Hannah Berner Says Bravo Firing Changed Her Life for the Better

Sometimes a career setback opens a much bigger door.

Former “Summer House” star Hannah Berner is looking back on her 2021 exit from Bravo and says getting fired ultimately helped launch the career she has today.

During the June 8 episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, Hannah revealed that she was fired from both “Summer House” and Bravo’s late-night talk show “Chat Room” after her three-season run on the network.

At the time of her departure, Hannah publicly stated that she was leaving to pursue new opportunities. But on the podcast, she shared a different version of events.

“I was fired from [Summer House] and [Bravo’s Chat Room],” Hannah said.

Hannah Berner Turned Bravo Exit Into Netflix Success

According to Hannah, producers felt she no longer fit into the group dynamic that reality television often requires.

“It was a matter of, ‘You need everyone to be friends,’” she told Shepard. “Not everyone was getting along … I was gonna be the one kiboshed.”

She added, “I just say, getting fired [equals] star power. Getting fired, they were like, ‘You’re too much for reality TV.’”

Rather than dwell on the setback, Hannah said the experience fueled her determination to succeed in standup comedy.

“I remember thinking, ‘Now I need to get a Netflix special,’” she said. “I got such a chip on my shoulder. ’Cause you have to be crazy to [do] standup every night. You have to have some kind of addict mentality.”

That motivation appears to have paid off. Since leaving Bravo, Hannah has released two Netflix comedy specials and expanded her audience well beyond the reality television world.

She also made it clear she focused her energy on moving forward rather than looking back.

“Also, no one in reality TV gets a Netflix special. So I was like, ‘Let’s (expletive) go,’” she said. “I never put any of my energy towards hurting anyone. I literally was like, ‘And now we’re moving on.’”

Today, Hannah continues to build her comedy career while co-hosting the wildly successful “Giggly Squad” podcast with fellow former “Summer House” star Paige DeSorbo.

Looking back, what initially seemed like a major career disappointment may have ended up being the push she needed. Nearly four years after leaving Bravo, Hannah has built a successful standup career, landed multiple Netflix specials and grown “Giggly Squad” into one of the most popular podcasts in the entertainment space.

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About Perry Carpenter

Perry Carpenter has been covering entertainment news for more than 20 years — and yes, she absolutely has opinions about the latest Bravo casting shake-ups. Throughout her career, she has specialized in celebrity news and television, with a particular obsession for all things Bravo, "The Challenge," "Outlander," of course, Travis & Taylor, and the ever-expanding Taylor Sheridan universe. A member of the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors, Perry has built a storied freelance career covering pop culture's biggest moments and smallest Easter eggs. Her work has appeared in Showbiz Cheatsheet, Daily Express, Radar Online, and on her Muck Rack profile.