A New York realtor went viral for saying homeless people seem “pretty comfortable.” The backlash was immediate

A New York realtor was stopped on the street for one of those TikTok interviews where real people talk about their real lives. This time, one pedestrian was being asked how much her rent was, to which she responded, “$8,000.” She was also asked the minimum amount someone would need to survive in New York, and her answer was called tasteless, unreal, or out of touch, depending on the user.

“I feel like the homeless people on the streets are pretty comfortable too, so like you don’t really have to make anything,” was her full answer. Which, in a vacuum, seems like probably the meanest thing someone could say when discussing the homelessness crisis — but the comments somehow topped her remarks.

She’s a niche celeberity

As it turns out, the person being asked the question is a niche celebrity in the realtor world. According to The Independent, her name is Jade Shenker, 30, and she is one of the stars of the Netflix reality TV show Owning Manhattan. So she’s probably more informed about New York’s property market than the average resident.

Still, when she was saying how much her rent was, she made it clear that it was her boyfriend who pays the entire amount. They live in the Financial District — so make of that what you will. As for how much Shenker makes herself, she said it depends on how big the deal she closes is. She said she makes anywhere between $70,000 and half a million dollars.

The comments were full of people unamused by how lightly she treated a real issue. Many compared her to Cassie from Euphoria — after all, the Emmys did nominate Sydney Sweeney for playing this exact kind of person that exists somewhere in America. One user added, “Every thought feels like a miracle.” She did get lukewarm support, with one user writing, “Went to her page before judging…she actually feeds the homeless without recording for recognition so she’s okay in my book.” But that didn’t win over too many people because another person added, “I would like to know less about her.”

Reportedly, more than 350,000 people, as of May 2026, were understood to be living in New York without homes. The NYC Department of Social Services conducted a survey almost immediately after Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the new mayor of the city and found that 4,991 people were living and sleeping on the city’s streets, in subways, and in parks during the height of winter. Which is not exactly “comfortable” by most standards.

All press is good press

However, the seldom-spoken rule in the media has always been, “All press is good press.” The number of celebrities who have built careers out of saying something controversial is too large to name. Chief among them are Kim Kardashian and her former husband, Kanye West, who built dynasties off the back of what most people would consider embarrassing moments.

If Shenker’s follower count increases from this little kerfuffle, then it would be a successful press interaction. That’s just the business of reality TV — whether we love it or hate it.