“She revealed that next season . . . there’s going to be a new housewife,” Page Six TV co-host Elizabeth Wagmeister reported. “She wouldn’t say who . . . but she said, ‘She’s my friend.’”
Luann also revealed that she and Bethenny Frankel will “fight a lot” next season.
Back in November, Luann revealed in a now deleted Instagram post that she will be joined by returning cast members Frankel, Dorinda Medley, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan and Tinsley Mortimer.
However, what raised eyebrows was that Luann confirmed that Barbara Kavovit, who was heavily rumored is officially joining the show as well as Jill Zarin, who will make her return to the Bravo hit reality series.
"Congrats to the official Season eleven cast of #rhony," wrote Luann. "So excited to welcome @msbarbarak & welcome back @mrsjillzarin
@bethennyfrankel @tinsleymortimer @dorindamedley @ramonasinger @sonjatmorgan & moi of course..."
Page Six reports that Zarin has filmed multiple appearances for the upcoming season, including scenes last month at the Angel Ball and on Thursday night at a charity event in Midtown. Sources reveal that at the moment, it's not clear if she will be a "friend" or full-time cast member.
As previously reported, Kavovit has been spotted filming test scenes with the New York City Housewives at a few events late last year, including Frankel’s SkinnyGirl Jeans launch, where she danced alongside Frankel, Morgan, and de Lesseps.
PEOPLE previously reported that Kavovit is getting the official Housewives. “Barbara is a no-nonsense chick,” a source close to the cast told PEOPLE. “She’s already known many of these women for ages, and has been a great fit so far. She doesn’t back down from a fight and isn’t afraid to speak her mind.”
“She’s a perfect Housewife in the sense that she’s glamorous and fun and outgoing,” a second source told PEOPLE. “She’s really young at heart and very sweet. She’s very successful as a businesswoman and always tries to push a women’s empowerment message through her construction company work.”
You may remember of Kavovit’s off-camera conversation with Carole Radziwill about de Lesseps’ relationship with her then-fiancé, Tom D’Agostino Jr., during season 9 of the Bravo hit reality series.
While Kavovit did not appear on the episode, which aired in May 2017, Radziwill’s mic picked up their conversation at a mutual friends’ holiday party. “I think she has something to prove,” Kavovit told Radziwill at the time about de Lesseps’ upcoming New Years Eve nuptials.“She’d rather go through with it and get divorced than call it off.”
According to multiple reports, Kavovit tried to prevent Bravo from airing her conversation with Radziwill at the time. De Lesseps, meanwhile, did split from D’Agostino Jr. after only seven months of marriage in August 2017.
But that's all in the past now. “No one cares about that,” the first source told PEOPLE. “Producers just want a good TV show, and so far, Barbara is bringing that.”
Adds an insider, “She’s been friends with Luann for a while. They fell out last year as Barbara was the one who was recorded off mic talking about Tom and Luann fighting at a party. They’ve since made up.”
Photo Credit: Bravo
