Mary Bonnet opens up about her time in and out of the spotlight in her new memoir Selling Sunshine: Surviving Teenage Motherhood, Thriving In Luxury Real Estate, and Finally Finding My Voice, which was released a day earlier.
And with the memoirs come a series of revelations about her participation in the Netflix series Selling Sunset throughout its eight seasons that began with the premiere of the series in March 2019.
In a new interview on The pop report In a podcast, Bonnet revealed why and when he almost left the show, and who the only former castmate is that he doesn’t think should return to the show.
“Then, I think it was season six, after Palm Springs, I called (my husband) Romain and I was like, ‘I think I’m done. ‘ And he was like, ‘Really? ‘” she told hosts Zack Peter and Andy Lalwani.
“I was like, ‘This is going to change our life, and that means you’re probably not going to take it either and all that,'” she added. “So I just want to talk about this because I really don’t think this is good for my mental health because I was taking hormones and stuff.”
Mary Bonnet, 44, opens up about why and when she almost left Selling Sunset, as part of the promotional campaign for her new memoir Selling Sunshine: Surviving Teenage Motherhood, Thriving In Luxury Real Estate, and Finally Finding My Voice
Bonnet’s hormones were raging at the time due to the embryo freezing process she was undergoing at the time.
As a result, tears flowed easily when she and some of the ladies went out on the town and entered a club.
‘With the book, people will realise why I was actually crying, because it seemed like it was because I couldn’t deal with girls and I can’t handle it,’ he revealed about the incident.
“It was because we were going to a club. And I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to go to a club without my husband to protect me because of sexual assault. ‘ And that brought up a lot of traumatic feelings,” she said, referring to her rape.
Bonnet writes that she was drugged and raped after moving to Los Angeles by someone she refers to as ‘Joe’ in the book, according to We weekly.
Selling Sunset revolves around the Oppenheim Group, a high-end real estate brokerage firm in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, led by company president and founder Jason Oppenheim.
The hood serves as both The real estate agent and vice president of The Oppenheim Group has starred in the Netflix reality series since its debut in 2019 for the past eight seasons.
In fact, Bonnet (born Mary Catherine Fitzgerald), 44, is among only four people who have been on the show for all eight seasons, also including Jason Oppenheim, Brett Oppenheim and Chrishell Stause.
“Then, I think it was season six, after Palm Springs, I called (my husband) Romain and I was like, ‘I think I’m done. ‘ And he was like, ‘Really?'” the reality star told hosts Zack Peter and Andy Lalwani of The Pop Report podcast.
“I was like, ‘This is going to change our life. And that means you’re probably not going to take it either and all that,'” Bonnet added on the podcast. “So I just want to talk about this because I really don’t think this is good for my mental health because I was taking hormones and stuff.”
Selling Sunset revolves around the Oppenheim Group, a high-end real estate brokerage firm in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, led by the firm’s president and founder, Jason Oppenheim.
The Brandon, South Dakota native would also weigh in on the idea of Christine Quinn returning to the show, and whether that’s something she’d be in favor of doing at this point in the show.
“No. We have a lot of people who start the drama,” she said bluntly of Quinn, who left Selling Sunset after being part of the main cast for the first five seasons.
“The only reason I say that is because I will always care about her, but that made it very toxic,” Bonnet continued. “And it wasn’t just on camera, it was also behind the scenes with so many cast members. And it was a very, very toxic environment. And it broke my heart because I will always love her and care about her. That wasn’t healthy for anybody.”
Although Bonnet and Quinn seemed to be very good friends when the series premiered in 2019, their friendship seemed more distant as the seasons progressed.
Quinn ultimately left the Netflix reality show in April 2022, as did the Oppenheim Group as a whole.
As for her inspiration for writing her memoir, Bonnet first confessed, “I’ve always thought about doing it,” she told Us Weekly.
“I wanted to give other people hope and make them realize that no matter what situation they’re in, whether it’s domestic violence or sexual assault, there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” she explained.
When asked about her former cast member and friend Christine Quinn, who left in 2022, Bonnet was not in favor of her returning to the show, which saw their friendship fracture over the years leading up to her departure from the show and company.
Bonnet published her memoir – Selling Sunshine: Surviving Teenage Motherhood, Thriving In Luxury Real Estate, and Finally Finding My Voice – on September 24.
So far, there has been no official word on whether Selling Sunset will be renewed beyond this new season eight, which debuted on September 6.
The reality star’s book, Selling Sunshine, had its official launch on Tuesday, September 24, prompting more promotional appearances.
She followed up with a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach on Wednesday, September 25, and another at Book Soup in West Hollywood on Thursday, September 26.
As for Selling Sunset, the show released its new full eighth season, which includes new cast member Alanna Whittaker, on the streaming platform Netflix consisting of 11 episodes.
As of now, there has been no official word on whether Selling Sunset will be renewed for a ninth season. However, the show’s popularity and its track record of two-season renewals make it likely that the show will return.