It’s one of the best times of year when Real Housewives of New York is back on Bravo, like the Christmas version of reality television. Out of all the shows in the franchise, it is probably number one in my book in terms of crazy shenanigans. Newcomer Eboni K. Williams tapped in after Dorinda Medley’s exit and, as far as we can tell from the season trailer, she’s holding her own with even less of a filter. Ahead of the premiere, the star even admitted to breaking up with her longtime fiancé last year because he chose to quarantine with his children from a previous relationship.
Apparently, Eboni K. Williams was with her former fiancé for four years before she called it off. She admitted that she was in the midst of planning a full-on fairytale wedding, complete with florists, caterers, the whole nine, before the pandemic had other ideas. The new Real Housewives of New York star opened up on The Wendy Williams Show that the quarantine “made us tell the truth about our relationship.” She continued,
He actually did not quarantine with me. He has three children, two of which are young adults, and he chose to quarantine in New Jersey with his semi-adult children. And for me, listen, I’m not a parent yet, so I get that they’re number one, but I need to be number one, Wendy, and I wasn’t number one so I needed to move on.
Hopefully others caught that side shade of “semi-adult children.” It seems a line was drawn in the sand, with her fiancé’s kids on one side and Eboni K. Williams on the other. Fans actually saw a similar dynamic play out when former Real Housewives of New York star Tinsley Mortimer was dating a man with kids in a previous season. Williams prioritized her needs, too, in the end.
On the Real Housewives of New York season opener on May 5, Eboni K. Williams was still pretty much forthcoming about her previous relationship with the other housewives. She reflected that she really wants to one day have her own kids. Williams also dished at Sonja Morgan’s townhouse soiree that she is seeing someone new now.
Much like Bachelor Nation, change is slowly happening in the Real Housewives franchise. From Jen Shah to Crystal Kung Minkoff, women of color are being offered seats at the Bravo table with more consistency. Eboni K. Williams marks the very first Black woman to be part of the main cast of Real Housewives of New York. When asked about joining the cast, Williams said,
I think that the Housewives in particular is such a good microcosm of culture. I take jobs based on my ability to impact the culture and I think this is a different audience than I’m used to, but I think it’s going to be good.
Supposedly, it wasn’t always good in the moment, though. Eboni K. Williams claims that she clashed with Real Housewives of New York co-stars Luann de Lesseps and Ramona Singer because they all are “alpha women” and she “doesn’t take well to hazing.” The Season 13 trailer suggested that a major problem arises due to Singer and perhaps some of the other ladies’ perceived tone deafness when it comes to race.
So perhaps the “microcosm of culture” Eboni K. Williams was referring to was really just one of Upper East Side WASPs. Tune in to Real Housewives of New York to find out more on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo!
