Credit: Roger Wong/INSTARimages, Instagram
Bravo head honcho Andy Cohen recently released his new book, Andy’s Bravo Scrapbook.
In it, Andy, 58, features personal photographs from the past 20 years of the Real Housewives franchise. He also includes his own commentary and memories.
In one section, Andy discusses all of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunions and makes some interesting confessions.
When discussing season three, Andy writes, “This is the year Adrienne Maloof did not show up. I very cavalierly semi-fired her on air, letting it be known that by not coming, she was no longer on the show. And looking back on it now, I think my approach was not very kind.”
Season four saw two new cast members appear for one season only – Joyce Giraud and Carlton Gebbia.
“I do wonder what would have happened if Joyce or Carlton had stayed beyond one season,” Andy shares in the book. “I still can’t get over that we cast someone who publicly identified as a ‘witch.'”
Later, Andy addresses RHOBH long-time cast member Erika Jayne at the time when she was going through her very public financial issues and other problems with estranged husband Tom Girardi, 87.
Erika, 55, was sued civilly multiple times and accused of receiving and benefiting from embezzled funds from Tom’s law firm, and, in the book, Andy reflects on having to ask her about all of these hard topics.
“As you can see from Erika’s facial expression, this was her first time under questioning about all that had happened with her then-estranged husband, Tom Girardi,” Andy states. ” That reunion required the most advance preparation since I had faced the Salahis in the one and only reunion for The Real Housewives of D.C. I felt an incredible amount of pressure from the viewers to get answers from Erika and to hold her accountable.”
He continues, “In fact, as we were getting ready for the day, I told Erika I was going ‘to put her on the grill and turn up the heat,’ an exchange that appeared in the super tease and in the show, and which I later regretted because it just felt too aggressive on my part.”
“I apologized for that years later, and she accepted,” he adds. “Of all the housewives, she is one with a unique understanding and perspective on the experience—she’s able to see it from thirty thousand feet in the air.”
Andy also had an interesting confession regarding the season 12 reunion – namely that they knew Lisa Rinna was leaving the show during the filming of the reunion.
“During the taping, it became clear to me, and I think to some of the other producers, that Lisa Rinna’s time on the show was coming to an end,” he claims. “Clearly she had the same feeling because she texted us all at midnight that very night, quitting the show.”
Andy’s new book is available wherever books are sold.