Daisy Toye’s NYC Rent Leaves the RHONY Ladies Stunned After Jessel Taank’s Popcorn Ceiling Comment

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“The Real Housewives of New York City” season 16 introduced fans to a few new ladies of the Big Apple, including Daisy Toye, Sai De Silva’s long-time friend and celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Martha Stewart. And, yes, Stewart casually makes an appearance on the show, visiting Toye’s two-bedroom Battery Park City apartment like it’s no big deal.

In fact, there’s been a lot of chatter about Toye’s NYC dwelling, particularly after her co-star Jessel Taank made the less-than-flattering comments about its outdated popcorn ceiling. However, fans soon learn that Toye and her husband have a very good reason for staying put rather than moving into a multi-million-dollar townhouse like some of her fellow co-stars.

RHONY’s Daisy Toye Reveals Shockingly Low NYC Rent After Jessel Taank’s Popcorn Ceiling Comment

The discussion surrounding Daisy Toye’s popcorn ceilings is brought up again on the Tuesday, September 29 episode of “The Real Housewives of New York City.” In a clip shared by Bravo, the women all sit down for Passover when Toye’s apartment is the topic of conversation, as she finds herself getting into an argument with her close friend, Sai De Silva.

“Should we fix the popcorn ceilings?” Newcomer Erika Hammond states, adding, “Should we go in and [expletive] scrape them and fix them?” As Toye tells Hammond, “No, no,” Jessel Taank asks, “Does everyone have popcorn ceilings in the building?”

Toye informs the ladies that “nobody” but her and her husband, Eugene Toye, has popcorn ceilings in their building because they’ve “been there for 25 years.” In fact, she then shocks them when she admits she only pays “$300 in rent.”

At the table, Carole Radziwill admits, “That’s the dream to have a rent-stabilized apartment,” and in a confessional, Erin Lichy breaks down why her rent-controlled apartment (there’s a difference between rent-controlled and rent-stabilized) is a major win in NYC. “New York City real estate is insanely expensive. A rent-controlled apartment means your rent has to stay the same. So let’s say in 1985 you got an apartment for $1,000 a month, it would still be $1,000 now. So having this is the most coveted thing you could have. You just don’t give that up. I would trade [my husband] for a rent controlled apartment.”

But a small argument breaks out between Toye and De Silva, with the latter pointing out she would “love” to live in a rent-controlled apartment, but Toye disagrees after De Silva recently moved from Brooklyn to a more luxurious space in Manhattan. In a confessional, Toye points out, “I’m nobody to talk about how to spend your money, but her rent is, like, $25,000. I mean, what’s happening in your marriage? You don’t know where you’re going to be in the next six months. [Expletive] changing, and it’s changing quickly.”

Toye Shares Why Living in Her Rent-Controlled Apartment Is Like ‘Winning the Lottery in New York City’

Fans first got a look at Toye and her husband’s Battery Park City apartment on the premiere episode of RHONY, when Martha Stewart visited Toye to do her makeup. While walking around the small space, Stewart pointed out Toye’s store-bought pie and wasn’t fond of how Toye hung her pots and pans on the wall, telling her there was “so much to do in here.”

“The first time Martha came to my house, I was so nervous. ‘Oh my god, it’s not nice enough.’ But like, now? I don’t care,” Toye said. “Like, I live in a little two-bedroom apartment with popcorn ceilings. I don’t care. She loves it.”

But for true New Yorkers, living in a rent-controlled apartment is a luxury. As Toye put it, “This is winning the lottery in New York City.” Toye explained that her husband had lived in the same apartment for over 20 years.

It’s a rarity to find a rent-controlled apartment in the Big Apple. As Realtor.com states, “To qualify for rent-controlled status, the building has to have been built before 1947 and the same family has to have lived in an apartment in that building since 1971. Yes, these apartments can be passed down to children or other family members, but that’s it—no friends or subletters allowed.”