Eboni K. Williams shook the table on her history-making debut season on The Real Housewives of New York. As the show’s first Black cast housewife, she made it her job to educate her cast about race and microaggressions with her white co-stars. But that made some of her co-stars uncomfortable, so much so that Williams says they axed her out of their social circle.
There were allegations of racial and discriminatory remarks from certain co-stars that resulted in an internal investigation
One of the reasons there’s been so much tension amongst the cast is reportedly due to an internal investigation that was sparked due to comments made by Ramona Singer. In an exclusive interview with Page Six, Heather Thomson claimed Singer made an alleged racist comment after a tense moment between Williams and Luann de Leppes.
A production source previously told the outlet that Singer told de Leppes, “This is why we shouldn’t have black people on the show” after Williams was kicked out of de Lesseps’s home. Singer has denied making the comment, calling it a “terrible lie.”
The alleged comment has been a major area of contention and allegedly led to the show not having a reunion special, the first in the show’s history. As a result, Williams reportedly spearheaded an investigation, which resulted in Singer being cleared of anything.
She says only Sonja Morgan has continued communication with her
In the midst of the internal investigation, there were reported conversations between the network executives and the cast regarding whether or not Williams was a good fit for the show. Williams said she wanted to remain on the show. But her co-stars were not as receptive.
“If you want to call it blackballed, then yes, I’m not going to dispute the semantics of that. What I am telling you plainly is only Sonja Morgan was willing to come to the table and negotiate a future that involved me as a part of this ensemble,” she told Carlos King during an episode of the Reality with The King podcast.
Andy Cohen first announced the reboot and a series with alumni last month
“You know that we’re at a crossroads for RHONY,” Cohen said to Variety. “We’ve spent a lot of time figuring out where to go. And the plan that we’ve come up with, I think, is a real gift to the fans.”
He revealed that there will be a diverse reboot of the show and an spinoff with old cast members.
“There are thousands of stories to tell here,” he added. “This is the most multicultural, diverse, and energetic and exciting city in America: We are searching for a multicultural group of friends who really best reflect the most exciting city in the country. We’re looking for a group of women who are real friends, and who are of diverse backgrounds, races and religions.”
