‘RHONY’: Luann De Lesseps Addresses Rumored Cast Shake-ups

It’s been widely rumored that some shake-ups could be coming to the Real Housewives of New York City. Most recently, it was rumored that longtime cast member Ramona Singer would be getting the boot. However, fellow RHONY star Luann De Lesseps addressed this rumor during an interview with PEOPLE. According to the Countess, RHONY wouldn’t be what it is without Singer.

De Lesseps began by saying, “Listen, Ramona’s an O.G.” The Real Housewife continued to express her feelings on the situation, and it’s clear that she’s all in on Singer returning for Season 14 of the Bravo series. She added, “I can’t imagine Housewives of New York without Ramona. So, I think it’s all of that, just chatter.” There’s been a ton of speculation regarding the future of RHONY, particularly as it concerns the cast.

In mid-May, Radar Online reported that Singer was possibly exiting the show after Season 13. A source told the publication that there were a couple of reasons why she would not be asked back. They claimed, “Ramona will not be invited back to the next season of the show, which is currently not in production for a couple of reasons. One, she is too expensive. She is the only lady that has been on the show from day one, (Countess LuAnn was demoted to ‘a friend’ before returning as a full-time cast member) and her salary reflects it.”

The source continued to claim that Bravo wanted to take RHONY in a new direction in order to reflect what’s currently going on in the world. The insider continued, “Plus, the basic premise of the show doesn’t work anymore. A bunch of older white women behaving badly was fun a decade ago but not today. The world has changed and if the show wants to survive another decade it must change too and that starts with the cast.” Even though Radar Online reported that Singer was possibly on the outs, a source told the Daily Mail a different story.

“Ramona Singer ain’t going anywhere,” a network insider said. “This story is complete rubbish.” They went on to say that Bravo doesn’t make casting decisions “this early in the year.” The source continued, “we decide after the reunion episodes have aired. The production company Shed and the network Bravo really take into account what the fans say online and how they respond to the cast.”