As a mom, Meredith Marks is Brooks Marks’ “best friend,” but when it comes to being her Next Gen NYC son’s boss, she means business. Case in point: Brooks claimed Meredith fired him from her company via text message.
The topic arose in Season 1, Episode 5 when Brooks — who is the creative director for The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast member’s eponymous luxury brand — began describing their “tumultuous work relationship,” to which Meredith shot back, “I don’t know why you say that. I think our work relationship is very healthy.”
But Brooks felt he had good reason for making the characterization: “Are you kidding? You fired me last week,” he told her during their visit to the Lapointe showroom in NYC.
Meredith went on to accuse her 25-year-old son of only telling “part of the story,” though, explaining that him admittedly missing an important email about clothing labels could have sabotaged her entire denim fashion line.
Regardless, the RHOSLC mom insisted that she “didn’t really fire” Brooks. However, he quickly produced receipts to prove she told him to “find a new job” by the end of the month.
“You said, ‘I’m fuming over this,'” he replied, reading her text message directly from his phone. “‘My entire denims will not be here in time now for the summer season because of how you’ve handled this. This is a total disregard. … I love you and I want to make this work, but this frustration isn’t worth it.'”
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Admitting that she “did say that,” Meredith also defended herself, responding, “I don’t think that’s mean. That’s not yelling. ‘I love you.’ That’s nice.”
As Brooks shared with her, though, “I get horrible anxiety because I feel like I’m decimating my relationship with my mom.”
In a confessional, he elaborated, “That text message was warranted, but it wasn’t appropriate. So, it was triggering because it’s like not only did my employee fail me, my son failed me. It’s like stabbing somebody and then twisting the knife, basically.”
Brooks Marks and Meredith Marks clash over her fashion choices
The other mother-son drama they described on Next Gen NYC Episode 5 had much lower stakes, however.
When Meredith described Lapointe’s fashions as being “very much” her vibe, Brooks playfully fired back, “How do you know what your vibe is? I invented your vibe.”
As the ‘Wife tried on some pieces for various upcoming events, including one that Georgia McCann was helping to throw in honor of Meredith’s caviar line, Brooks took issue with how she’d self-styled at least one particular look and stepped in to lend his expertise.
“I’ve been styling my mom for years,” he explained in a confessional. “Honestly, I don’t know how long it’s been. She went through a period of time where she was doing it herself. And then I came in.”
Back in the showroom, Brooks — who owned up to being “glad” Meredith didn’t follow his advice to not wear her iconic crystal-embellished face mask from RHOSLC‘s inaugural season — contended that his mother didn’t “understand” her own aesthetic, before further critiquing her other fashion choices.
“With all due respect, I think you dress younger sometimes,” he said, opining that she can look like she was “pulling stuff from” 23-year-old daughter Chloe Marks’ closet.
After insisting that he “stop trying to make” her seem “elderly” in that moment, Meredith went on to tell Brooks in a joint confessional, “You almost get mad at me sometimes.”
He didn’t deny that was the case, replying, “No, I literally do. It, like, pains me. You’re my best friend. If my best friend is wearing something that’s not cute, I’m gonna tell them.”
Details on Brooks Marks’ fashion career
In addition to working for Meredith’s company, Brooks is also a model, activist, and founder of his own clothing line. While speaking with The Daily Dish in a recent interview, Brooks shared he’s eager for viewers to get a new look at his career.
“I’m super excited for everyone to see that throughout the season with what’s next for my clothing brand and with my modeling career and my work at Meredith Marks,” he said. “I feel like, truly, I had such a difficult time balancing all of it and everyone is gonna get to see the ups and downs of that and where it stands now.”
“I feel like I was learning how to navigate that with my clothing brand, Brooks Marks, the work I do at Meredith Marks, and pursuing my modeling career on top of it,” he added.
RELATED: Brooks Marks Gives an Update on His Clothing Line: “Where It Stands Now…” (EXCLUSIVE)
As you watch him navigate life in the Big Apple, don’t miss what Brooks said about living in Meredith’s shadow.
