Luann de Lesseps has been a lightning rod of controversy this season. If she is not chattering on about her cabaret show on the Real Housewives of New York, Luann is talking about her sobriety. Which is probably natural as she is enthusiastic about her new career–and she claims to be happy about her new found sobriety. As we have seen throughout the season, however, Luann’s co-stars are a bit less enthralled with the Countess’ epic self-absorption, which seems to be her newly discovered superpower.
Sonja Morgan has claimed Luann treats her co-stars like fans. Tinsley Mortimer says she has never seen Luann as arrogant as she has been recently. And Dorinda Medley has called Luann blatantly rude. During the ladies’ trip to Luann’s new round house in upstate New York, she was confronted about her me-me-me attitude and endless talk of cabaret. And all things Luann. Which makes you wonder how she really feels about her houseguests calling her out on her behavior in her own home.
In separate interviews for the Real Housewives of New York After Show, Luann–and Dorinda and Sonja in a joint interview–dish on the girl’s upstate New York trip. Luann was asked about how she felt about having the ladies up to visit, and she admitted, “It’s been hell. And I never want to f***cking see them again. How’s that? I think I’d rather go to court than have them up there again.”
Well, people can criticize Luann for drinking again after two rehab stints–but it is clear rehab wasn’t a complete bust for her. She obviously paid attention at some point and picked up some assertiveness skills. And Luann must have taken extra notes in “Expressing Your Feelings As a Sober Person” class!” Congratulations Luann–I think?
The former Countess admitted in a previous show that she felt attacked by her co-stars during the girls’ trip. In a talking head about her houseguests, Luann declared, “I’m just feeling ganged up on and normally I would be quicker in response, but I just…they beat me down.”
RELATED: Luann de Lesseps Thinks Sonja Morgan Bringing Wine As A Hostess Gift Was “Tone Deaf”
How did some of the other ladies feel about Luann’s views about their friendly criticism? Sonja shares, “Luann felt we were ganging up on her, but we were trying to let her see that we all felt the same way, so it must be true. But it still didn’t sink in, did it? ” As Luann has already been through several rehabs and a Bethenny Frankel led intervention, shouldn’t the ladies have realized that Luann would be able to deflect an amateur personality intervention? Especially with her new self-absorption superpower?
Backing up Sonja, Dorinda believes Luann deserved the unsolicited life coaching from her guests. She states, “I think it’s the beginning of people sort of saying enough. People, they had incredible patience for the whole thing in the beginning, and I think as time goes on, you’re going to see that people are getting less and less patient about all this entitlement and sort of, you know, there’s a little of standing on a soapbox of sobriety.”
RELATED: Luann de Lesseps “Disappointed” That Bethenny Frankel Missed Her Cabaret Show; Calls Herself A “Humble Person”
Yes, but isn’t a semi-sober Luann standing on a sobriety soapbox better than a falling-down-in-the-bushes Luann wobbling on a wine crate? Many people are self-centered after rehab as most of their emotional resources go towards maintaining sobriety–or some version of it, in Luann’s case. Are cocktail loving Dorinda and Sonja threatened by Luann’s sobriety? Or have they just had enough of Luann’s inability to recognize she is not the axis of the universe?
Luann, for her part, defends her self-centered stance. She says, “I think that dealing with what I’ve had to deal with and taking care of myself and being a little self-absorbed is just what the doctor ordered for me at that time of my life. So maybe I’m a little self-absorbed, but I need to be right now to stay sane and sober.” And honestly– is she really any more self-absorbed than Ramona Singer? Or Bethenny? Or countless other Housewives? That’s part of why we love them!
RELATED: Dorinda Medley, Sonja Morgan, & Tinsley Mortimer Question The Sincerity Of The Apology Luann de Lesseps Gave Bethenny Frankel
Viewers know that Luann has always been self-absorbed. Sobriety is different for everyone and Luann has an added incentive for alcohol avoidance as she is being monitored by the courts. Her sobriety might not be perfect, but sober living rarely is. In the end, if Luann’s self-focus keeps her on a path to sobriety–and in court compliance–that is what is truly important.
TELL US-DO YOU THINK LUANN IS TOO SELF-ABSORBED? DO YOU BELIEVE LUANN IS SERIOUS ABOUT HER SOBRIETY? ARE SOME OF LUANN’S CO-STARS GUILTY OF THE SAME SELF-ABSORPTION THEY ACCUSE HER OF?
[Photo Credit: Heidi Gutman/Bravo]
