Jenna Lyons recently opened up about being forced to come out of the closet even though she wasn’t ready.

On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, the Real Housewives of New York City reboot star got candid with the co-hosts of The View about being outed back in 2011 while dealing with her divorce from her now ex-husband Vincent Mazeau.

And it was all thanks to a story published in the New York Post. “I was so overwhelmed with everything that was happening in my life that I just said yes,” she recalled the moment she was asked to confirm her sexuality.

Lyons revealed that being publicly outed like that was traumatic for her as she hadn’t even disclosed her sexuality to her friends and family. She said, “It was so hard, and I think, you know, I hadn’t really been in the public eye that much, it was all still new for me.”

“And I didn’t expect anyone to care what I was doing in my personal life, and all of a sudden, everyone cared. And it was shocking to me. I was also not sure what the hell I was doing. It was all so new. I mean, I wasn’t [officially out] in any way.”

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A post shared by J E N N A LYONS (@jennalyonsnyc)

“But I remember … the Post was calling our PR team, and they said, ‘Listen, can you get on the phone, we’re going to run this story, would you like to confirm or deny?’ I just said, ‘Confirm,’ and it was like an out-of-body experience,” Lyons added.

That said, the fashion icon has since embraced her sexuality as an openly lesbian. Furthermore, she is now proud to be regarded as a role model by many youngsters within the LGBTQ community.

Is Jenna Lyons dating a girlfriend now?

As a fashion icon, Lyons is always in the spotlight. But her addition to the cast of the Real Housewives of New York City reboot has led more people to talk about her, including her personal life. So, is she dating someone? Does she have a partner now?

And the answer to that question is affirmative. Lyons is currently in a romantic relationship with Cass Bird. Bird is a renowned artist and photographer currently based in New York City.

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A post shared by Cass Bird (@cassblackbird)

Coming over to their relationship, it’s currently unknown when and where they met together and how long they have been dating. However, in June 2023, Lyons did an interview with the New York Times, which gave a small insight into the couple’s togetherness.

The outlet mentioned that Lyons had an update on her love life in April 2023: she had a “massive crush on someone else.” And when the article was published, she confirmed that she was now dating her massive crush, who was none other than Bird.

Besides that, there is no other information on the love birds, and they are yet to make any public appearances or make their relationship Instagram official. So, fans of the reality star and photographer will have to wait to see the two together, in one form or another.

Returning to Bird, she has had a successful career. She has exhibited worldwide and worked for commercial clients and publications like Rolling Stone and The New York Times Magazine. She is also a director and has worked on many projects.

As for Bird’s dating life before Lyons, the 49-year-old was previously in a marital relationship with bookings agent Ali Bird. During their relationship, the now-former duo welcomed two children, Leo and Mae.

A brief look into Jenna Lyons’ dating history

Before Lyons was outed, aka before she came out as queer, she was in a marital relationship with her now-former husband Vincent Mazeau, an artist. The two shared their wedding vows in 2002 and were legally married until 2011.

While they were married, the couple welcomed a child, a son named Beckett Lyons Mazeau. Beckett – Lyons and Vincent’s only child – was born on October 3, 2006. 

Fast forward to 2011, Lyons and Vincent were reportedly experiencing problems in their marriage. And it was at that time Lyons started to seek comfort and confided in her friend Courtney Crangi, who would ultimately become her romantic partner in the later years.

Jenna Lyons with her ex-girlfriend Courtney Crangi (Photo: Twitter)

And before Lyons could get a hold of her life and sexuality, she was outed by an article published in The New York Post, which led to the end of her marriage with Vincent. As of now, the formerly married couple co-parent their only child.

The end of Lyons’ marriage became a way for her to start a new relationship with Crangi officially. Unfortunately, their togetherness also ran its course after six years, when the New York Times‘ T Magazine reported that Lyons and Crangi broke up in December 2017.