Bravo has mastered the art of creating attention-grabbing reality TV series that blur the line between its subjects’ personal and professional lives. From hit franchises like Real Housewives to Million Dollar Listing, Bravo has crafted enough spectacular reality television to necessitate its own convention, BravoCon. This level of success is due in part to the big personalities who make up the stars of these shows, such as one Luis D. Ortiz from Million Dollar Listing New York.
As a charismatic real estate broker based in New York City, Ortiz was a natural fit for the show. He joined the cast for seasons 2 to 5, before leaving and returning once more for season 8, a decision he likens to rekindling a relationship with a former flame. His return — to the show, and to real estate — was short, however, and he left once again after the end of the season. The show was cancelled shortly after its ninth season, making it unlikely for Ortiz to return to reality television in the near future. What has Ortiz been up to during his time away from the series and since?
Where is Luis D. Ortiz after leaving Million Dollar Listing New York?
When Ortiz left the show for the first time after its fifth season, he cited depression as the reason. He spoke with The Daily Dish at the time about his decision, saying he’d arrived at the realization that real estate wasn’t making him happy. “I choose happiness,” Ortiz told the publication before talking about wanting to explore film-making and travel through Europe. He went on to move to Paris for a stay before entering a relationship with Nikita Singh. The two had a daughter, Leela, in 2019, and the dissolution of their relationship led a self-professed heartbroken Ortiz to return to New York.
His daughter’s birth coincided with the eighth season of Million Dollar Listing New York, which may have played a role in his decision to leave the show a second time. After season 8 concluded, Ortiz moved to Puerto Rico with Singh and Leela before their relationship ended once more. Shortly after, Singh relocated to the U.K. with Leela. The couple did not end things on good terms and in 2021, Singh accused Ortiz of physical and emotional abuse, alleging he was an absent father. Ortiz denied the claims on an appearance on Good Day NY and stated he wanted to keep things private, saying, “This is my family and regardless of people wanting to know something about it, everybody has their own story and I think that always should stay between the people in it, regardless of celebrity and regardless of you being known.”
In 2022, Ortiz took to his Instagram to refute Singh’s claims in the wake of the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation case. In the now-deleted posts, Ortiz wrote Singh’s claims were “completely false,” and that he hoped to see his daughter again. Singh responded on her own Instagram, stating Ortiz was given multiple chances to see Leela provided he completed a mental health assessment. “Stop using the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp case as an excuse to be an absentee father,” she wrote via her Instagram stories.