- Emma Hernan from "Selling Sunset" teases the upcoming sixth season will be its "best season yet."
- The successful realtor also runs her own food company and has invested in 10 startups.
Emma Hernan was out walking with her parents along the streets of Los Angeles several years ago mulling over a tough decision. She'd been asked to join Netflix's popular reality TV show "Selling Sunset" as one of its newest realtors.
But was she ready to let cameras into her life?
"I was not going to do the show, and I was hearing a lot of different, you know, mixed reviews from people in my life whether I should or shouldn't do it, because I am a very private person," Hernan told Insider.
"Both of my parents looked at me, and they said, 'Emma, give it a shot,'" she continued. "You've always been such a good person. This is your chance to inspire other people. When my parents both said that at the same time, that's when the decision was made in my mind, and shortly after that, an email was sent out on that end."
Three drama-filled seasons later, Hernan is still glad she took the plunge. Since joining the reality TV show in 2021, which chronicles the glamorous personal and professional lives of LA real-estate agents at the Oppenheim Group, the realtor, entrepreneur, and startup investor has seen her visibility as a public figure soar, helping Hernan land more clients and listings, for instance.
"The show's been so huge for me," she acknowledged. "It's given me a platform that I'm able to honestly go out there and inspire young girls to put their mind to whatever their dream is and never give up."
Season six, which debuts on Netflix on May 19, promises to be the show's "best season yet," said Hernan, who added it's "so so much more dynamic" with "so many different storylines."
Indeed, based on the trailer, the season delivers even more lavish homes, high-end fashion, and melodrama, thanks in part to the addition of two new castmates: Bre Tiesi and Nicole Young.
Longtime castmate Christine Quinn is missing this time around, which isn't exactly a surprise if you've followed the show.
During season four, Hernan and Quinn had some beef over an ex they both dated. (Long story, short: Quinn appeared to make a lot of something out of nothing.) And while Quinn has previously said she left the show and the Oppenheim Group to focus on another venture, there was also the matter of Quinn allegedly bribing one of Hernan's clients with $5,000 in exchange for not working with Hernan.
When asked about Quinn's departure from the show prior to season six, Hernan demurred.
"For me, it's just one of those things," she explained. "I'm a super positive person. I love to surround myself with strong empowering women that support each other."
"Not everyone is shining with empowerment, but it's nice to be surrounded by you know, women that are a little bit more empowering and, you know, want others to succeed," she added.
Hernan is certainly succeeding, but not without a little help. Hernan puts in long hours, although she also receives support from other members of the Oppenheim Group.
She also admitted that she invests "well into the six-figure range" on hair and makeup to look her best for each season of "Selling Sunset."
"It just so happens that my cousin happens to love styling and fashion," she adds. "My best friend is this famous NBA stylist. So when we're when we're getting ready, I usually have everyone over my house and we're getting ready with you know, coffees and stuff like that."
Since joining the Oppenheim Group in 2018, Hernan has successfully sold numerous million-dollar homes with one of her more recently active listings including Harry Styles' $7.2 million home perched above the Sunset Strip — a listing Hernan brought to the Oppenheim Group herself.
Hernan also runs Emma Leigh & Co, a food company based in Boston that employs around 70 people and currently produces two types of vegan empanadas, which the entrepreneur has previously served on "Selling Sunset."
As a startup investor, Hernan has invested in 10 businesses, including Nanotech, which develops advanced batteries, to the bike company Wheels.
For Hernan, the most important thing to examine when you're looking to invest in a startup, even during this uncertain economic climate, is the founder.
"You want someone that's a go-getter," she explained. "I want someone like myself. I want someone that is going to go out there and honestly never give up. A lot of times failure can scare people. But what I always say is it's scarier than never trying at all. So, for me, I want to be with somebody and invest in a founder who is never gonna give up."