Scientology donor Rebecca Minkoff gets star turn as RHONY 15 begins

In an interview that showed up last week in Elle magazine, handbag designer Rebecca Minkoff admitted that she was taking the risk of joining the catfighting on Real Housewives of New York City’s 15th season because her business has been in the toilet since the pandemic hit.

Overnight, she said, revenue was down 70 percent, and what better way is there to prove that you’re still relevant in the world of fashion than to get on reality TV?

Last night, Minkoff made her debut as a “friend” to the housewives in the season’s first episode. Here’s how one of the many websites that chronicle the show described her appearance,,,

During a lunch with Erin Lichy and new “friend of” Rebeccca Minkoff, Ubah [Hassan] revealed that she and her boyfriend Oliver are exploring having a family. How cute! 

In tonight’s episode, we learned the friendship dynamics are quite different than last season. During lunch with Ubah and Rebecca, Erin revealed she had not spoken to Brynn [Whitfield] in a while. The rift between the two stemmed from Erin’s appearance on Jeff Lewis’s podcast.

Oh, the drama. Or rather, the lack of it, at least as far as Minkoff was concerned, as one wag on social media pointed out…

No doubt Minkoff will have a bigger role in later episodes. But even if her part in the premiere was muted, she took part in a round of new publicity to help promote the show.

Bravo’s own website provided gushing coverage of Minkoff…

Rebecca "is a best-selling author and powerhouse entrepreneur who has paved the way for many and is the co-founder of the Female Founder Collective," the website said in a piece explaining how she knows one of the regular cast members, Lichy, which is how she got her in with the show. “Rebecca is dedicated to creating the modern cultural and business narrative of togetherness and a shared success…She continues to push boundaries, lead the fashion industry, and galvanize communities of women by promoting confidence, fearlessness and authenticity. She is a loving wife and devoted mother of four.”

Not a word in that piece, at least, about Scientology.

And we are seeing other news organizations using words like, “Rebecca Minkoff’s ties to Scientology,” obviously being very careful.

There’s no reason for them to do this. Rebecca Minkoff is a major Scientology donor who grew up in the organization and has not been shy about making very public efforts on its behalf. And she’s also knee-deep with her quack doctor father, David Minkoff, who is being sued for once again being at least partly responsible for a horrifying Scientology death.

Here at the Bunker we’ve documented how Rebecca Minkoff has helped a Scientology front group that infiltrates New York City schools to spread the good news about Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and with the help of the clueless New York City Police Department. Minkoff’s work for this effort even included a very public stunt to open trading at NASDAQ.

We also showed that in 2019, Rebecca and her father David Minkoff were celebrated for making $5 million in donations to Scientology’s membership organization, the International Association of Scientologists, which leader David Miscavige uses as a slush fund to open his new “Ideal Org” projects, fund endless litigation, and carry out attacks on the church’s perceived enemies.

And it’s that connection with her father, a “physician” in Clearwater, Florida that is most troubling. David Minkoff lost his medical license for a year after he was implicated in the notorious 1995 death of Lisa McPherson. He had prescribed sedatives for her as she was being held in a cabana at the Fort Harrison Hotel, raving through a severe mental health crisis, and without his ever actually examining her in person. She died of dehydration after 17 days of the cruel and negligent treatment by Scientology handlers.

And now he’s being sued over the tragic suicide of Whitney Mills, a 40-year-old Clearwater real estate agent who was an OT 8 (Scientology’s top level) and who went to Minkoff for help with debilitating depression.

Rather than refer her to psychiatric care, Minkoff told Mills in text messages to “handle” her concerns with Scientology quackery. He also misdiagnosed her with things she didn’t have, including ovarian cancer and parasites.

Whitney’s mother, Leila Mills, is suing Scientology for negligence in a wrongful death lawsuit, and in September she added Minkoff and his LifeWorks Wellness Center in Clearwater as defendants. We’ve published devastating reports from experts that say Minkoff is responsible for Whitney’s death because he didn’t refer her to legitimate mental health care.

We think it would be worthwhile to hear from Rebecca Minkoff what she thinks about her quack father, the one she gave Scientology $5 million with, for being involved in another notorious Scientology death, or why she is helping to spread misinformation about drugs written by L. Ron Hubbard to New York City schoolkids, or how she justifies giving millions to David Miscavige to use to attack people like Leah Remini.

So far, however, she’s getting exactly the kind of fluffing from the entertainment press that she was hoping for — and that her business desperately needs.

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Special treat for our subscribers

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Geoff Levin has already knocked us out with his magnificent tunes “Deadbeat Dad,” which was inspired by something we had written about a certain Scientology celebrity, and then the clever tune, “I’m Brainwashed But I Can Still Rock!”

Well, now he’s back with another original song that was inspired by recent news events here at the Bunker.

If you’re reading the Bunker for free, we appreciate your participation, and we hope you will consider becoming one of our supporters who pay $7 a month for daily reporting on the Church of Scientology.

And today, at noon, you’ll receive a copy of Geoff’s amazing new track, “Hello, Doc!”

Just wait until you hear the lyrics!

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Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history

Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea

Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time

Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology

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