You remember the suits. The high-pitched "Expansion!" shouts. The absolute chaos of a guy trying to sell a $20 million penthouse while wearing a literal astronaut suit or renting out a marching band. For nearly a decade, Ryan Serhant was the frantic, high-energy heart of Million Dollar Listing New York. He wasn't just an agent; he was a character. But then, things got quiet. One day he was there, and the next, the show that made him a household name felt like a memory.
Honestly, it wasn't a sudden firing or some big dramatic scandal that booted him off the air. It was something much more corporate—and way more ambitious. Ryan on Million Dollar Listing was a match made in reality TV heaven, but by the time Season 9 wrapped, the "character" of Ryan had outgrown the "job" of Ryan. He didn't just want to sell apartments anymore. He wanted to own the whole damn building.
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The Real Reason Ryan on Million Dollar Listing Ended
Most people think he left because he was tired of the cameras. Wrong. He actually loved the cameras. He still does. But if you look back at those final episodes in 2021, you can see the cracks. He was launching his own firm, SERHANT., right in the middle of a global pandemic.
Think about that for a second.
He was leaving the safety of Nest Seekers—a massive, established brokerage—to start his own thing when the world was literally shutting down. Bravo actually filmed the transition. They gave him a send-off that felt like a series finale because, for him, it was. He told Jeff Lewis on his radio show that the "Ryan" people wanted to see on Million Dollar Listing was the hungry agent running around doing deals. Once he became a CEO with hundreds of employees, that "hustling agent" vibe didn't fit the show's format anymore.
The producers knew it. He knew it.
The show was about the hunt. But by 2021, Ryan had already caught the prey and was busy building a zoo.
A Transformation Nobody Predicted
When Ryan started in 2008, he was a struggling actor. He made $9,000 in his first year. $9,000! In New York City! He’s talked openly about his credit card being declined at a grocery store while trying to buy tofu. That’s the guy who showed up to the first season of Million Dollar Listing.
By the time he left, he was a machine.
- Lifetime Sales: Over $15 billion (yeah, billion with a B).
- Media Empire: He realized early on that real estate isn't about the bricks; it's about the attention.
- The Pivot: He moved from being a star on someone else's show to being the boss of his own.
What’s He Been Up to Since Leaving Bravo?
If you haven't been keeping up, Ryan didn't just go into early retirement. Far from it. In 2024 and into 2025, he moved his "talents" (and his ego, let's be real) over to Netflix. His new show, Owning Manhattan, is basically Million Dollar Listing on steroids.
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It’s less about "let’s look at this pretty kitchen" and more about "I am going to fire you if you don't sell this $250 million penthouse." It’s darker. It’s faster. And it shows the side of Ryan that the Bravo cameras used to edit out—the stressed-out CEO who sometimes breaks down when the pressure of managing 1,500 agents gets to be too much.
In late 2025, during Season 2 of the Netflix hit, we actually saw him cry. It wasn't "reality TV" crying; it was "I haven't slept and I'm missing my daughter’s childhood" crying. He’s 41 now. He has a daughter, Zena, with his wife Emilia (who we all remember from their televised Greek wedding). The stakes have changed.
The $45 Million Move
The biggest news recently? Ryan actually took a massive deal at the end of 2025. A venture capital firm called Camber Creek led a $45 million investment into his brokerage. He’s turning his real estate company into a tech company. He’s building an app called S.MPLE, which he describes as "Instacart for salespeople."
He’s not just an agent anymore. He’s a tech founder.
Is He Ever Coming Back to Million Dollar Listing?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: Why would he? Million Dollar Listing New York is effectively over. The franchise has moved on, and Ryan has moved on to a platform (Netflix) that gives him a global audience and lets him executive produce. He’s the one holding the clipboard now.
He told Realtor.com recently that he’s focused on 2026 being the year of "extreme efficiency." He’s using AI to predict housing market shifts and training his agents to be "media-first." Basically, if you aren't a TikTok star and a real estate expert at the same time, Ryan probably doesn't have a desk for you.
What You Can Learn From the "Serhant Method"
Whether you love him or think he's a bit too much, you can't deny the guy knows how to pivot. If you’re looking to replicate even a fraction of his success, here’s the blueprint he’s using in 2026:
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- Contact Currency: Ryan meets 5 to 15 new people every single day. He treats his contact list like a bank account.
- The 10-Minute Rule: If he meets you, you get a text within 10 minutes. Not tomorrow. Not tonight. Ten minutes.
- Don’t Sell, Shop: He constantly says, "People hate being sold, but they love shopping with friends." He builds the relationship first, and the $300 million deal (like the one he just did in Palm Beach) follows.
- Vulnerability Wins: In a world of "perfect" Instagram feeds, Ryan’s 2025/2026 strategy has been showing the mess. The stress. The failures. People trust the guy who admits he’s losing his mind more than the guy pretending everything is fine.
The era of Ryan on Million Dollar Listing was great TV. It was flashy and fun. But the version of Ryan we’re seeing now—the one building a tech-backed empire across 14 states—is much more interesting. He’s no longer the kid in the cheap suit trying to get a listing. He’s the guy defining what the industry looks like for the next decade.
Keep an eye on his Miami expansion. He’s currently obsessed with that market, and if history repeats itself, he’s about to turn the Florida real estate scene upside down just like he did in New York.
To stay ahead of the market like Ryan does, start by auditing your own "brand." Are you reachable? Are you consistent? Are you using video to tell a story or just to show a product? The shift from agent to icon starts with how you handle the next person you meet.