There apparently was more to the story behind The Real Housewives of New York reunion cancellation.
After pushing back the shoot date for months, for the first time in the history of Real Housewives, Bravo decided back in September to skip the reunion show for season 13 of RHONY, with a spokesperson initially placing blame on scheduling issues. They said at the time in a statement to Variety:
“Due to scheduling challenges around taping the reunion of The Real Housewives of New York City in a timely manner, Bravo confirmed there will not be a reunion for this season. It’s disappointing to not be able to bring the cast back together, but we are happy to have ended on such a high note with the finale, and are now shifting our focus to next season.”
But even at the time there was suspicion cast on that pretty quickly.
Following the shocking announcement, a source mentioned to Entertainment Tonight that the cast was “beyond frustrated” by the decision — and they supposedly had no clue why Bravo even decided to cancel the reunion in the first place. The insider explained:
“They never got clear answers. They just wanted to say their piece and move on. Some of the ladies feel like the reunion would’ve given them a chance to come together as a united front and put the negative energy of the season behind them.”
Now it looks like we’re finally learning the real reason…
According to TMZ, the reunion special was called off due to an investigation into allegations of racism against Ramona Singer! Apparently Eboni K. Williams is claiming Ramona made a racist comment towards her at some point. While it is unclear what exactly the comment was, the 38-year-old reportedly spoke up after learning that another crew member filed a complaint for the exact same reason.
The cast and crew were then interviewed as part of the investigation, per the outlet, which is what delayed the reunion episode production. Ultimately Singer was cleared of any wrongdoing, despite multiple accusations. But the damage to the show was done. By the time the probe ended, it was already “too late” to film the special since so much time had passed. A source shadily told TMZ:
“It was already a low-rated season so there were concerns about who would tune in 3 months later.”
Ouch! Despite the outcome, Williams was reportedly pleased with the investigation — but also “disappointed” with the reunion cancellation. She told TMZ:
“I’m not going to sugarcoat that. I feel like not having a reunion was a missed opportunity. Every city of every season of every ‘Housewives’ show has had one, and I don’t think there’s any reason why ‘New York’ Season 13 should not have had one.”
The former Fox News host then added:
“All that means is that there is more unfinished business to pursue for Season 14, and I’m here for it.”
That sounds like the rough draft for a new tagline to us…
There is certainly a lot the group has to hash out still, especially after this investigation. What are your thoughts on the real reason the RHONY reunion was halted? Let us know in the comments (below).
[Image via Bravo/YouTube.]
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