REALITY TV NEWS'RHONY' Newbie Hailey Glassman Says Her Mom Pushed Her to Date Jon Gosselin: 'He's a Great Guy'
Hailey Glassman discussed how her mom encouraged her to date Jon Gosselin, calling him 'a great guy.'
Sept. 9 2026, Published 1:23 p.m. ET
Hailey Glassman said her mother played a role in her relationship with Jon Gosselin.
Per People, during the RHONY Season 16 premiere, the 39-year-old publicist spoke with housewife contestant Erin Lichy about her relationship with her mother and the choices she made while trying to keep her happy.
"I’ll give you an example: the reason I dated Jon is because he was my mom’s friend, and she was like, 'Oh, he’s a great guy,'" she recalled.
Hailey Glassman discussed her past relationship with Jon Gosselin and her complicated relationship with her mother.
Glassman reflected on the dynamic she shared with her mother.
"I love my mom so very much, but I’ve always wanted to appease her," she said.
She continued, "Like I was in charge of her well-being and her happiness, and I always had a lot of guilt if she was sad and depressed."
Hailey Glassman Addressed the Jon Gosselin Backlash
Hailey Glassman reflected on the media attention surrounding her relationship with Jon Gosselin.
Hailey and Jon became romantically involved in 2009, shortly after his split from Kate Gosselin.
The two first met after Hailey’s father performed a tummy tuck surgery on Kate.
Their relationship began after Kate temporarily moved into her parents’ New York City home.
"There was a show, Jon & Kate Plus Eight, and what the tabloids put out there is, I’m the girl who ruined that marriage," she said.
She added, "Mistress Hailey. Home-wrecking Hailey, The Mistress That Ruined a Family of 8. It wasn’t even true."
Per TV Guide, Hailey also defended and addressed the relationship during an E! News interview at the time.
"I’m not some fame w----," she told the outlet.
"I’m just a 22-year-old girl who got caught in the middle of all this," Hailey added.
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Hailey Opened Up About Her Mother
Hailey Glassman reflected on the strain in her relationship with her mother.
Hailey described what happened between her and her mother after the relationship.
"After the Jon thing, I wasn’t getting support from my mom, who, like, disappeared, so I kind of became a lone wolf," she said.
"It’s this friction that all mother-daughters have," she added.
Per People, ahead of the reality show's premiere, she told Bravo Insider that the experience also influenced her career in public relations.
"I fell into P.R. by being in the tabloids at a young age," Hailey said.
She continued, "I needed crisis management, so I got into P.R. to help people who couldn’t defend themselves and didn’t have a voice."
Hailey Glassman said she will open up about her personal life on 'RHONY' Season 16.
Hailey will be revealing details about her personal life on RHONY, including her "lavender marriage" to a businessman who chose not to appear on the show.
In a September 8 interview with E! News, she disclosed how they first met.
"We’ve known each other since he was 12 years old. We were neighbors in Martha’s Vineyard, and we met at sailing camp," she said.
