Selling Sunset’s Mary Bonnet reveals why she almost quit show and names former cast member she doesn’t think should return

Mary Bonnet is dishing about her time both 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 just dropped one day earlier.

And with the memoir comes a number of revelations about her time starring on the Netflix series Selling Sunset over the course of its eight-season run that began with its series premiere in March 2019. 

In a new interview on The Pop Report podcast, Bonnet revealed why and when she almost quit the show, and the one former cast mate that she doesn’t think should be back on the show. 

‘After, I think it was season six, after Palm Springs, I actually called [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, “It’s going to change our life. And that means you’re probably not going to be on it either and stuff too,”‘ she added. ‘So I just want to talk this through because I really don’t think this is good for my mental health because I was on hormones and stuff.’

Bonnet’s hormones were raging at the time due to the embryo freezing process she had been going through at the time.

As a result, the tears were readily flowing when she and some of the ladies were out on the town pulling into a club.

‘With the book, people will realize what I was crying about actually, because it looked like it was because I couldn’t deal with the girls and I cannot handle it,’ she revealed about the incident.

‘It was because we were going to this club. And I was like, “No, I, I’m not doing that because I don’t go to clubs without my husband there to protect me because of the sexual assault. And it just brought up a lot of the traumatic feelings,’ she said, in a reference to her rape.

Bonnet writes of being drugged and raped after moving to Los Angles by someone she referred to as ‘Joe’ in the book, according to Us Weekly.  

Selling Sunset revolves around the Oppenheim Group, a high-end real estate brokerage firm in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas that’s led by the firm’s president and founder, Jason Oppenheim.

Bonnet serves as both a real estate agent and vice president at The Oppenheim Group has been starring on the Netflix reality series since its debut in 2019 for the past eight seasons.

In fact, Bonnet (born Mary Catherine Fitzgerald), 44, is among just four people who have been with the show all eight seasons that also includes Jason Oppenheim, Brett Oppenheim, and Chrishell Stause.

‘After, I think it was season six, after Palm Springs, I actually called [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, “It’s going to change our life. And that means you’re probably not going to be on it either and stuff too,”‘ Bonnet added on the podcast. ‘So I just want to talk this through because I really don’t think this is good for my mental health because I was on 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 that’s led by the firm’s president and founder, Jason Oppenheim

The Brandon, South Dakota native would also weigh-in on the idea of having Christine Quinn return to the show, and if that’s something she’s be in favor of doing at this point in the show.

‘No. We have plenty of people that start the drama,’ she stated 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, like, I will always care about her, but it just made it so toxic,’ Bonnet continued. ‘And it wasn’t just on camera, it was behind the scenes too with so many cast members. And it was just a very, very toxic environment. And it broke my heart because I will always love her and care about her. That was not healthy for anybody.’ 

While Bonnet and Quinn looked to be very good friends when the series premiered in 2019, their friendship seemed to more distant  as the seasons went on. 

Ultimately, Quinn departed the Netflix reality show in April 2022, as well as the Oppenheim Group as a whole.

As for her inspiration to writing her memoir, Bonnet first confessed: ‘I’ve always kind of thought about doing it, to Us Weekly. 

‘I wanted to give other people hope and make them realize whatever the situation is that 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 no in favor of her returning to the show, which saw their friendship fracture over the years leading to her departure from the show and company

Bonnet released her memoir – Selling Sunshine: Surviving Teenage Motherhood, Thriving In Luxury Real Estate, and Finally Finding My Voice – on September 24

So far, there hasn’t been an 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 released on Tuesday, September 24, which led to more promotional appearances.

She followed up with a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach on Wednesday September 25, and another would follow at the Book Soup in West Hollywood on Thursday, September 26.

As for Selling Sunset, the show dropped its entire new eighth season, which includes new cast member Alanna Whittaker, on the Netflix streaming platform that consists of 11 episodes.

So far, there’s been no been no official word on whether Selling Sunset will be renewed for a ninth season. However, the show’s popularity and history of two-season renewals make it likely that the show will return