Kelly Bensimon is ready for viewers to see a different side of her.
Nearly 15 years after stepping away from The Real Housewives of New York City, Kelly is reuniting with Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan and Dorinda Medley for E!’s new series The Golden Life, and she says this chapter feels different.
“I’m on a really strong personal journey of finding myself and really reconnecting with myself,” Kelly told Us Weekly in its annual Reality Stars of the Year issue.
Kelly said filming The Golden Life allowed her to reconnect with the women in a way that felt meaningful and healing.
“I just connected with [the cast] on a different level, and it was really — it just made me feel so good spending time with them,” Kelly shared. “I’m walking away with great, great new friendships.”
The Golden Life follows the former RHONY women as they bring years of history, friendship, feuds and fun to Palm Beach, Florida.
For Kelly, returning to television felt natural after reconnecting with the women during The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Season 4.
“You know what brought me back is that we were just on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, and we had so much fun in St. Barts,” Kelly explained.
She added that filming in Palm Beach made the opportunity even more special because it is a place tied to her own past.
“Then the opportunity [came] for me to spend time with my friends in Palm Beach, a place I know and where I grew up when I was very young,” she said. “I was so excited to just really nurture friendships.”
Kelly also wanted to show more of who she is beyond the moments fans still quote from her RHONY days.
“I had just rented my apartment, sold an apartment that I was living in, packed up my entire life,” Kelly said of where she was emotionally while filming The Golden Life. “I broke up with a boyfriend.”
She continued, “I just literally was like, ‘If I’m going to do this, I’m going to just be with my friends and just be completely open and share so many things I’ve never shared before.’”
Kelly said she also wants to clear up some long-running misconceptions about her, including one tied to her infamous “I’m up here, you’re down there” comment from RHONY.
According to Kelly, viewers misunderstood what she meant.
“They think that ‘I’m up here, you’re down there,’ as if it is about finance or where you are in your social structure,” Kelly said. “It was really about, like, being childish or being an adult.”
She added, “Adults are up here and children are down there, clearly.”
Kelly said that interpretation bothered her because it does not reflect who she really is.
“I think that was a big misconception because I’m not like that,” she said. “I’m from Rockford, Illinois.”
Kelly explained that she moved to New York when she was 15 and has always had a deep respect for the city.
“I came here at 15 years old. So the way that I see New York, I have a lot of respect for New York,” she said. “I’m just not that person.”
Kelly added, “Anyone who knows me — if you ask any of [my] friends, they’re going to be like, ‘Kelly is the warmest person.’”
Another misconception Kelly wants to shut down is the idea that she is not smart.
While raising two daughters with ex-husband Gilles Bensimon, Kelly said she worked hard across several businesses while carrying major financial pressure.
“When you work in so many different businesses as I do, and I’m under a lot of pressure — financial pressure with my kids and my family for the past 15 years — I need an outlet,” Kelly explained.
Kelly said her playful side is often misunderstood.
“My outlet is being playful and fun and giddy,” she said. “Sometimes, people misconstrue that as me just being flighty.”
She made it clear, “I am definitely not flighty.”
Now, as she steps into The Golden Life, Kelly says she wants her reality TV legacy to feel lighter, warmer and more joyful than some of the drama that defined her earlier years on Bravo.
“I want my reality legacy to be playful and fun and charming and, like, life is so short,” Kelly said.
She added that she hopes viewers “really lean into enjoying their lives” the way she does.
For Kelly, The Golden Life is not just a return to reality TV.