Bravo may be keeping a tight lid on its upcoming RHONY spinoff but OG, Luann de Lesseps isn’t holding anything back.
Earlier this week, she appeared on a podcast to share her thoughts on Legacy, the RHONY reboot, and other New York Housewives – including fellow OG Ramona Singer.
Last month, Ramona – the only remaining cast member who had been with the franchise since its inception, back in 2008 – announced she would be leaving the show after 13 consecutive seasons.
“I’m happy for her,” Luann told host David Yontef on his podcast Behind the Velvet Rope.
“I’m happy that she’s onto this next phase of her life.”
The Countess added that she hoped Ramona was “happy with her decision” to leave RHONY behind.
Luann on Ramona Singer’s exit from RHONY: ‘happy for her’
Speaking with Page Six in November, Ramona said she felt the time had simply come for her to step away.
“I do not want to do the show any longer,” she told the outlet. “It’s not for me at this time.”
But, though the statement implied that Ramona’s departure had been of her own initiative, sources suggested that wasn’t the full truth.
One Bravo insider told the outlet at the time that Ramona hadn’t been offered a spot on the revamped show.
Luann de Lesseps says Ramona Singer is ‘not coming back’ to RHONY
As for the circumstances of Ramona’s departure, Luann admitted on the podcast that she didn’t know “exactly what happened” – but she could make a guess.
“I feel like a lot of the Housewives, you know, when they don’t get called back, it’s, ‘I quit!’” she explained.
“Whether she quit, they let her go, I don’t know,” the Countess admitted, but she confirmed that Ramona would not return to RHONY.
Ultimately, Luann added, what exactly happened wasn’t important: “I know that she’s not coming back and so what’s the difference?”
Meanwhile, OG cast members and other RHONY alums – reportedly including fan favorites Kelly Bensimon, Jill Zarin, Sonja Morgan, and the Countess herself – will soon return for a new Legacy edition of the show.
Casting decisions for RHONY Legacy have yet to be announced.
Might Ramona make a surprise pop-in?
According to the Countess, “who knows.”
“Maybe she’ll surprise us,” Luann mused, adding that Ramona’s “always good for a surprise.”
The Real Housewives of New York City is currently on hiatus on Bravo.