Heavy/NBCUniversal Real Housewives news.
Luann de Lesseps thinks the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast will feel the pinch of the canceled season 14 reunion—in their pocketbooks.
In a June 16, 2024 interview on the “Behind the Velvet Rope With David Yontef” podcast, de Lesseps was asked her thoughts on Bravo’s decision to skip the reunion for the Jersey cast amid an especially volatile season.
“Well, you know I guess there was some sort of a reason that it didn’t happen. And I don’t know,” de Lesseps told Yontef. “I mean it never happened in the past so this is all new. I mean, I’m surprised. I’m really surprised. I mean I haven’t been watching Jersey so I don’t know what’s going on, but it must be pretty heavy. “
“I think people like to see a different perspective, you know. The the reunion…you get to see what somebody really thinks about what happened, et cetera,” she continued. “But, you know, sometimes it’s better not to rehash, stuff if it’s that dark.”
De Lesseps added, “I don’t know, but you know it’s a chunk of change that they’re gonna miss.”
After Yontef asked her if the Housewives get a bonus for going to the reunion, she replied, “Of course!”
According to Us Weekly, Real Housewives stars receive half of their paycheck before filming starts and the other half after appearing at the reunion. That means if they no-show, they lose a lot of money. “Housewives don’t get fully paid for the season until it’s over and the reunion has been filmed,” the source said.
But since Bravo decided to cancel the reunion, it’s possible the Jersey girls will still get their full pay.
The cast for RHONJ includes Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Margaret Josephs, Dolores Catania, Jennifer Aydin, Danielle Cabral, Rachel Fuda, Jenn Fessler, and Jackie Goldschneider.
Luann de Lesseps Knows All About Cancelled Reunions
BravoPictured: (l-r) Sonja Morgan, Leah McSweeney, Ramona Singer, Eboni K. Williams, Luann de Lesseps
On June 1, 2024, an insider told People magazine that there would not be a regular reunion for the RHONJ cast. “A reunion is meant to have resolution and it’s clear in the season finale that there is no path forward in that type of setting,” the source told the outlet, adding that producers would find another way to wrap up the season.
While it’s the first time such a thing has happened in Jersey, it’s not the first-ever canceled reunion.
In September 2021, a Bravo rep told People magazine that there would be no season 13 reunion for “The Real Housewives of New York City” due to “scheduling challenges.” TMZ later reported that the reunion was canceled as Bravo investigated allegations of racist behavior by Ramona Singer. The cast at the time included Singer, de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, Leah McSweeney and Eboni K. Williams.
A few months after the reunion was scrapped, the entire cast was fired. In March 2022, Bravo host Andy Cohen told Variety the plan involved “rebooting and recasting” RHONJ and a second “Legacy” series with some of the veterans. The Legacy series never panned out.
Andy Cohen Said No Decisions Have Been Made About the RHONJ Cast
BravoTHE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY — Season:13 — Pictured: (l-r) Rachel Fuda, Margaret Josephs, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Teresa Giudice, Jennifer Aydin, Danielle Cabral
For fans fearing that history may repeat itself, Cohen said there are no immediate plans to recast the show amid growing tensions among the cast members, most notably feuding sisters-in-law Giudice and Gorga.
“There’s lots happening in New Jersey,” he told pal Anderson Cooper during a Tribeca Film Festival panel in July 2024, per Deadline. “We’re not doing a reunion, but you will understand when you see the finale why we’re not.”
“We haven’t discussed casting for next season,” he added.
Cohen elaborated to E! News, where he explained that nothing is set in stone regarding the future of New Jersey or its cast. “There will be no decisions made for many months in ‘Jersey,” he said. “So anything you read about casting on ‘Jersey’ is not true.”
“I think there are several different ways we can go with it,” Cohen added. “And that’s what the fun of doing this job is. We get to figure it out as a team and see what we do.”