The Real Housewives franchise a huge one, with multiple cities airing on Bravo (and streaming with a Peacock subscription). Choice cities are known by fans as some of the best reality shows ever, chief among them The Real Housewives of New York City. The OGs of that show are beloved to viewers, including fan favorite Luann de Lesseps. The queen of cabaret recently spoke about how she felt when the original stars were dropped for the reboot, and the choice she thinks the show should move forward.
While the RHONY OGs got to do a girl’s trip, there’s been no indication that Andy Cohen and company are planning on bringing them back to to the flagship series. During an interview with Us Magazine Countess Luann got honest about her reaction to the cast being dropped for the New York City reboot. As she put it:
It was like a death, because it’s all I’d known for 13 years. A certain part of my life was over and I wasn’t going to see my girls, so that was really hard. And to be not appreciated for all the work we put in over the years to make the show huge, that was difficult.
Ouch. De Lesseps’ words might sound dramatic from an outside perspective, but it makes a ton of sense for Bravoholics like me. The original cast of RHONY spent over a decade on the air, bringing laughs, drama, and their genuine friendships to the small screen. So the fact that they were all dropped for a new cast was understandably devastating to the women who had spent so much of their time on the show.
When the RHONY reboot premiered, fans were already complaining about missing their favorite original stars. This obviously includes Luann, as well as other favorites like Ramona Singer, Dorinda Medley and Sonja Morgan. These reality TV stars have kept busy with other appearances, but there’s plenty of fans who are still hoping that they return to the beloved series sometime in the future.
Later in the same interview, The Countess admitted she got bored watching the RHONY reboot. She also offered some advice to the powers that be at Bravo on how to improve the show, saying:
Combine the cast. Put the OGs with the newbies.
Yes please! I think this is a suggestion that many fans have also been thinking, now that we’re already two seasons into the new Real Housewives of New York City. The new cast does have some great stars such as Jessel Tank and Erin Lichy, and I’d love to see them mix with the original stars like Luann. It looks like this isn’t happening for the next season of RHONY but hopefully Bravo will try this strategy sometime in the future.
Luckily for us, Luann hasn’t been far from the screen since leaving the show. She and Sonja starred in the delightful Welcome to Crappie Lake, which felt like Housewives meets The Simple Life. She also returned to the small screen in Bravo’s Love Hotel, proving once again that she’s the best flirt in the game.
The Real Housewives of New York City is streaming on Peacock and new episodes are airing weekly for Salt Lake City, Potomac, and Beverly Hills as part of the 2025 TV schedule. As for me, I’m going to cross my fingers that the new RHONY cast and the OGs get brought together sometime in the future.