Andy Cohen Reveals the Surprising Reason Potential ‘Housewives’ Decline Contracts

Heavy/NBCUniversal Andy Cohen reveals why most people don't sign on to do "The Real Housewives."

Andy Cohen is an executive producer for all of the “Real Housewives” franchises and he has a hand in just about everything, from casting to the reunions that end each season.

In an interview with Amanda Hirsch on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast, Cohen opened up a bit about the casting process. In the May 30, 2023, episode, he revealed the main reason that potential “Housewives” decide against joining a given cast.

Hirsch admitted that she would be “terrified” if she was cast on the show, which Cohen said was “normal.” He went on to reveal why many women don’t sign contracts. “Usually the thing that takes women out of the process are their husbands,” Cohen admitted.

“They realize they are really putting their lives on blast. Of their wife, the couple, their finances. We’ve had some really prominent women of color that we were very close to getting on the show that were dinged out at the last second because of their husbands,” he said.

Here’s what you need to know:

Andy Cohen Has a ‘Real Housewives’ Wish List

Believe it or not, there are a few women that Cohen would love to see join a franchise, but things just haven’t worked out.

When asked to name names, Cohen said, Vanessa Bryant, Chrissy Teigen, Julia Fox, Jana Kramer, and Ayda Field Williams were all on his “Real Housewives” wish list, according to Page Six.

In January 2022, Entertainment Tonight reported that there’s one person that Cohen would love to see back on the show and that’s Phaedra Parks.

In an interview with Bravo Insider, Cohen revealed what he looks for in a potential “Real Housewives” star.

“They all [want] to be famous. They’re very opinionated. They’re not afraid; they’re not shy. They’re outgoing. Many of them are very funny but don’t even realize how funny they are. And often, you know, through all those things, there’s some sort of relatability about them that keeps you watching,” he explained.

Andy Cohen Has Admitted to Making Casting Mistakes

Over the years, Cohen has learned a lot from casting women on the “Real Housewives” shows. The process has changed numerous times, especially in more recent years, where production will film a potential star with another cast member to see how their on-screen chemistry goes.

Cohen revealed this tidbit on the May 18, 2023, episode of “Two Ts in a Pod” podcast. In the same episode, he said that there’s one person in particular that he completely regrets casting — and that’s Quinn Fry who appeared briefly on “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”

“Her casting had so much promise and it just didn’t… it was an example of someone who, on casting, seemed like it was going to be everything,” he shared.

“The lesson was that maybe we have to figure out ways so that the casting isn’t the only way that we have to judge someone. So now, maybe we’ll get them get together with a Housewife and have them shoot what we call ‘scene work,'” Cohen explained.

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