of the Miami girls, Alexia [Nepola] or Marysol [Patton]. Bring me Rachel Zoe. We have very different fashion. I’d love a little who wore it best, Rachel Zoe and Bronwyn in the Traitors castle.

You have been open about everything from your marriage to your upbringing in Mormonism, love of fashion, queer advocacy, etc. When you meet people, what connects with them most?

So many people come up to me and are grateful for the support that I have for the queer community, especially for my trans brothers and sisters. It’s really meaningful to see somebody speaking love and support and acceptance. We’re in such a divisive and, frankly, very scary era of this administration right now. That is always something I’ll continue to do more of. People have reached out to both me and my daughter about the idea of ​​a non-traditional family or not growing up with both parents, and it’s been so beautiful for her and I both to hear how other people have navigated this and what it meant for them to see us share a little bit about that. I really wanted to share my story, but of course it’s intertwined with hers. She was very brave and very generous to put some of her life on camera as well as to explain that story. I think that’s really, really resonated with so many people who’ve watched.

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The final part of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season six reunion aired on Bravo Tuesday. Season six is ​​fully available to stream on Peacock Wednesday.