Cancer season is about one thing: where you come from. It’s about your family name and the inheritance baked into your bones before you ever had a say in it. Cancer rules the fourth house of lineage, legacy, and the home you were born into… the one you spend your whole life trying to make sense of. So, when Bravo scheduled the Season 2 premiere of Next Gen NYC for June 24th, right as the sun settles into Cancer, the sign of the mother archetype, the cosmos smirked and said, “obviously.”
Let’s be clear about what this show is. It follows young people in their twenties navigating life in New York City, most of whom were handed a head start the rest of us would need three lifetimes to earn. Not every cast member comes from the Housewives universe. The roster includes children of music moguls, models, and Manhattan fixtures, but as a Bravoaholic of almost two decades, my personal investment begins and ends with the descendants of the Real Housewives. Speaking of which, the Real Housewives of Orange County Season 20 premier is right around the corner and I will absolutely have plenty to say about that, so stay tuned.
For now, let’s talk about the mothers of the Next Gen NYC cast, because you can’t understand these kids without understanding the source material first.
Teresa Giudice, mother of Gia and star of Real Housewives of New Jersey, is a Taurus. Kandi Burruss, mother of Riley and star of Real Housewives of Atlanta, is also a Taurus. And Kim Zolciak, also of Real Housewives of Atlanta and mother of Ariana, is, you guessed it, a Taurus, too. Three cast mothers born within days of each other in mid-May, all the same sign of the bull, tells us everything we need to know. Taurus is fixed earth aka brand-obsessed, built to last, and constitutionally allergic to being told what to do. These women didn’t stumble into fame. They worked for it and refused to release it, and now their children have their own Bravo show. This is Taurus energy on a generational timeline, with a camera crew in tow.
Meredith Marks of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, mother of Brooks, breaks the pattern as a Sagittarius. She’s the one who rearranges her entire personality mid-conversation and somehow makes it look intentional. Sagittarius is the sign of the archer who shoots first and aims later. Cue in Meredith slurring with one-eye open: “The rumorsssss and the nassssstiness. You want me to go there with the husband? I can go there.” A Sagittarius threat is its own art form, and she masters it well.
And then there’s cast mother Brooke Shields, a Gemini. She’s not on Housewives, but hear me when I say, this woman is a cultural institution who’s been around for 60 literal years. She’s the mother of Next Gen NYC Season 2 newcomer Rowan Henchy. Brooke’s mother Teri was an actress/model who put her in front of cameras at eleven months old, and her father a prominent, well-known business executive. Brooke became a working child actress, a Calvin Klein model at fifteen, and a Princeton graduate somewhere in between. All while the entire world had opinions about her body and who she was allowed to be. Brooke Shields is the original nepo baby who outran the label by actually being talented, not just wealthy and privileged. Her daughter Rowan arriving on Next Gen NYC is so much more than a casting choice. It’s a cosmic full circle Cancer season moment.
Now, let me tell you what the stars have to say about the nepo babies of Next Gen.
Gia Giudice (January 8) is a Capricorn. She’s Teresa’s eldest and the one who held her entire family together at age 15 while her mother was incarcerated and her father was eventually deported. Capricorn is the sign of maturity that arrives well before it’s invited and speaks to responsibility that becomes your identity. At age 10, she performed her infamous sad song on RHONJ with the lyrics, “Wakin’ up in the morning, thinkin about so many things, I just wish it would get better.” This scene went viral years later, and Gia remarked that the public display of emotions will “haunt her for her whole life.” She’s stayed incredibly private about her relationships since then. This is pure Capricorn protective instinct colliding head on with a Taurus mother who built an entire brand on being loud and unfiltered. Gia watched her mother lose everything, and she spends her adult life making sure it never happens to her.
Brooks Marks (July 28) is a Leo who walked into his mother Meredith’s RHOSLC storylines and immediately became the most lovable person on screen, which is exactly what Leos do. They don’t audition for the spotlight because they simply assume it was always theirs to take. Brooks has been candid about the complicated side of working for his mother, describing their dynamic as tumultuous at times. A Leo can light up a room and still feel completely unseen by the one person whose approval matters most. That’s the special ache of being a fire sign raised by a Sagittarius who’s busy being the main character of her own story, too. Could this explain why Brooks is considerably shy for a Leo, and might we see him steal the entire plotline this season?
Riley Burruss (August 22) is also a Leo. Two Leos on the same cast is a masterclass in what happens when everyone needs to be the sun, but there’s only one sun. Her mother Kandi is a Taurus and a highly formidable force. Mama Burruss is Grammy-winning, Emmy-nominated, and famously strict about money. She publicly warns Riley about racking up charges on a credit card she pays for. Their mother-daughter dynamic is very often challenged by generational friction. And while Riley seemingly resents Kandi’s busy work schedule, she seems to be following her path into the spotlight regardless. The Leo daughter of a Taurus mother spends her life chasing applause from someone who finds applause a little excessive. This tension has carried multiple seasons of television, and will carry more.
Ariana Biermann (October 17) is a Libra. Her mother, Kim Zolciak, is a Taurus. Both are ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty and loving things that look expensive. Libra is the sign of the peacekeeper, which materializes as being the one who smooths things over and keeps everyone else comfortable, even when it costs them something. So, in typical Libra form, Ariana tends to take on more than her share emotionally and financially, particularly when her mother Kim is involved. She seemingly struggles with boundaries and we see her quietly carrying weight that never quite gets acknowledged. Even though both Ariana and Kim prioritize relationships, Venus shows up differently within each of them. One inherited the taste. The other inherited the responsibility.
Rowan Henchy (May 13) is a Taurus, Season 2’s newcomer, and the daughter of the iconic Brooke Shields. We the people are incredibly excited to welcome her into the Bravosphere. She walks into this cast carrying the same solar energy (Taurus) as three of the Housewives moms without a single Housewives credit to her name. This is instantly impressive and also makes me wonder if her presence might trigger unhealed mother wounds within the group. Her own mother, Brooke, is a multi-tasking Gemini who spent decades moving fluidly between modeling, acting, writing, education, and business without ever losing her fame. There’s something astrologically poetic about a Gemini mother producing a Taurus daughter. All that range and reinvention passed down to someone who would probably prefer to just plant her feet and stay exactly where she is.
Let it be known that Nepotism doesn’t live exclusively on reality TV. It shows up in every industry and even spaces that present themselves as a pure meritocracy. This includes spiritual communities, wellness businesses (hello, GOOP), and even the astrology world. Nepo babies can assemble podcasts, book deals, and a fully constructed media presence using family money and industry connections, all while announcing themselves as a self-made voice of wisdom. The audience is never supposed to notice, and oftentimes, we don’t! This begs the question: who actually gets to be an authority? Is it something that can be manufactured through inherited access and family connections, or does it have to be earned? As a third generation Capricorn moon whose cosmology comes directly from Mexica ancestors, whose success was born in the tears my abuelas cried into the dirt centuries ago, I have my own answer. I’ll let you decide yours while I digress.
What I wholeheartedly respect and love about the Next Gen NYC cast is that they’re not pretending. They’re not hiding their nepotism or where they came from. They’re proudly broadcasting it, every Wednesday night, on national television. They’re showing up in SoHo like, “Yes, my mother is a Bravolebrity, and guess what? So am I now. Put respect on my name.”
In a world full of gatekeeping and secret family connections, I applaud their transparency. Let’s give flowers to the nepo babies who own it! The only question is, will they use it for good? I can’t wait to find out.
Next Gen NYC Season 2 premieres Wednesday, June 24th at 9PM ET on Bravo, streaming the next day on Peacock.