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Eboni K. Williams Says Sonja Morgan Was The Only Person Open To A Diverse Cast

Carlos King spent years producing drama, now he’s spilling the tea on it. King is famous for some of the pettiest housewives fights in bravo history. From Jersey to Atlanta, he produced iconic scenes that we still reference today. With his new podcast, “Reality with the King”, we can expect exclusive tea from his time as  a producer for the housewives franchise. 

 

The housewives universe has been shaken ever since news broke that RHONY would be split into two shows: RHONY: legacy (working title) and RHONY. The legacy series will catch up with some OG’s and fan favorites, while Season 14 of RHONY will center a “multicultural” cast of real friends that better represent New York City’s elite.

 

Williams was afforded an advanced call from production about the executive decision regarding the two shows; without telling much she says “When the general populous found out I was informed.” She admits she was in her feelings at first. “I feel very strongly that I did everything in my power, everything I knew, to do everything I could do to show up full throttle as my inaugural season as a housewife.” 

 

Season 13, starring Williams, was shot during lock-down. She’s been vocal about how she feels she’s been robbed of traditional housewife perks, such as the international trips, the reunion, and the glitz and glam of it all.

 

After digesting the news, Williams said that the decision is more than fair. “The audience deserves to see what has always made housewives successful: which is not a plug and play casting situation. It is a curation of an existing friend group of women with different personalities, different dynamics, different  aspects, coming together and living that out loud for television.” Essentially Williams will have to audition for her job all over again.

 

King gives his two cents, “I felt that, wow did Eboni shake the table so much that she single-handedly raised the flag to a show that did not represent diversity that we all know New York has become? And because people i.e the audience, have said Eboni ruined the show.” Williams has both white and black critics. King implies that they can’t get rid of Williams as the first black housewife of New York City.

 

King believes they want to create two separate shows to appease black folks, while saving Ramona’s job. He thinks that if it hadn’t been for Williams being on the show this would have never happened. I agree. Although Bravo took a hit with Betheny’s departure, letting go of Ramona is too much of a risk for the network. 

 

Williams was willing to negotiate with her former castmates about what an ensemble future could look like that included everyone. “They were unwilling to come to the table and meet me even halfway in that negotiation.” Eboni makes it clear that only Sonja Morgan was open to changes. Apparently Ramona, LuAnne, and Leah were not willing to engage. In Williams’ opinion, that is the reason they are getting these two shows. 

The Real Housewives of New York City Season 13 Cast

 

“If those same former castmates of mine had been willing to enter into the negotiation of co-existing and sharing space with myself and additional women outside of their particular New York world and bubble, you would have had a season 14 that was what everybody anticipated. A proper integration of old school and new school.”

 

Am I really shocked that Leah was unwilling to be part of the growth? No. At the end of the day we’re talking about Upper East Side white women.

 

King said he had his doubts about Eboni as a housewife, and even said out loud “Does Eboni belong on this show?” To which Williams quickly replied, “Or do they belong on this show? I think that’s what Bravo is ultimately telling us that they concluded. That perhaps the time is up for that energy to be at the forefront of one of the flagships.”

 

Williams had no problem giving Bethenny her flowers. She said that Bethenny “activated” the show, and even calls her “a force multiplier”. Williams learned that phrase from a prolific NFL coach. “A force multiplier is a type of individual you can drop into any scenario and everyone around them comes alive. Everyone around them offers something better, different, stronger.”

 

She continues, “Housewives all across the board are peppered with plug and play types.” But there will always be force multipliers: The Bethenny’s, the Kenya Moores,  the Tamara Judges, and the Gizelle Bryants.

 

While interviewing Williams, King had an epiphany. “You don’t have to confirm or deny this, this is me saying it. I now understand you were put in a box to represent a movement so that other people could say see we talked about it, we’re on the path and we’re a part of the movement so leave us alone PR people leave us alone black Twitter, instead of saying why can’t we represent Eboni K. Williams on this show the way we did with Garcelle on Beverly Hills.”

 

He continues, “I now realized in this “aha” moment you were never given a fair chance of showing the authenticity of who you are because there was one agency that was placed on you and the fucked up part about it is you and the black community, the pressures of the black community on your shoulders and that is not fair to a woman who is walking into 13 years of an established show. So I apologize to you.”

 

Williams gracefully tells him no apology is needed. She explains that she has successfully divorced herself from white comfort and white approval. What’s important to her is acceptance and relationship by the black community and culture.

 

King believes that Williams will be back because apart from her diverse friend group, she is going to show a side to herself that the audience hasn’t seen. He said “We saw a glimmer of that when you were on WWHL. Everybody watched you on the most recent episode of WWHl and fell in love with you.”

 

Williams shares that no one (production) made space for her personal story because they were too preoccupied with the racial conflict that was existing between Williams and the veteran cast members. She admits she stopped watching the show after black shabbat. “It’s not an accident when you’re the first black woman they choose to put on the platform for what I now can say retroactively  was a demolition of sorts.” 

 

King believes that the reboot of RHONY will be Eboni and other women, and that the show will be on peacock, while RHONY: legacy will be on Bravo. “I believe based on the fact that the ratings for this past season of NYC wasn’t the greatest, that bravo is not going to take a chance of putting on the linear network a brand new cast hoping to cas that same audience.” 

 

Williams disagrees; apparently the ratings weren’t much better than season 12. RHONY hadn’t been doing great for a while, so just because the OG gets back together again, doesn’t mean that the ratings will sky rocket. 

 

Williams admits that she wasn’t swooning over being a housewife for season 13. She was more concerned with being an important representation of black womanhood on a global iconic platform. “Now a bitch is old, outside is open, I want to be a housewife now. I’m kind of bought into it, the whimsicalness of that part now. 

 

If she is invited to the reboot of season 14 it would look more like Eboni’s crew. “Why wouldn’t I continue the relationship that’s already been established and consider building a fuller cast around a woman who is clearly at the center of media elite New York, of cultural integration and intersection, and is on the cusp of making massive life decisions concerning baby, man, and money. It just makes sense to me.” 

 

Williams has hired a matchmaker to support her journey to love and marriage. 

 

As we speak, Williams is in work mode when it comes to pitching her group of friends to the network. “I’m not going through instagram. I’m going through my text messages. When it comes to who I’m actually going to put a bra on for, and go out my house with by choice, with no check attached thats a small group of women, they just happen to be fantastic”

 

When asked if she would want Bershan back on the show, she states that she has no beef with her. She wishes for her health, prosperity, and happiness. Bershan and Eboni were never friends, Bershan and Ramona were never friends, and news flash: Eboni and Leah were never friends. 

 

“They identified two exceptional black women. The two most educated people that appeared on your screen for RHONY were myself with a doctorate and Bershan with her master’s from Syracuse, baby don’t play with us. So when it comes to credentials and qualifications we were overqualified to be amongst  those particular women.” 

 

Williams shares that during filming her and Bershan had a conversation where it was kind of odd that they had to kiss the ring, and sing for their supper, and be invited to things. 

 

King throws his hat in the bid and wants his production company to produce the upcoming season of RHONY. “I know how to produce a diverse cast. I did Jersey. I did Atlanta.” For the last 13 seasons the same production company has been behind the “crown jewel” that RHONY is, but it’s time for someone who understands the (new) assignment.