Luann de Lesseps Dishes on Her Past and Present ‘RHONY’ Castmates: ‘I See Through the Bullsh*t’
Real Housewives of New York has been on the air since March of 2008 and has evolved into a greater universe in the thirteen years since. Castmates Luann de Lesseps and Ramona Slinger have been there from the get-go. As such, they’re a matronly present among the housewives with plenty of friendship and drama to boot. De Lesseps spoke about this dynamic in a recent podcast experience.
History of the ‘Real Housewives of New York’
From Alex McCord in the early years to newcomers like Eboni Williams and Leah McSweeney, Fandom notes that the Real Housewives universe has changed with the times, added diversity, and given audiences a hefty dose of drama for well over a decade at this point.
As someone who has been there since the beginning, de Lesseps’s insights are especially prevalent as she looks back at her time with the show. Getting that many people, let alone affluent socialites like the series runs on, means that there’s a high school dynamic that’s always in play.
Yes, the women may be in their twenties, thirties, forties, and beyond, but the antics they get into seem less like adulthood and more like 90210 at times. De Lesseps knows this, and she spoke about this with Danny Pellegrino.
Luann de Lesseps opens up
On the podcast Everything Iconic via Apple, de Lesseps opened up about her relationships with some of the castmates’ past and present. Speaking on Dorinda Medley, who was part of the main cast, de Lesseps had nothing but positive things to say.
I love Dorinda … It’s always sad to see a cast member go. And I think she wanted to take a break. She’s doing great. So I’m happy for her. Of course, we missed her, but it feels like a totally different season.
Despite Medley’s departure from the series, however, de Lesseps seems to think she’ll soon be back. However, when it comes to Bethenny Frankel, de Lesseps played a little bit coy when the host asked about their relationship since Frankel left after season 11.
“I haven’t seen her in the Hamptons at all. Listen: I wish her the best. She finally got that divorce from Jason. And she’s not on our show anymore, so I wish her all the success,” she told Pellegrino. It was a similar tale to those she had of other housewives, too.
Going down the list of ‘Real Houswives’
When pressed about her relationship with the other longest-tenured member of the cast, Singer, de Lesseps explained that while they had some falling-outs, she has no hard feelings from it. She chops it up to years of friendship playing out in front of the audience’s eyes.
13 years, darling. I mean, it’s crazy, right? And listen: Ramona and I have had a lot of issues in the past. And I feel Ramona genuinely likes me. [Laughs] She never genuinely like me … I’m very instinctual. So I see through the bullsh*t.
She went on to explain, however, that their shared personalities help their friendship as much as they helped tear them apart from time to time but ultimately helped bring them together as true blue, non-reality television friends. Sometimes, it just takes a little bit more time and effort to reach that spot. This was also the case with the newcomer, Williams.
I have my ups and downs in the very beginning with Eboni. And as I said, we talk about issues, and we get through them. And I have a good relationship with her now. Surprisingly enough, Sonya and I have some issues along the way, but you’ll see that play out.
De Lesseps is a master of spinning things for ratings and intrigue, and this interview was no exception. Yes, many of these aspects can come across as fake, but interviews such as this show that the truth may be more prevalent than people realize. Now, de Lesseps is preparing for another year on Bravo featuring all the signature backstabbing, drama, fighting, and of course, friendship with her castmates, new and old.
