There was clearly a different tone in this season of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York. It was the old guard (Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps) versus the new guard (Leah McSweeney and Eboni K. Williams), as the group grappled with race conversations and being as authentic as possible in a post-COVID, post-BLM world. Their sometimes awkward and upfront address of the new dynamic, coupled with low ratings, sparked speculation that some cast members will be fired. No one’s gotten the axe just yet, but the reunion for Season 13 is cancelled and the reason for it is a bit surprising.
The Real Housewives of New York's thirteenth season officially concluded on August 31, and the reunion was expected to drop any day now. Fans have highly anticipated the cast addressing the major backlash to the season, as well as any dormant drama or tensions. But apparently, it wasn't meant to be. A Bravo spokesperson confirmed the reunion cancellation to ET Online, saying:
Due to scheduling challenges around taping the reunion of The Real Housewives of New York City in a timely manner, Bravo confirmed there will not be a reunion for this season. It’s disappointing to not be able to bring the cast back together, but we are happy to have ended on such a high note with the finale, and are now shifting our focus to next season.
The move to cancel The Real Housewives of New York’s Season 13 reunion over scheduling issues is very surprising. It marks the very first time across any spinoff within the Real Housewives franchise that a reunion hasn't taken place. That's 11 series, 15 years and dozens of seasons. Even last year, amidst the ongoing panic over COVID-19 and shutdowns, the reunion shows still went on. Bravo's Shahs of Sunset, Below Deck, the Real Housewives of Atlanta and more all conducted their reunions virtually. And as tensions eased, casts from shows shows like RHONY reunited with strict social distancing protocols.
So it seems strange then that the Real Housewives of New York reunion was cancelled so abruptly and over scheduling. Perhaps Bravo was attempting to quickly close the book on such a controversial season, as well as avoid talk of the cast’s future.
Like many other spinoffs in the franchise this year, The Real Housewives of New York had a lot of dialogue about race in Season 13. Newcomer Eboni K. Williams, as the show’s first Black castmate, attempted to explain her unique perspective to the group of all white women. But she was met with a significant pushback by her co-stars, save Leah McSweeney, who they felt like they were in “school” or being “preached at.” Recently, Williams shared that she thinks pushing those conversations forward might’ve cost her the gig. However, previous reports indicated that her presence on contemporary shows like The View is actually a boon for her return.
Some of the New York cast members have broken their silence on the Season 13 reunion cancellation. Sonja Morgan responded to a fan on Twitter, jokingly saying, “Goodnight from the lower level.” Eboni K. Williams wrote on her Instagram stories that she was “disappointed” – about not getting to show off her reunion dress, that is. Meanwhile, Leah McSweeney said on her own Instagram stories:
At this point it's a long time ago and it was a rough year, all around, in general. And it's been a season that I feel like has been unfairly torn apart and we all gone through the ringer while it was filming and while it was airing. So now there's no reunion.
Still, fans look forward to reunions precisely because they can be way better than the actual seasons. Bravo might think that cancelling the Real Housewives of New York reunion was the best decision. However, I would argue that it actually could have been a good saving grace moment for Season 13.
