Heather Thomson believes the Real Housewives of New York City cast needs a complete overhaul.
After a low-rated 13th season, followed by the cancellation of the reunion, Heather is suggesting the entire cast be fired while also taking aim at the phony friendships among the group, slamming the “dirty producing” of the series, and reacting to being a “show friend” of Luann de Lesseps.
“I would recast the entire show. I would start from brand new. I would take all the lessons that I learned and I would recast the show in its entirety,” Heather revealed on the September 28 episode of Behind the Velvet Rope With David Yontef podcast. “I’d want to upset this apple cart and bring on some change and do some good work along with the dramatic toxicity that you know is addictive.”
According to Heather, who was brought to the show for season five after the firings of Jill Zarin, Alex McCord, Kelly Bensimon, and Cindy Barshop, Bravo nearly recast the entire show at that time. However, because she had a history with a number of members of season five, including Sonja Morgan and Carole Radziwill, they were able to mesh better than the women of season 13, who Heather suggested aren’t real friends.
“They don’t know each other. [Leah McSweeney] and [Eboni K. Williams] never knew each other. That’s all made up. Luann, they don’t know each other,” Heather alleged.
Heather further discussed the lackluster 13th season by noting that fans of the series likely weren’t interested in watching a politically charged reality show and advising producers to add more “storytelling.” She even said they should make “some of it scripted” and pointed out that the OGs can “act.”
Following her three-season run as a full-time housewife on RHONY, Heather returned to the show for season 13. However, after an ugly encounter with Leah, she made an early exit.
“It wasn’t worth it for me to continue,” she explained. “I wish I had never gone back. After that weekend, it was like… how fast can I get the hell out of there?”
Looking back, Heather said she was creeped out by her season 13 experience and accused Bravo of manipulating footage.
“I’ve said this to the higher-ups at Bravo. I thought it was dirty producing. I thought it was self-produced. I didn’t like any of it,” Heather admitted.
After the cast’s girls’ trip to the Hamptons, Heather announced her departure from RHONY — but not before touching base with her former co-star and friend, Carole.
“I was actually talking to Carole in the car service on the way home. She was upset for me because she knows how toxic it can be. And she knows what the internet’s capable of and, you know, production and the edit, you know, she was really worried about the edit,” Heather recalled.
Today, after her dramatic exit from the show, Heather is only in touch with Eboni, who she feuded with months ago after seemingly agreeing that she was being a “race-baiter” on season 13.
Also on the podcast, Heather slammed Luann for ditching their friendship after she left the show.
“When I first joined the cast of the show, I had a friendship with Luann that meant something to me. She was in my home with my young children. They knew her, my husband knew her. We had a friendship. But when I left the show that friendship was over. I was a ‘show friend’ for Luann,” she explained.
The Real Housewives of New York City season 14 has yet to be confirmed.
