On March 23, Bravo officially announced that The Real Housewives of New York City will be returning — but with a catch! The network is rebooting the popular franchise with a brand new cast that won’t feature season 13 stars Sonja Morgan, Leah McSweeney, Ramona Singer, Eboni K. Williams and Luann de Lesseps. However, there will be a second series featuring former stars, too.
Before the big news was announced, we spoke with Dorinda Medley EXCLUSIVELY on our Pay Attention Puh-Lease! podcast, and although the Nutrisystem ambassador didn’t yet know of the network’s decision to divide the show into two, she did note the very possible “chance” she’ll be back for the next round of RHONY — in some capacity.
HollywoodLife: Is there a chance you’ll be back next season?
Dorinda: There’s always a chance. I love when people say, ‘Are you coming back next year?’ it’s like, it wasn’t my decision to leave. That’s up to the greater gods of NBC and Bravo and stuff. It’s up to you guys to put it out there.
HL: Do you take it as a compliment that they say ‘pause’ with you? They use that term so specifically with you.
Dorinda: I know, that was interesting. At the time I didn’t, but as time has gone on … I remember my mother saying at the time […] ‘Don’t worry about it! Rejection’s protection, you just have to do something different!’ It worked out well because I think it opened me up to a lot of different projects. I would have never written my book, I would have never finished getting my bourbon out there, my Blue Stone Manor Bourbon. It just allowed me to grow in a different way, just not as a housewife, but sort of just as a bigger person to think about things and put them into perspective.
Dorinda: I loved doing the Housewives and I considered myself a good housewife but it was six years! Maybe it was a minute just to exhale a bit and heal and grow in another direction. I said to Andy [Cohen] at the time which was interesting every six years my life changes — it’s a really odd thing. I was on the Housewives for six years, I was married to my husband. And then I change again, I change into another person. And each one has been a growth period. Would you like to see me back on?
HL: Of course!
Dorinda: You need something to write about! ‘Cause when I’m good I’m great and when I’m bad I’m terrible — and that is terrible!
HL: Who would be an epic cast?
Dorinda: It’s hard because I don’t know what direction they’re going in. I definitely think there’s people that they could bring back. I’m very close to LuAnn de Lesseps, so of course her. I know that there’s rumbles of maybe Kelly Bensimon coming back. There’s even rumors that I’d come back, that Tinsley [Mortimer] would come back. I do think they need the flavor of the old to comfort people, and I think it would be very interesting to get three new, very strong, diverse, interesting women, that can sort of bond and make new friends.
I was very lucky when I started the show because I knew all the girls, except for Bethenny [Frankel] and Carole [Radziwill]. You had already seen me on the show and I lived with these girls, I knew their kids, so it almost seemed like I’d always been there in a weird way. But it’s hard when you have new girls come on because … it takes a minute. So they need some strong new women that are going to bring a different flavor to it.