A New York City realtor who is featured on the Netflix reality show Owning Manhattan is under fire for a viral video in which she said unhoused people who live on the streets seem “pretty comfortable.”
Jade Shenker, 30, was stopped on the street for a TikTok video by Ohana NYC, a local platform for subletters, in which she was asked how much she paid for rent in a video posted Friday.
After explaining that she does not pay her rent because her boyfriend covers it, and estimating that it costs $8,000 each month, Shenker was asked her opinion on the minimum amount someone needs in order to live comfortably in New York City.
“I feel like the homeless people on the streets are pretty comfortable,” Shenker said with a smirk. “So you don’t have to make anything.”
More than 350,000 people were estimated to be without homes in New York City as of May 2026, according to the Coalition for the Homeless NYC in May 2026. In survey results released earlier this month, NYC’s Department of Social Services found that on the night of their Homeless Outreach Population Estimate Survey in January, an estimated 4,991 people were sleeping in the city’s streets, subways and parks.
Shenker, who did not comment further when approached by the Independent, was immediately met with criticism as the video went viral across social media, reaching more than 14 million views on TikTok.
“So out of touch,” one TikTok user wrote in the comments of the video.
“Even if this is a joke, it’s so unfunny I’m uncomfortable,” another wrote. A third person added, “actually terrifying how this isn’t a skit.”
One person on X criticized: “I don’t think people like this are stupid. I think they’re hollow. I think they are pretty well educated academically and they are pretty well informed. I think they are just so narcissistic + detached from the rest of society that they appear stupid to us.”
Another X user recognized Shenker from her reality TV appearances, writing: “Jade is someone who’s had everything handed right to her so I’m not surprised at the s*** coming out her mouth. She is a real estate agent though, go watch Owning Manhattan on Netflix.”
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Shenker has worked as a real estate agent at Serhant, the firm founded by multimillionaire broker Ryan Serhant, since July 2021. Serhant did not provide comment on Shenker’s recent remarks.
The firm is featured on the Netflix show Owning Manhattan, as well as the Bravo series Million Dollar Listing. Shenker has starred in Owning Manhattan since the show’s debut on Netflix in June 2024. The show’s second season dropped in December 2025. Netflix has not confirmed the show’s renewal for a third season.
According to Serhant’s website, Shenker was born and raised in a family of real estate developers and has overseen around $1 billion dollars in assets throughout her career.
