Brandi Glanville Says Son Mason Cibrian Went into Modeling for the Money: I Was 'Cutting Him Off'

Brandi Glanville is one proud mom!

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum tells PEOPLE at BravoCon 2022 that her sons — Mason Edward Cibrian, 19, and Jake Austin Cibrian, 15, both of whom she shares with ex-husband Eddie Cibrian — are "the loves of my life."

"Jake has straight As. He's in Europe right now with this class visiting, and he's going to Paris, London and Munich, Germany. And then Mason signed this huge [modeling] contract," she says, joking that she thought it was about time he got a job.

"I said get a job at Trader Joe's," she adds with a laugh. " 'It's time to work' is what I said."

Glanville says that Mason — who stands at 6-foot-4 — had been offered modeling gigs "several times" in the past but that he "didn't want to do it cause he's a pretty private person."

"He has a really unique look. He's really tall," she says of her son, adding that he gets "compliments constantly."

Still, she admits, "I was kind of shocked when he decided to do it." On Tuesday, it was announced that Mason — who is also currently in his second year of college — signed an exclusive deal with DT Model Management.

When asked what made him change his mind, the Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip star flat out replies, "Money." She adds, "I told him I'm cutting him off. I'm like, 'You're 18 — time to work.' "

Glanville, who began modeling when she was 16, says that Mason has been a "cool cat" since signing with the company, which has worked with Paris Hilton, Dylan Penn (daughter of Sean Penn and Robin Wright), Ireland Basinger-Baldwin (daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger) and more.

"He kind of knows what he is doing," Glanville tells PEOPLE. However, that hasn't stopped her from being a hands-on mom.

"I'm on all the emails, all the texts. I let the agent know, though. I go, 'Everything that you're sending him, you need to [send me]' because I'm very protective," she admits.

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She adds that the modeling industry could be "a little dangerous." After all, Glanville explains, "I was in it and, you know, it can be a little scary."

Glanville has raved about Mason on Instagram, especially as he headed off to college. She often shares pictures of him, including one when she visited him at school — and brought the dog. She also shared a sweet picture in 2021 on Mason's 18th birthday, writing on Instagram, "Happy Birthday Mason! You may legally be an adult now but you'll always be my baby boy💗💗I love you so much."

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BravoCon 2022 is taking place through Sunday at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.