Whitney Rose Opens Up About Six-Figure “Devastating Loss” in Beauty Business

Whitney Rose, star of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, isn’t afraid to be honest about her life, both on and off the camera. Since the show debuted in November 2020, Rose, 39, has shared her successes and struggles with Bravo viewers.

In an interview with Us Weekly for their Reality Stars of the Year issue, Rose revealed a major setback she experienced with her beauty business. She explained that she merged her skincare company, Wild Rose Beauty, into another venture with her husband, Justin. Initially, the partnership showed great promise, but things didn’t go as planned.

“We had massive success in the beginning, and some things transpired that I can’t talk about legally, but I decided to resign as CEO in November of 2024 after launching in June of 2024. It was really hard, because I merged my beauty brand into it, so I had to close the doors on that and fight for my brand back,” she said. Rose estimates she lost six figures, though less than half a million dollars.

“Luckily, I was able to see the writing on the wall quick enough and pump the brakes and stop the bleeding,” she added. “What was the true loss was that we had massive success, and I thought I finally did it. I finally hit the jackpot of why I’ve built this brand and built this business. For it to not be that and to lose six figures is devastating.”

Despite the financial blow, Rose remains committed to being open about her experiences on reality TV.

She explained her philosophy to Us Weekly: “I’ve always been real. I’m gonna keep it real so I’m gonna own it out the gates, because I want to tell the truth and I want to control my story. I don’t want people to make up their own version of it.”

Rose also shared how she has been balancing the public side of her life with her personal healing journey.

She has worked through childhood trauma, family estrangements, and emotional struggles with therapy, which have sometimes made filming the show difficult. She recalled a particularly hard moment during season 3, when she had a heated argument with castmate Heather Gay, who is also her third cousin.

“I really dislike watching when Heather and I fight in lingerie in Arizona. That was so hard. I was so intoxicated. I was so emotional. I just shared with the group that I was processing some trauma from my childhood, and my best friend and I got into a fight, and that was terrifying,” Rose said.

At one point, Rose even considered quitting the show due to the stress and personal challenges, but she stayed for her family and encouragement from her castmates. “Lisa was actually the one who convinced me that I can do this,” she said.

Now, as season 6 continues, Rose is proud to be sharing her truth, even when it’s difficult. “I’m really proud of myself for just opening the doors and being authentic and real and honest about how hard it is really to overcome a failure in business,” she said.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo, with past episodes available for streaming on Peacock.

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