Cohen believes the Housewives franchise is about friendship, sisterhood, marriage and motherhood.
“There is conflict on the show. I think if it was only one speed, if it was only about conflict, it would not have worked for the amount of time that it worked," Cohen told the Dallas Observer. “I think that the backbone of each of these series is friendship.”
“I think if you look at Stephanie [Hollman] and Brandi's [Redmond] friendship, their friendship is something to aspire to,” he continued. “I think it's one of the reasons people like watching the show is seeing the two real friends who’ve been friends for years and planned their kids’ birth around their friendship and being pregnant at the same time.”
As previously reported, Hendra took to Facebook and slammed Cohen and the network Bravo for pitting women against one another and profiting from it. Hendra also warned women against going on the show. She even called the network “bottom feeders.”
“I'm getting texts and seeing FB posts that Bravo casting is looking for new women for Season 3 of RHOD. Hear me, ladies," Hendra's Facebook post reads. "If you want to be famous and willing to jeopardize your marriage, family and brand/mission — go for it. Bravo is a bottom feeder. People worship Andy Cohen. HA! What a crack up. He's laughing at these women as he's purchasing his next piece of NY real estate. Be mindful of who you worship!!!”
Toward the end of Hendra's FB post, she applauds D'Andra Simmons, a new addition in season two of RHOD, for staying true to herself. She ended her post with: “I wish this franchise would go to hell and die, once and for all," Hendra writes. "We need programming that celebrates strong female unity. Period. If you get sucked in and celebrate watching other women in turmoil and drama, then you need to go get a life. Seriously.”
Hendra appeared on the first season of The Real Housewives of Dallas. During filming, it was not yet a Housewives series. The women on that season, including Hendra, believed they were taping a show about Dallas women involved in charity, which at that time was titled Ladies of Dallas.