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Eboni K. Williams sought out extra therapy amid her debut season on The Real Housewives of New York City amid the “intense” criticism she faced.
During a new interview, Eboni is opening up about the challenges she faced throughout season 13, addressing Andy Cohen‘s recent comments regarding an impending cast shakeup, clapping back at recent rumors suggesting the reunion special has been postponed indefinitely, and teasing what’s to come on the remaining episodes of the season.
“Listen, I am a day one RHONY fan,” Eboni told Entertainment Tonight on August 16. “So trust me, I get that my vibe and my energy is wholly different.”
Throughout her debut season, Eboni has faced claims of being “too woke” and “too preachy” for the series, and she admits the backlash and criticism have taken a toll on her.
“It’s been intense,” she admitted. “I’m a proud advocate for therapy and mental health care. I’ve been seeing my therapist for six years now — one of my longer, long-term, committed relationships, for the record — and I have actually taken up with a supplemental therapist during the last several months, that specifically helps me work on some of the challenges that have arisen from the airing of the show… It takes a toll.”
Although Eboni has been hurt by some of the things said, she knows it “comes with the territory” of reality television.
“When anybody ever in history has ever had the audacity to broach the status quo and kind of shake the table in that way, it’s going to be met with persecution, right?” she noted, adding that she doesn’t know how to turn off her fight for equality.
“To be the first Black Housewife [in New York City], as such on the heels of the tragic murder of George Floyd and racial reconciliation that our nation has long needed, now guess what? To me, this is the big opportunity to meet a moment, and meet a moment where our country says, ‘Not on our watch,'” she shared. “We will no longer tolerate any hate, any -isms, any level of subordination of our shared Americans.”
On this week’s episode of RHONY, fans saw the continuation of “Black Shabbat,” which Eboni hosted in hopes of uniting “really cool cultural identities.”
“I’m a new Housewife, these are new friends. I wanted them to really get to know me. This is a great way to see that my work is not just only solely around the lens of Blackness,” she says.
While Eboni hosted “Black Shabbat” with good intentions, she shared that the second half of the event was actually season 13’s “rock bottom.”
“And then we go up, which will be great,” she teased.
Amid the ongoing backlash and low ratings on RHONY, Andy told the outlet he wants more women amid firing rumors, and Eboni agreed, noting that a new cast member, or cast members, could bridge the gap between her and the current cast.
“I think with more women, you get intermediate variations that they create for a more cohesive viewing experience that I think we all aspire to,” Eboni explained. “I don’t believe in canceling of people. I don’t believe in shutting down of people and things that you don’t like or want to talk about. I say, let’s all bring it on, in a really loving, important way.”
Although fans watched Eboni butt heads with Ramona Singer on a number of occasions throughout season 13, Eboni confirmed they are now in a better, more respectful place.
“I think where Ramona and I are is two adult women who know where our commonalities are and know where our value alignment ends,” Eboni said. “So now that that’s thoroughly been investigated and is crystal clear to everybody involved — most importantly me and Ramona — we can share a space.”
As for the rumors claiming the reunion has been postponed indefinitely, Eboni called them “ridiculous.”
“Everybody’s incentivized to make the reunion happen,” she shared. “I’m looking very much forward to this reunion. I think my castmates are, too, because a lot of crap went down this season. I think it’ll do us all tremendous good to sit down as grown adult women and have this big, open conversation.”
In addition to watching the RHONY cast hit “rock bottom,” fans will also be seeing Eboni reconnect with her biological father’s side of her family. And, not surprisingly, it was quite an emotional time.
“We find out the results — I find out the results — and I lose it in a really big, important, beautiful way,” Eboni admitted. “And I am glad that I let myself go emotionally and feel it.”
The Real Housewives of New York City season 13 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.