Brooks Marks is getting candid about stepping out of his mother’s shadow and finding independence in the Big Apple.

Although Bravo fans have come to know Brooks since the first season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City as the middle child of Meredith and Seth Marks, he revealed during the June 3 premiere of Next Gen NYC that he is eager to forge his own path.

At 24, Brooks is establishing himself as a model, clothing designer, entrepreneur, and activist. However, as he pointed out in the premiere episode, being part of the Marks family not only feels like a “full-time job,” as he humorously remarked, but also poses challenges when trying to break out independently.

“I love my mom; she’s amazing,” Brooks shared, who serves as the creative director for his mother’s company. “But, it definitely does feel like you’re living in someone’s shadow.”

Brooks Marks reveals his career aspirations 

Brooks admitted he wanted to do a little more solo work, sans his jewelry-designing, boutique-owning, caviar-business-running mother. Especially, as seen in a (literal) tea-spilling photo shoot featured in the series premiere, since Meredith tended to steal the spotlight, according to Brooks.

“My next goal is a magazine cover without my mom,” he laughed to producers.

Brooks recently accomplished a major modeling milestone when he graced the pages of Teen Vogue. 

“My baby [Brooks] in [Teen Vogue]!!! Beyond proud, always!” Meredith gushed on Instagram. “Watching you model since you were 7 has been such a gift. You amaze me every day.”

Brooks commented back, “Thank you mama!! The best most supportive mom I could ever dream of!!”

What to expect from Meredith and Seth Marks on Next Gen NYC

Although Meredith has already appeared on the series premiere, expect more to come from her and Seth this season as they spent time with Brooks in NYC. 

In the preview above, Meredith and Seth jump on a trampoline as Seth jokes, “A couple that jumps together, humps together,” prompting Brooks to declare, “I feel like I’m in an insane asylum.” 

In a separate moment, Meredith is seen doing business with Georgia McCann, while Seth has an eyebrow-raising conversation with Charlie Zakkour.  

Learn more about what the Next Gen NYC cast does for a living.