The Real Housewives of New York City producers are being accused of killing their Bravo show with a failed “bait and switch.”
According to a new report, executives behind the long-running series have turned the “guilty pleasure” into a “diversity and inclusion seminar” by having their first Black cast member, Eboni K. Williams, preach to her co-stars about privilege and racism.
“They have a mess on their hands,” a source close to production to the New York Post on July 16. “At the time they were casting this, they thought it would be a good idea to bring on a black woman to school these women on race.”
While the producers allegedly attempted to exploit the racial tensions in our society for ratings, their plan backfired in a major way with viewership plummeting to just 764,000 earlier this season.
“By the time it aired, our country was in a different place and the producers f-cked themselves,” the insider said, labeling RHONY season 13 as a “resounding snoozefest.”
As the source noted, people aren’t tuning into the reality series to see complicated societal issues or a PBS-style documentary. Instead, they want to see the glamour, luxury, and drama of the show’s cast. Many fans have voiced their concerns on social media regarding the lack of just that.
“There’s frustration behind the scenes,” the insider shared.
Although the source acknowledged that Eboni is a “great” woman, they said she’s not the right fit for RHONY.
“She is just on the wrong show,” said the source. “Production is amping her up and telling her to address this, push Ramona on that. Don’t blame any of the girls: Blame the production and the casting choice.”
As RHONY fans may have heard, Eboni recently clapped back at claims of being to blame for the series’ low ratings by reminding followers of the franchise that it is the Real Housewives producers who have the final say in what makes it to air.
The insider also said fans have turned on cast member Leah McSweeney, the show’s resident wild child, who was first added for season 12.
“She’s like an angsty ’90s teenager: bratty and obnoxious. They could fix this easily by bringing back the core women,” the source stated.
The Real Housewives of New York City season 13 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.