Andy Cohen Defends Controversial RHOBH Star

Heavy/Bravo Andy Cohen.

Andy Cohen thinks fans need to give Annemarie Wiley a chance.

The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” newcomer has been under fire for her incessant talk about her career as a nurse anesthetist and her questioning of Sutton Stracke‘s esophagus. She also butted heads big time with Crystal Kung Minkoff over her medical credentials.

Wiley has been dragged on social media, and Bravo boss Andy Cohen is bummed that she has received such a negative reaction from viewers. “I want everyone to succeed,” Cohen told Entertainment Tonight in a January 2024 interview. “Social media is completely toxic and nasty and it is also something that you can’t be prepared for. It’s a nasty world.”

Cohen said he hopes fans will give Wiley a fair shake after all of the episodes from a cast vacation to Spain are shown on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  “I think the viewers will see a new side of Annemarie on the Spain trip,” he teased.

In the season 13 episode “Tapas and Tattletales,” the RHOBH ladies landed in Barcelona, but it was more of the same with Wiley. She stirred the pot with Minkoff, alleging that she called the other women uneducated and “shallow.” But a teaser for the following episode shows Wiley possibly coming to Minkoff’s aid amid a medical emergency.

Annemarie Wiley Called Out RHOBH Production For Making Her Look Bad

Bravo/YouTubeAnnemarie Wiley.

Wiley has been dealing with hate on social media and also from The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) for her comments about her profession. The ASA did not name Wiley in a January 2024 Instagram post, but referred to a Real Housewives cast member as a “fake” and accused her of “title misappropriation.” Wiley clapped back on her Instagram story, writing,  “I do not condone the ASA defamation campaign. …I will not be accused of title misappropriation because a cast mate needed a storyline on a reality TV show.”

“The esophagus storyline was not funny,” Wiley added. “Watching the show back now I hate that storyline just as much as everyone else.  It was a line of questioning I should never have started and for that I sincerely apologize. That storyline was inauthentically dragged on far too long and I have been dragged through the mud in the process.  I just want to highlight the real in Reality TV.”

Wiley appeared to be referring to Minkoff when talking about a cast mate who “needed a storyline.” In the RHOBH season 13 trailer, Wiley is seen telling Minkoff, “You know what else I want from you? I want a thank you. For giving you something to talk about and making your [expletive] relevant.” That scene took place during the Spain trip that Cohen referenced.

Andy Cohen Also Defended Kyle Richards

PeacockMauricio Umansky and Kyle Richards.

Cohen is in defense mode ahead of the RHOBH season 13 reunion taping. During a January 17 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live”,  co-star Erika Jayne told Cohen she expects him to grill Kyle Richards on her marital issues with Mauricio Umansky during the reunion taping.

“As somebody who got eviscerated, I would like to see everybody get the same treatment. And I love her, she’s a dear friend of mine. But fair is fair,” Jayne told Cohen, in reference to being put on the spot when she split from her ex-husband Tom Girardi.

Cohen told ET, “My plan is never to eviscerate anyone. But I always ask the questions that need to be asked.”

“Kyle has been very forthcoming with me since we wrapped filming about where she is with Mauricio. I expect that to continue at the reunion, which we tape on Friday,” he added.

READ NEXT: Kyle Richards Breaks Down RHOBH Conversation She Didn’t Want to Have On Camera