Realtor Jonathan Nørmølle quickly stood out among others on Ryan Serhant’s new reality TV show Owning Manhattan. For many viewers and colleagues, he was dubbed the show’s villain, which didn’t sit well with CEO and real estate mogul Ryan Serhant. The 8-episode first season of Owning Manhattan received mixed reviews from critics and audiences.
Owning Manhattan is Netflix’s new realtor reality TV show featuring Ryan Serhant. The famous realtor returns to lead a team of realtors to make his company, SERHANT, the best in New York by closing the most expensive deals. However, in the season’s finale, Ryan Serhant fired Jonathan Nørmølle on the roof deck of Manhattan’s The Edge at Hudson Yards.
Jonathan Nørmølle on Owning Manhattan
Jonathan Nørmølle was one of 12 realtors featured on Owning Manhattan season 1. He joined SERHANT on a one-year contract before the show began filming. While there’s no doubt Nørmølle is an excellent realtor; his attitude got the best of him on Owning Manhattan. At several points during the show, Nørmølle was rude to colleagues. He considered himself a representation of the new generation of realtors. While nothing was wrong with this, how he went about it rubbed off negatively on his teammates. For what’s worth, he created most of the drama in season 1.
Why Jonathan Nørmølle Was Fired On Owning Manhattan
Ryan Serhant fired Jonathan Nørmølle for several reasons, which, in the end, were justifiable. While in the company’s studio and in a podcast, Nørmølle badmouthed his co-agent, Savannah Gowarty, calling into question her abilities and credibilities as a real estate agent. After he’s told to tender an apology, he reluctantly offers one while still trying to make Gowarty feel less worthy of being a real estate agent. On another occasion, Jonathan Nørmølle is rude to Kayla Lee and her client. He showed up late to the Green Street showing with no client/buyer. Rather than stay in the background, he caused a scene by being rude to the listing agent.
Although these had already set a precedent, the straw that finally broke the camel’s back was causing the company to lose money. He jokingly tells off a potential client looking to close a $10 million deal. At that point, Nørmølle’s excesses had become too much to bear. In a post-Owning Manhattan interview, Serhant revealed he has a “one-strike policy for toxicity and negativity” that ensures no bad apples at the company. Taking him up to the top of The Edge skyscraper, Serhant fired Jonathan Nørmølle while the camera was rolling. A visibly upset Nørmølle stormed off, ripping his microphone off.
Ryan Serhant stated, “You made your mistake with Savannah and the stupid podcast and using company resources, you have ego issues, and you rub some people the wrong way, but even through all of that, I still told everybody: “I still believe in Jonathan.” I stuck through all this bulls**t with you, and I’ve been the one to say, ‘Jonathan will make everyone proud; just you wait.’” While Nørmølle tried defending himself, Serhant quickly added, “Here’s the deal, I think you’re going to have a huge career; it’s just not gonna be here.”
Jonathan Nørmølle Claims He Planned It All
While reality television has come under criticism for being inauthentic, Jonathan Nørmølle admitted he orchestrated events that led to being fired. According to the realtor, he wanted to leave SERHANT to start his own company but was bound by a contract. He envisaged the only way to have the contract voided was to have CEO Ryan Serhant fire him. In an exclusive reveal to DailyMail, Nørmølle stated, “I had a plan because I was under contract with Ryan and all the sponsorships. The only way I could get out of those contracts was if I got Ryan mad enough for him to fire me.”
Jonathan Nørmølle added, “And the only way I could do that is by saying all these things like ‘Ryan had done nothing when he was my age, whereas I have been on Forbes under 30… I went in on Ryan with all these things and he got upset enough to fire me on TV – and instantly these contracts were completely void.” Jonathan Nørmølle also claimed he never auditioned for Owning Manhattan and was asked three times by Serhant before he agreed to join. He also said Serhant contacted him a few times after filming the show.
Whichever the case, with the season filmed last year, Jonathan Nørmølle has moved on from SERHANT. According to his LinkedIn profile, he started his own company, NextGen, in October 2023. He also works as a sales and marketing specialist at Highline Residential, a real estate venture in partnership with his company. After reading this, check out this Palm Beach Gardens officer who was fired after his shocking wrongful arrest of an innocent man.
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