Eleonora Srugo is the latest girl boss to enter the world of Netflix real estate shows. From the creators of Selling Sunset comes Selling the City, which follows Srugo and her team of high-earning agents at Douglas Elliman as they tackle the New York City real estate market all while navigating personal drama. Along with Srugo, agents Taylor Middleton, Abigail Godfrey, Gisselle Meneses-Núñez, and Jordyn Taylor Braff make for top-notch reality television — and their connections to A-list celebrities might just shock you.
In Episode 2, viewers learn that Braff dated comedian Trevor Noah years ago. She opens up about meeting Noah on Twitter before moving to New York City to be with him, joking that he would “steal” her material as she was the “funnier one in the relationship.”
“I reached out to Trevor to just give him a heads up beforehand,” Braff told DECIDER over a Zoom interview when asked whether she’d be hearing from her ex-boyfriend after the show dropped. “I wanted to kind of nip it in the bud a little bit.”
Braff and Meneses-Núñez also spar over a different celebrity client, who Godfrey outs as Michael B. Jordan. Meneses-Núñez reveals that she and the actor were in a “situationship” seven years ago, yet that doesn’t stop Braff from swooping in to nab him as her own client. As for whether they were able to secure his business, Braff said, “[We’re] still working on it.”
While the ladies didn’t get along at all times, Srugo was overall proud of how everyone on her team handled themselves in front of cameras. “I think they show the world how women can handle conflict in a really eloquent way,” she told DECIDER.
During our chat with Srugo and her team, they also discussed that wild season finale and where everyone currently stands with Jade Chan. Check out the full interview below.
DECIDER: Eleonora, you put this super great team together. What has been the hardest part of navigating your genuine friendships with everyone while also being their boss?
ELEONORA SRUGO: It’s so funny. I spent 10 years building my business and not really having interpersonal relationships with anyone, not men or women. And now I find myself here with this family, [a] girl gang. It was actually when I reemerged onto the social scene. It was harder to navigate friendships and relationships with women because I didn’t have the right women showing me how these girls here have shown me what it means to really build each other up and be a sisterhood and support each other and want everyone else to look good and share in the wealth and communicate.
Obviously, the group text is a lot, but I love it. I’ve learned to love it. And honestly, look, I could not be more proud. They were so exemplary on camera in their real estate scenes. They are really client focused. They were professional. I think they show the world how women can handle conflict in a really eloquent way.
Jordyn and Gisselle, on the show, you both talk about your past relationships and situationships with Trevor Noah and Michael B. Jordan, respectively. Were you ever nervous to drop their names in front of cameras? And do you think you’ll be hearing from them when the show premieres?
JORDYN TAYLOR BRAFF: We were very conscious to not drop the client’s name.
ELEONORA: Abi did.
GISSELLE MENESES-NÚÑEZ: Thanks, Abi.
JORDYN: I reached out to Trevor to just give him a heads up beforehand. I wanted to kind of nip it in the bud a little bit.
Jordyn, did you end up working with Michael B. Jordan as a client? Can you give us an update on that deal?
JORDYN: Still working on it.
Taylor, I give you so many props for sharing your story on the show. What gave you the strength to open up about your past and your marital struggles in front of a worldwide audience?
TAYLOR MIDDLETON: I’m quite open about being sober and being in recovery, and one thing I’ve learned from my fellows is that there’s such strength in sharing our vulnerability and our stories. What’s the point and what’s the power in where I am now in my career without also giving context to where I come from and the depths in which I really found myself? I think that if you zoom out, what you really see is that this is a very demanding, intense job that can really stress and have an impact on even the strongest of relationships. And you see that play out through a number of our stories, not just mine.
I think this first season had the craziest ending with everything that happened with Jade. Abi, can you say anything about what the next day at work looked like for everyone? Or just the next time you were all in the same room as Jade?
ELEONORA: It was crazier.
ABIGAIL GODFREY: Interesting. We are all on a team here, and we all work together every single day, night, day, 24/7. I don’t really work with Jade often. I’ve seen her in the office. We keep it cordial. We keep it professional. That’s all it needs to be.
Gisselle, you really got into it with Justin at one point. Where do you stand with him currently?
GISSELLE: Me and Justin, we are cordial and professional, like Abi said. We’re continuing to get to know each other. I did end up seeing Madison, so that was great. We’re on good terms. He did end up accommodating the preview, so we are on good terms. We’re just still getting to know each other, but everything is co-aesthetic.
Eleonora, we see some ups and downs with you and Jade this season. Where does your friendship stand currently, and what was your reaction to the final minutes of Season 1?
ELEONORA: My reaction to the final minutes…Jade was noticeably very upset, so I did what any person would do, which was get her things, get her a driver, and get her out of there. Where do we stand today? I think where we always have. I take Jade at face value. I know who she is. I’ve known her for a long enough time to understand that this is what I get. So I wasn’t surprised by anything. It’s exactly what I expected. Personally, it’s not how I define friendship, but it’s a relationship that I sort of just…we’re colleagues. We’re colleagues at Douglas Elliman, and we’re colleagues on this new venture now.
Taylor, we also see you and Eleonora hit a bit of a rough patch. What did it mean to you when she still came through and helped you out in the end?
TAYLOR: What did it mean to me? It meant everything. While Eleanora and I may have different communication styles sometimes, at the end of the day, what that moment really did for me was show me her heart and integrity. Working for her, it just reinforced that I am in the right place.
Question for everyone, out of your other three castmates – Jade, Steve and Justin – who would you want to recruit for your team and why?
GISSELLE: That’s an interesting question.
ELEONORA: Stay tuned, Justin might be close. Maybe, I don’t know. Like he said, he’s not above working for a team of women. Actually, Justin lied. He said he’s never done a deal with me. That’s not true. A girl on his team did a deal with me, he just doesn’t remember because he was never there. But he did do a deal with me, and I did just take over a listing that he was on. I came in and helped get it sold within two weeks or something. So Justin and I collaborate often, and I think that’s probably the most likely. I actually brought him into a land that I have in Midtown for sale, so he’s co-listing that with me. But I think the most pleasant and easiest person to work with would probably be Steve.
ABI: We can all probably agree who’s the least likely to join the team.
We are a site that celebrates all things streaming. Since it’s the holiday season, what Christmas or holiday movies are you guys streaming?
JORDYN: Ooh, I just finished the Sabrina Carpenter Nonsense Christmas special.
ABI: The Netflix Christmas specials are insane. Lindsay Lohan, Sabrina Carpenter.
JORDYN: So good.
ELEONORA: I saw the Lindsay Lohan one.
GISSELLE: Oh, the Lindsay Lohan movie! It was cute. It was really cute. I like that movie.
JORDYN: Best she’s ever looked.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Selling the City is currently streaming on Netflix.
