Eboni K. Williams joined the Real Housewives of New York City this season and effectively became its first Black cast member. The premiere episode on May 4 started to lay the foundations of what was already promised in the trailer: a whole lot of drama that might have something to do with race. Yet co-star Ramona Singer has nothing (right now) but nice things to say about Williams as a "great" addition to the reality show.
For those not as familiar with Real Housewives of New York City, series star Ramona “The Stinger” Singer is most known for her complete lack of filter. (Fans will remember in last year’s reunion Singer’s terrible handling of Leah McSweeney’s mental health issues). Add topics like race into the mix, and it was inevitable that Singer would fumble the ball. She was seen in the trailer making Eboni K. Williams uncomfortable by referring to her “help.” But when asked about the newcomer to the franchise, Singer asserts that all is good with Williams – now, at least. She told E! Online:
You know, one thing about the Housewives of New York, there's always conflict but always resolution. That's the beauty of the show, conflict and resolution, conflict and resolution. We're all strong-ass women and we speak our minds, and we say what we want to say, and we get it out, but then we all make up, so it's all good. And Eboni's a great addition, absolutely. I bonded with her immediately, the moment I met her.
In the first episode Real Housewives of New York City this past week, Eboni K. Williams did seem to bond well with Ramona Singer when she met her at Sonja Morgan’s get-together. They shared niceties and delved into how Williams’ previous engagement fell apart. However, ahead of the premiere, Williams shared that she butted heads with fellow “alpha women” Singer and Luann de Lesseps.
As of yet though, we haven’t seen the deeper reason for the conflict between the ladies on this season of Real Housewives of New York City. But the recent episode did show Sonja Morgan clumsily try to appear “woke” to Williams by saying she has all colors of koi fish in her garden. The cringe moment was played off by Williams at the time but, in the confessional, she called it a "lame” effort. Apparently, the audience will see more of Williams in these situations because Singer said in the same interview:
She educates [us] on some things that we're not quite aware of because, you know, we're all in our little secular world, and then it was great. She's a great addition, I'm glad that we diversified this season, and she's taught us some things, and I think we taught her some things. And that's what life is all about, it's growing and learning.
It is good to see different perspectives being included in the Real Housewives franchise. But it looks like there’s trouble in store for Eboni K. Williams, who seems to only have Leah McSweeney in her corner.
Tune into Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York City on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
