Members Only: Palm Beach star Taja Abitbol is spilling the tea Netflix’s latest reality TV hit.
“Jill [Zarin] tried to weasel her way onto my show behind my back. We don’t even talk anymore because of that,” Taja claimed while speaking exclusively to Us Weekly earlier this month. “You know what she could have said? ‘Hey Taja, you know, would love to be on your show.’ I mean, it’s not my show, it’s [producer] Johnny [Gould’s] show. But why would you try and do that behind my back? Why didn’t you discuss it with me? I would never do that.”
Jill was an original cast member of The Real Housewives of New York City. While she still has property in the Big Apple, the former Bravo star now primarily lives near Boca Raton, Florida.
While some fans have wondered if any Real Housewives of New York City stars could join Members Only: Palm Beach — Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan and Bethenny Frankel also have homes in Florida — Taja doesn’t think relying on OG reality TV housewives is necessary.
“We don’t need Ramona, Jill,” Taja told Us. “They’ve already been there, done that. Bye-bye. Next. They’re done, has beens, over. Nobody wants to see more of that. They’ve had their time, and they don’t need to be with us. None of them.”
In response to Taja’s comments, Jill — who is close friends with Members Only: Palm Beach star Hilary Musser — responded to Us while attending the ARTS Awards in Dallas, where her rug line was nominated for Best Rug Manufacturer of the Year once again.
“If Taja is going to try to pull the rug out from under me with lies, it better be a Jill Zarin rug, preferably from the outdoor collection,” she joked. “Taja met Hilary at my house last year, not longtime friends as she said on the show. They were strangers and I put that together. The producer of her show came to my house to ask me if I would even be interested in being on the show. After careful consideration, we felt it wouldn’t be the right fit as I am already an established reality star for almost 20 years and they really wanted the cast to be new faces.”
Jill Zarin Mireya Acierto/Getty Images for amfAR
According to Jill, she has “multiple texts to back up” her claims.
She added, “There is no animosity between [Taja and me], so I’m not sure where this is coming from.”
Season 1 of Members Only: Palm Beach was filmed within the exclusive enclaves of Palm Beach County. Cameras followed a group of women navigating the unspoken rules, inherited traditions and high-stakes hierarchies of Palm Beach.
In a recent episode, Taja — founder of Taja Drip IV Therapy — was able to spend time with close friend and Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice.
While Taja believes Members Only: Palm Beach is a different vibe from the Real Housewives franchise, she is grateful for the support of Teresa and other Bravo stars.
“I know Dolores [Catania], I know Margaret [Josephs]. I know them all because I lived in New York, and I was part of the charity world for a very, very long time,” Taja said. “Margaret said, ‘Taja, I want to congratulate you on the show. I think it’s great. You did a great job, and it is what Housewives should be. We are too much drama. You guys did it right.’ How do you like that?”
Members Only: Palm Beach is streaming now on Netflix.
