If there’s one person who’s highly confident in the staying power of The Real Housewives of New York City, it’s Luann De Lesseps. Throughout the RHONY hiatus, she’s remained open and optimistic that the show will come back better than ever and that she’ll still be holding onto an apple once the dust settles.
Of course, last season of RHONY was a historic disaster. The ratings were low, the reunion got canceled under mysterious circumstances, and in the aftermath, it’s been unclear what the show’s future will hold. Andy Cohen says it’s on a pause, and rumors come out about casting shakeups on a weekly basis. However, in a new interview with Page Six, Countess Lu is fresh off the heels of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip and insists that RHONY is “not going anywhere” and that the casting is underway to right the wrongs of season 13.
“The casting is not up to me, obviously. Of course, they weigh in with [me] because I’ve been around for a long time.” Luann said. “I try to go into things with no preconceived notions like I did on the Ultimate Girls Trip. I didn’t have any expectations. I just wanted to have the full experience.”
She continued, “I feel the same way about casting, and I’ve heard that they’ve got some great candidates. I don’t know who’s staying, who’s going, but I’m looking forward to the next season. It’s going to be a strong one.”‘
For season 14, one cast member everyone has their eye on is Eboni K. Williams. Should she stay, or should she go? Luann revealed that she’s open to Eboni coming back for a sophomore season, despite all of the rumblings of behind-the-scenes drama with the cast.
RELATED: Luann de Lesseps Keeps In Touch With Michael Burchill, The Trip Concierge From Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip
“I don’t know who’s coming and who’s not coming back. But I think we all landed in a very good place with [Eboni] at the end of the season,” Luann revealed. “Even though we didn’t have the reunion, I felt like we landed and ended in a good place. I’m not opposed to having her back. Let’s see what happens.”
Even though this longer-than-usual hiatus has put the entire RHONY cast in an awkward situation of basically being in between jobs, Luann told Page Six that the time off was kind of a blessing in disguise. She’s been keeping busy with her cabaret show, a line of non-alcoholic rosé, and a burgeoning rap career. She’s had a lot going on in these last few months, and she couldn’t have done it all if RHONY was filming right now.
She explained, “I got to say, I’ve been so busy with my cabaret tour and shows and getting ready that it’s kind of a blessing that we weren’t filming this fall because I really needed the time.”
“When I got that call, I was in St. Tropez, and they said, ‘You don’t have to be back.’ I was like, ‘Yes!’ And I stayed a little longer.”
RELATED: Luann de Lesseps Is Releasing A Rap Song Inspired By Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip
TELL US – HOW LONG DO YOU THINK RHONY WILL BE ON A PAUSE? ARE YOU SURPRISED BY HOW CONFIDENT LUANN IS ABOUT SEASON 14?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]