‘Real Housewives of New York’ Season 14 premiere: Andy Cohen, cast dish on ‘organic’ new reboot

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“The Real Housewives of New York” is back and fresher than ever! The beloved staple in the “Real Housewives” franchise is a first in the series: this Sunday, the first “rebooted” city will air on Bravo. A brand new cast – reflecting a more diverse and realistic view of New York City – is coming two years after the show went on hiatus.

TheGrio’s Jared Alexander had a front-row seat to the season premiere party, catching up with Andy Cohen and the new housewives on the red carpet.

As theGrio previously reported, Bravo announced the reboot of RHONY last year. In a statement at the time, Cohen said, “This is the most multicultural, diverse, energetic, and exciting city in America. We are searching for a multicultural group of friends who really best reflect the most exciting city in the country.” Bravo indeed found that group, with a cast (Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield) consisting of Black, Afro-Latinx, Indian and Jewish representation.

“It’s a long time coming,” Cohen, executive producer of “The Real Housewives” franchise, said. “I’m glad that Bravo took the trust fall to do a totally new show, because I think it was the most organic way that we could present a different view of New York City.”

“The last group was outstanding in their own way, but I think that for us to just shoehorn people in wasn’t necessarily the future,” he added. “I think that this was the most organic way for us to do this, and I think it worked and makes me very proud and happy.”

Reflecting on receiving the call to join “The Real Housewives,” De Silva said it was a “surreal moment.” The Afro-Latina Brooklyn native explained, “I couldn’t really wrap my head around it, but I just knew that it was going to be an exciting ride. Now that I have actually shot and filmed, I know there were a lot of life-learning lessons, you know? I had to get to know five other women really well while also being filmed doing it.”

“There were a lot of intense moments, but I think I also learned a lot about myself,” she added. De Silva also said she’s ready to see her castmates’ confessionals. “I want to see if they are witty. Are they funny? Are they shady?”

Hassan, a Somalian model, philanthropist and entrepreneur, was in Mykonos when she got the call. “I was in a night club, and I cried,” she gushed. “I told a bouncer and two girls that were outside, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I am going to join this show! ‘The Real Housewives!'”

Hassan also acknowledged the “huge platform” the franchise offers. “Hopefully, I can entertain people and inspire people, and hopefully, my bank account will also grow,” she quipped.

Whitfield, who is described as a “flirtatious, single socialite” could not believe she was even being considered when she first got the call. “It was crazy,” she said. “When I did the interviews, I was just like, ‘There is no way!’ I’m not married, I rent, like this is a joke! I actually walked into one interview and said, ‘Is this for “The Bachelorette?” I’m looking for love in the city!'”

“So when I got the call I was literally crying, and all I kept saying was, ‘I am so honored and thank you,'” she said.

As a fan of the franchise, actually being in the show revealed some pretty big surprises for Whitfield. One shocker was the lack of a script. “They don’t feed you any lines,” she said. “When I got there I was like… ‘What do you need me to do?’ They were like, ‘Nothing, just go to lunch with your friend!'”

“I take direction very well,” she added. “But no, you just have to be yourself. They just follow you around and see what happens.”

“The Real Housewives of New York” premieres Sunday, July 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. on Bravo, with episodes dropping the next day on Peacock.

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