Credit: Cindy Ord/Bravo
Sources have shared details about Brynn Whitfield’s upbringing after the Real Housewives of New York star alluded to childhood difficulties.
On the show, Brynn stated she lived with her parents until she was six months old. She was eventually taken in by Darlene Heslin, her maternal grandmother. In one scene, the star claimed her parents “got into some trouble,” and she alleged it was “my dad doing all that stuff — and the bad stuff.”
According to The U.S. Sun, court documents showed what Brynn was discussing.
The outlet claimed Brynn’s dad Alton went in and out of jail throughout the late 1970s through the mid-1990s, and he was charged with retail fraud, burglary, theft, possession of a controlled substance, and writing checks without enough funds.
Alton passed away in 2003, and his obituary declared that the 51-year-old “had some struggles early in his life,” but he later “turned his life around.”
Brynn’s mom Jill Marie Mitchell reportedly had similar issues with the law during their daughter’s childhood, and the now-58-year-old was previously in prison.
A Michigan Department of Corrections spokesperson said she was placed in prison in June 1987 before going into a community corrections center, and she later returned to jail in November 1988. After living in a community corrections center in 1989, she was on parole in 1990 and discharged two years later.
Her previous charges allegedly were credit card violation, writing checks without enough funds, and fraud theft/false pretenses.
One of Brynn’s relatives anonymously told the outlet, “Her mother was young and just couldn’t handle [parenting] at the time and wasn’t able to give Brynn the life that you should give a child… The circumstances were not good.”
“I know Jill always loved Brynn, it was just her lifestyle. She just didn’t take care of her properly,” the source went on. “I mean, there maybe was a shortage of food at times. It got to the point where something had to be done.”
The source alleged Brynn’s mom, who then worked as an apartment complex manager, “hardly ever saw” Brynn after Darlene took her in. The relative said Jill began a new life, split up with Alton after the boyfriend “kicked her to the curb,” and eventually married a different man.
According to the relative, Jill has four kids with her current husband, though Brynn isn’t close to the half-siblings.
“As far as I know, Jill’s doing all right,” said the source. “She hasn’t gotten into any more trouble or anything, but the time that elapsed between being with the children [and in prison], it was just too much.”
“I think Jill did try to communicate with [the kids], but it just never worked out. They were separated for too long,” the source added. “[Brynn and her siblings] already established themselves with [Darlene] and she sent them to good schools, and they had a decent life. They had a good life … Brynn was very close to her grandmother. They communicated by phone. And she loved her very much.”
In March 2021, Brynn’s grandmother passed away at 81, per her obituary. The insider believes Brynn’s brother Daris is living in South Korea as an English teacher, and their sister resides in Michigan.
“Brynn was always sweet. She was always a sweet girl. Very likable, very personable, very well-spoken,” said the relative. “Brynn just enjoyed being free and doing her own thing.”
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