Bravo Insider Exclusive!

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up for Free to View
The Daily Dish The Real Housewives of New York City

Jenna Lyons Recounts ‘One Of The Most Embarrassing Moments of My Entire Life’ With Ralph Fiennes

RHONY's Jenna Lyons is known for her on-point fashion, but it also led to a mortifying moment with famed actor who plays Voldemort.

By Jill Sederstrom

Everyone’s had an embarrassing moment, but most don’t play out in front of an A-List actor — unless you’re The Real Housewives of New York City’s Jenna Lyons

How to Watch

Watch The Real Housewives of New York City on Peacock and catch up on the Bravo app

During a bonding session on their girls trip to Anguilla, Jenna shared the humiliating moment she fell down the stairs at one of the Upper East Side’s most exclusive restaurants and landed at the feet of Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes with her fellow housemates.

According to Jenna, she had been out at a “super expensive” night spot that catered to “very, very wealthy” people. 

“All of them had Black Cards. I had never seen a Black Card,” she said of already feeling like a fish out of water.

But the embarrassment only grew when she fell after someone stepped on the back of her coat as she was walking down the very steep set of stairs leading to the bar’s entrance. 

RELATED: Here's How Jenna Lyons Met Her New Girlfriend: "It Was Laugh-y and Silly"

“I go head first like a rocket,” she recalled, adding that her silk dress made her shoot down the steps at “warp speed.”

“I slam into the wall and who — who picks me up?” she asked. “Literally, Ralph Fiennes reaches down, the guy from The English Patient.”  

Jenna said she was “so mortified.” 

 “Literally all of my stockings are thrashed all the way down, I have rug burn all the way down. And I’m like trying to stand up and just be cool and I’m like in — I want to cry so badly,” she said.  “It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my entire life.” 

Jenna Lyons at a Sergio Hudson fashion show and Ralph Fiennes at WWHL

It wouldn’t be the last time the two would cross paths. Jenna told producers she ran into Fiennes — who is also known for his roles in The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Constant Gardener and of course the villainous Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise — again years later. 

(Fiennes also gave an impressive reenactment of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Lisa Barlow's hot mic moment on an episode of Watch What Happens Live, a performance the Vida Tequila owner called "cool and crazy at the same time."

“I saw Ralph Finnes at a bar in a hotel in London, probably ten years later,” she said. “I don’t know if he remembers. I don’t think so.” 

Jenna wasn’t the only one to open up about a cringe-worthy moment. All six housewives shared their “most embarrassing” moments while at dinner on the Caribbean island, although some seemed a little more humiliating than others. 

Jessel Taank had a “frighteningly similar” story to Jenna’s although her fall from grace took place at a Cancun club during a spring break with friends. 

As she explained, she had been standing on the second level of the club’s grotto wearing only her underwear as an impromptu swimsuit when she spotted another group of girlfriends on the dance floor. 

RELATED: Jenna Lyons Defends Not Flying Coach for the RHONY Girls Trip

“I’m like leaning over and I’m like trying to get their attention, ‘guys, guys, guys.’ I slipped like (expletive) like head first into the second level of the grotto and my bra goes up like this,” she said, as she gestured to the top of her chest. “And my face is in the water, by the way.” 

She explained she was “basically topless in Cancun in the middle of this club” as everyone cheered. 

The story had Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva and Brynn Whitfield in hysterics. 

“It sounds really bad,” Erin said as she wiped away tears. 

Brynn opened up about an unfortunate placement of a tampon as a tween, while Ubah Hassan recalled the time she got attention from a guy at the club for all the wrong reasons (she was trailing a piece of toilet paper behind her from the bathroom). 

Sai’s embarrassing moment was also epically bad. 

Jenna Lyons smiling with sunglasses and a gold necklace in front of the ocean.

“I sh-t on myself before,” she said. “I was at a track meet and I was in high school and I had to go to the bathroom so bad, but I was out there and I was already waiting and the race was starting.” 

The moment she took off running she realized she wasn’t going to make it to the bathroom after all. 

But while most of the stories were horrifyingly embarrassing, Erin’s share didn’t offer the same level of vulnerability.

“The last time I was embarrassed I was on a flight with my kids and Elijah would not stop crying,” she said. “Is that terrible?” 

The rest of the housewives were not impressed. 

“That’s it? That’s all you have, Erin? My kids embarrass me on a plane? That’s everyone. That’s every mother in America, in the world,” Jessel would later say. “That’s not a fun story.” 

To find out what other shenanigans the women get up to during the trip, tune in to The Real Housewives of New York City Sundays on Bravo at 8/7c. Or catch it streaming on Peacock the next day.

Want the latest Bravo updates? Text us for breaking news and more!