The season finale, which aired January 21, finally revealed what caused the rift.
Hassan, for her part, has taken the time since filming ended in June to focus on herself.
Seeing it all over again, she says, has both given her fresh eyes and opened new wounds.
Photographed by Alex Dani; Makeup by Renee Garnes; Hair by Brenton Kane Diallo; Styled by Arnold Milfort
TW: Sexual assault.
When youre being real and theyre like, Don’t take it seriously.
This is just a show.
Photographed by Alex Dani; makeup by Renee Garnes; hair by Brenton Kane Diallo; styled by Arnold Milfort
I started to realize: They arent always being 100%.
I didnt get the memo.
I was on all the time.
Ubah Hassan with her castmates Jessel Taank and Sai De Silva
Heres an example: The first time we met, Brynn bought my hot sauce,Ubah Hot.
I said, Why did you buy it?
I have a hundred of them at home I could bring you.
Brynn Whitfield and Ubah Hassan at the season 15 reunion
Shes like, No, no, no, girl.
Learn how to receive.
Im trying to support you.
I said, Let me tell you something: Do not touch my product.
Im a woman who worked her ass off to be where I am.
This product has won awards.
I believe she has been producing since day one.
I didnt have bad intentions, I didnt gossip, and I didnt cause drama.
But this experience has taught me the value of silence and the strength in walking away.
Its been a difficult yet necessary lesson.
Often what viewers have witnessed are the moments when Ive been upset and raised my voice in frustration.
What they didnt see is the buildupthe complexities and emotions that led to that point.
With eight individuals on a 45-minute show, its impossible to capture every layer of the situation.
The context was that it felt like Brynn was pushing all of us to perform, especially me.
I said that out of frustration.
Brynn didnt give me this job.
Shes not a producer.
And even the producers dont tell me what to do or say.
I regret saying these words.
But heres the thing: I wouldve said them to anyone if they behaved the way she did.
It wasnt because Brynn is a sexual being or that I was trying to hurt her heart.
It was a heated moment that came after months of pressure to be something Im not.
From the start, it felt like Brynn had it out for me.
Shed make little jabswrapped in just enough kindness to seem harmlessthat would pile on.
It felt like she was determined to create a false narrative about me.
But with Brynn, after we fight, its almost like she thinks, We did good.
Racquel heard my explanation, but it wasnt shown.
That wouldve been accurate and fair.
Then there was the cancer comment that upset Erin.
I was speaking from deeply personal and painful experiences in my own life.
That comment stemmed from one of the most painful experiences in my life.
My mother was diagnosed with one of the most aggressive forms of leukemia.
The doctor told us on a Saturday that she had only 48 to 72 hours to live.
Her condition was deteriorating by the hour.
By Monday night, we lost her.
It was a devastating loss that has shaped who I am.
Her words felt careless and dismissive of my feelings, and they truly cut to my core.
At lunch I was shocked to learn Erin showed a nude photo of her husband.
I felt bad for him, and told him.
Erin got upsetshe called me disgusting and asked if I cared more about her husband than her.
Then she admitted to me shed texted Abe before calling him.
I asked, It if isnt a big deal, why warn him?
Looking back, I shouldnt have cared so muchI should have just walked away.
Its her marriage and her phone call.
Thats when Brynn said I shouldnt get involved in other peoples marriages.
In that argument, we both said stupid things.
Im not proud of either of us.
There are more regulations.
But I didnt take the high road.
I went back to my room, and eventually Erin and Sai came in and urged me to apologize.
I agreed, but as soon as I stepped outside, I saw Jenna [Lyons].
Her face looked like shed just gotten tragic news.
I wanted to ask what was wrong, but Sai urged me to focus on Brynn.
At first Brynn didnt want to come outside with me, but I begged her to.
I told her I would only apologize for what I said.
Im not going to apologize for something I didnt say.
It suited her story to paint me as the villain.
When she told me that Brynn had opened up about being sexually assaulted, I was shocked.
I said, Thats so awful.
Jessel looked at me in surprise and asked, Wait, you dont know?
I responded, Why would I know this?
Her face immediately changed to panic and confusion.
Then she told me that Brynn had told the girls this, and it was on camera.
When did we have this conversation?
Brynn said nothingshe just stared at me with a cold, blank look.
I kept asking her, but she stayed silent.
I went back in my brain like a computer just to cover everything.
That was never discussed.
I then went to Jenna and Raquel to tell them this wasnt true.
When I returned to the hallway, I was overwhelmed with angercursing out Brynn and still demanding answers.
As she remained silent, I started questioning reality.
I thought, Is this really happening?
I never want anyone to experience what Ive experiencedtrying to defend my character in the middle of such chaos.
I went to my room, shaking, and I started vomiting.
I was in total distress.
Thank God for Rebecca [Minkoff]she was so helpful to me.
It helped ground me.
I dont think I would have made it through without her and Jessel.
Brynn replied, Maybe she didnt clock it.
At the hotel, we spoke to Erin and Sai.
They said they were locked in Sais room, and were like, What happened?
Erin was like, You have no idea.
Im sleeping with Sai.
I said, In that tiny little bed?
Production needed to know.
And then we got a text back from Sai saying, Everythings good.
The truth is Im grateful she did that because thats when I realized who she was.
It wasnt that she spoke about my boyfriendhe was going to come up anyways.
Despite that, I didnt approach this season with negativity.
The snake you know is better than the one you dont.
This whole experience has been tough but valuable.
Its taught me that forgiveness and self-protection can coexist.
Ive spent years protecting the little girl inside me, and rebuilding this friendship would feel like a betrayal.
I approached this reunion with immense gratitude, especially for these brave women who stood together in truth.
I deeply appreciate Bravo for breaking the fourth wall, allowing more of that truth to shine through.
Without this transparency, my integrity might have continued to be unfairly questioned.
But today I stand in clarity, strength, and peace.
