Eboni K. Williams claims ‘RHONY’ cast were ‘unwilling’ to negotiate with her
Eboni K. Williams believes Bravo is launching two versions of “RHONY” because her co-stars were “unwilling” to negotiate to keep her on the series.
“They were unwilling to come to the table and meet me even halfway in that negotiation,” the “Real Housewives of New York” star said on Wednesday’s “Reality with the King” Stitcher podcast hosted by Carlos King.
Williams — the first black cast member on the franchise — claimed while she “was always willing to negotiate” with the cast, her co-stars Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps and Leah McSweeney were not.
“Only Sonja Morgan was willing to come to the table and negotiate a future that involved me as a part of this ensemble.”
The lawyer, who joined the show for Season 13, added that she still believes that if the rest of the cast had been “willing to enter into the negotiation of coexisting and sharing space with myself and additional women outside of their particular New York world and bubble, you would have had a Season 14.”
Andy Cohen announced in March that “RHONY” will split off into two different series. One will be a reboot and, likely, a total recast, while the other will be based around fan favorite past apple holders.
“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,” the executive producer, 53, told Variety.
Cohen explained that the network is prioritizing the reboot, but they also have “RHONY: Throwback” or “RHONY: Legacy,” as he tentatively called it, in the back of their minds.
Bravo has kept their casting on the down-low, but that hasn’t stopped former “Housewives” from commenting on the matter. “RHONY” OG Jill Zarin teased that she wants a call from Cohen; Bethenny Frankel called it “f–king boring”; McSweeney told us she’d be down to return; and Carole Radziwill expressed her extreme disinterest in joining.
Page Six previously reported that Cheddar anchor Hena Doba has been in talks with Bravo. Rumors also swirled that Kanye West’s ex-girlfriend Julia Fox may be interested, but Fox’s rep told us that was “false.” Former star Kelly Bensimon chimed in that convicted scam artist Anna Delvey would be an “amazing” addition.