When He Real Housewives of New York City (RHONY) premieres its fourteenth season this Sunday at 9 p.m.
After a tumultuous thirteenth season marred by allegations of racism among the cast as the long-running franchise introduced its first black cast member, Bravo and executive producer Andy Cohen replaced the group of apple-heir women with a new group of friends. rich and potential enemies. This season, cameras will follow the lives of fashion content creator Sai De Silva, model Ubah Hassan, luxury real estate developer Erin Lichy, former executive creative director and J.Crew president Jenna Lyons, publicist Jessel Taank and communications professional Brynn Whitfield.
Although Cohen admits that “we’re rolling the dice here” when it comes to cast reviews, the reality TV mogul also said the hollywood reporter In the Q&A below, “We watched so many people and met people from all walks of life from the Sunday before we ended up selecting this group. We take great care in this, and I think it shows in who we actually cast.”
First of all, I want to ask about the actors’ strike, which is at the center of the entertainment industry right now. What effect, if any, will it have on He Real Housewives of New York City and other Bravo franchises?
We’re mostly dealing with unscripted shows here. I can’t really speak because I’m not in charge of programming at Bravo, but The Real Housewives of New York It’s wrapped, produced and finished, so it won’t affect you at all.
In terms of See what happens livewhich is the only night program that is still broadcast on television, what will be the new strategy in this current scenario?
It will certainly affect the guests we have. I think all the talk shows see that the actors, the SAG people, are not promoting their movies. So, there will be some challenges as to who the guests are.
Jumping into this new season of RHONY, you’ve said that this is the “right group of women” to reboot this franchise. How is this cast, in particular, a response to the criticism surrounding the lack of diversity and interest in New York City? Housewives specific series?
What makes it the right group of women is that they are a cohesive bunch. We were looking for a group of friends, people who had existing relationships. Some of them are known, others are not. They’re funny, they’re fun, they’re aspirational, they’re trendy. They live their lives. They are opening their lives in front of the camera. They are all dynamic. They are professionals. They, I think, represent a different New York than we’ve seen before. They are diverse. They live all over the city and it feels fresh and very vibrant.
Lizzy Savetsky was slated to be a part of the cast, and in November she announced she was withdrawing, largely due to anti-Semitic attacks and fan backlash. Can you talk about that?
I can’t really add anything to what already exists. We’re focusing right now on who’s on the show and what the show is. That happened maybe in the early days of production, so I said all I had to say about it. On many shows that we produce, we start the season with a group of people, and sometimes people fight for various reasons. It’s not quite… what’s the word? Only.
How much of a risk is it to completely reboot the New York franchise? Is this a test to see what other Housewives franchises may need a review? Is there a possibility of going back to the original formula?
This is going back to the original formula in the sense that it is a Housewives show and it feels a lot like that. We’re rolling the dice here and I think we have a team of people between me and Bravo and Shed Media that have been doing this for a long time so we don’t take it lightly. We thoroughly restructured the program. We saw so many people and met people from all walks of life from the Sunday before we ended up selecting this group. We were very careful about this, and I think it shows in who we actually cast.
Jessel Taank, Brynn Whitfield, Jenna Lyons, and Sai De Silva from The Real Housewives of New York City.
Noam Galai/Bravo
Can you talk about the choice to include the original cast in the ultimate girls trip cleave?
We were looking for content when Peacock was released, and girls trip it was something we had been talking about for many years. It was not a new idea, it was not an original idea. We needed programming that would drive in-demand viewers to Peacock. This was an absolutely obvious idea for something that people really wanted to see.
Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan also have their own spin-off, Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake. How did the idea come about?
I have nothing to do with that program. It was thrown at Bravo. I think it’s absolutely brilliant. I think it’s hysterical and I think the timing is great because it gives fans of the past few seasons of RHONY the comedy they seek from Luann and Sonja.
Are there any plans to keep the original New York cast in other franchises beyond what’s already released?
As of now I think we’re good. We have Sonja and Luann on their show, and then we have girls last trip with the legacy RHONY women, and we have this. It is quite a complete dish. it looked like the original RHONY The women wanted to go on a girls’ trip instead of filming in New York, and we listened. So, we’ll see.
Branching out into the general Bravo-verse, Vander Pump Rules has completely blown up as the first spin-off of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. How has that success raised the stakes for the reality franchise and the expectations surrounding the new Bravo series?
I think the only thing at stake is that we are always reactive to the personal stories that happen in the lives of the people who appear on our shows, as we always have been. And I think this was an example of that. The last season of Vander Pump Rules it was truly emblematic of the type of nonfiction storytelling that Bravo has become known for.
Can you talk about the status of Raquel Leviss’ involvement in Season 11?
Can’t.
Have Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval filmed together?
I can’t talk about anything regarding what’s going to happen in Vander Pump Rules. We’re filming the show now, and we’re trying to keep it a bit under wraps.
With the rhobh cast, there has been a lot of attention on the marriage of Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky. Cameras have been following them amid rumors of a split, and some viewers have suggested that the story is made up to reignite interest in the franchise. What do you say to that review?
That’s a new one. That’s really stupid, that’s what it is. That’s too lame to even answer I think.
Have you talked to Kyle and Mauricio? Do you know how they are doing?
I’ve been in contact with Kyle. I can’t really speak for her, but I certainly wish her the best.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
The Real Housewives of New York City airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo and airs on Peacock the next day starting at 6 a.m. ET
