‘RHONY’: Why Producers Didn’t Move Forward With Casting Rapper Remy Ma
As fans wait to see what the new season of The Real Housewives of New York will look like, details about casting choices for Season 13 are being released. Eboni K. Williams made a splash on her debut season, but she wasn’t the only new face producers were vying for. As it turns out, Remy Ma was set to be cast, but due to where she lives, she was unable to.
Rapper Remy Ma was in the running to be on ‘RHONY,’ but casting halted due to location issues
Season 13 would have looked much different had casting producers had their call. TMZ reports that the “All the Way Up” rapper was recommended by Williams to be a cast member on the show. Remy reportedly made a great impression on producers. She’s not new to reality television, having been a regular on Love & Hip Hop: New York for several seasons.
Though she was in the lead, things abruptly stopped due to location discrepancies. The Bronx-born rapper lives in New Jersey full-time with her husband and daughter. She reportedly did have an apartment in midtown Manhattan, but no longer uses it. At the time, she was recommended to casting producers because they believed she had ties to the city.
The report notes that the series is loose about the cast’s “wife” status, but they are strict regarding geography. Therefore, Remy didn’t cut. It’s interesting, however, considering many cast members of franchises like Atlanta and Potomac don’t actually live in their respective cities.
For example, on the Atlanta franchise, Porsha Williams’ home was nearly an hour outside of the city, with her home being in Duluth, GA. On the Potomac franchise, Mia Thronton lived in a penthouse in Downtown Baltimore – while Ashley Darby lives in Arlington, VA.
Eboni K. Williams made history as the first Black housewife on ‘RHONY’
Ahead of filming Season 13, rumors surfaced that Bravo producers were looking to diversify the cast, and Williams was confirmed as the official apple holder. The former prosecutor turned legal analyst, and cultural critic made history as the franchise’s first Black cast member.
It was her first foray into full reality television. But, she came with an impressive resume, including co-hosting Revolt TV’s talk show State of the Culture, where she co-hosted alongside Remy.
Williams’ first season was rough. Viewers complained that she was too much of a poster child for discussing racial issues, she had some drama with her co-stars, and some blamed her for the show’s decline in ratings.
“I would say that my time at Fox News was a great primer for my experience on the show,” she told Vulture in an interview. “It’s a fool’s errand to go into these conversations thinking you’re going to change the other person. All you should really concern yourself with is delivering clear, authentic, fact-based, emotionally authentic communication.”
The show will be split into two separate franchises
The show did not have a reunion special for the first time in history. Scheduling conflicts were blamed. Bravo honcho Andy Cohen later confirmed the show would be getting a fresh look by being split into two different shows. One show will feature the OGs, and another will feature a younger and more diverse cast. All cast members who want to be on either show must go through the casting process from scratch.
