Andy Cohen Shares Big Update on ‘Real Housewives‘ Franchise

Andy Cohen set the record straight on the future of “The Real Housewives of New York City.”

Amid pushback from some fans who are still having trouble getting used to the new cast, Cohen told Deadline he firmly stands behind the reboot and he strongly suggested that it will continue for future seasons.

“With this group of RHONY, we’re kind of looking to the future with them,” Cohen said. “I loved the original, but this is a new group.”

RHONY season 15 stars Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Brynn Whitfield, Jessel Taank, Jenna Lyons, and newcomer Racquel Chevremont, with Rebecca Minkoff appearing as a friend of the Housewives. The group replaced veteran cast members, including Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, and Luann de Lesseps starting in season 14.

According to the U.S. Sun, viewership for the 15^th season of RHONY has gone down. The outlet reported that Nielsen ratings for the November 5 episode revealed 281,000 same-day viewers, which is the lowest viewership since the show’s premiere in 2008.

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Andy Cohen Said He Believes in the New Cast

It’s no surprise that the revamped RHONY has been compared to the original incarnation. “I think the rap on the group in season one was, ‘Oh, there’s not a lot of history there,” he admitted. “The interesting thing about them this season is they hang out a lot and they are a cohesive group.”

“I really believe in this group of women,” he added. “I think they’re very aspirational, I think they’re fun to watch.”

Of the previous cast, Cohen noted, “We had 13 great seasons, plus a Girls’ Trip with that group of women, which is an incredible accomplishment. A lot changed, a lot shifted in [their] world and in life.”

Cohen previously praised the newcomers to the RHONY cast, telling Extra they are “powerful, strong, fashionable, beautiful women.”

“And they fit right in, and I’m really bullish on the new season,” he added. “It’s funny, it’s exotic, it’s aspirational, and it feels like New York City.”

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Andy Cohen Criticized 1 RHONY Season 15 Scene

While Cohen is a fan of the new cast, he’s not a fan of one minor storyline that played out in season 15. During a November 2024 episode of “Watch What Happens Live,” he admitted he did not like a pregnancy “prank” that Minkoff and Lichy pulled on the rest of the cast. Many fans thought it was in poor taste for Minkoff to fake that she was pregnant by someone other than her husband, Gavin Bellour—and so did Cohen.

“I’m not a fan of a prank, I’ve got to be honest,” Cohen told guest Jeff Lewis.

“It’s a bad move,” Lewis agreed. “I think it’s self-producing. I think that you lose trust in your audience.” The former “Flipping Out” star added, “I don’t like pranks.”

RHONY OG Bethenny Frankel has also criticized the reboot. In a now-deleted post, she said she didn’t understand the announcement of a legacy show and the reboot with “new, glossy, shiny produced women in New York that have nothing to do with each other.”

“And look what happened,” Frankel said.

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