Andy Cohen, Leah McSweeney, and Luann de Lesseps are reacting to the recent news that Eboni K. Williams will be joining the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City for the show's upcoming thirteenth season following the departures from Tinsley Mortimer and Dorinda Medley.
On Thursday, October 8, Bravo officially announced that Williams was the newest cast member to join RHONY. She is the first black woman to join the series as a full-time cast member.
Following the announcement, Cohen took to Twitter to welcome her to the Housewives franchise.
Cohen tweeted, "Welcome to #RHONY, @EboniKWilliams !"
To which Williams wrote back, "I’m SO excited!!🍎"
Luann also took to Twitter to congratulate Williams by sharing an article of her joining the series.
As for Leah McSweeney, she shared a selfie with Williams with the caption, "Let the games begin 👸🏼👸🏾 @ebonikwilliams #rhony"
Meanwhile, RHOA stat Cynthia Bailey also shared her reaction to Williams' addition to the new season of RHONY. Bailey says it's "amazing" news that Williams is the first black cast member in the NYC installment of the franchise.
"Wow, I'm just finding out now," she told PEOPLE. "I lived in New York for many years before I moved to Atlanta, and I've always thought — and a lot of my friends have been on New York, and are New York-like. I've always felt New York is so diverse. I always thought the one thing that was missing from New York was actually having an African-American woman on the show."
As for Bailey's fiancé Mike Hill, he revealed that he knows Williams personally. "Eboni's a friend of mine," Hill told PEOPLE. "So that's great. She's smart, she's articulate. Obviously she does a lot of shows, she does a lot of broadcast, she's a lawyer. She's going to add a lot to that show. I've never watched that show before, but whatever Eboni does, she adds a lot to it, so she's going to be a great asset."
So what can we expect from Eboni? Andy Cohen says Williams is “no shrinking violet” and will be able to hold her own.
"She’s got a lot going on personally. She’s incredibly smart. She seems, from what I can tell, to be absolutely no shrinking violet whatsoever, which is exactly what we would need for someone stepping into that group of very dominating women," Cohen told John Hill’s SiriusXM show, "The Feels," according to Page Six.
On Williams being the first black cast-member on the show, Cohen said the move was, "Obviously a very long time coming, and that’s the understatement of the decade."
On Thursday, October 8, Bravo officially announced that Williams was the newest cast member to join RHONY. She is the first black woman to join the series as a full-time cast member.
"NYC is filled with successful and dynamic Black women. I’m excited to join this legendary franchise as the first Black housewife," Eboni said in a statement to Bravo's The Daily Dish. "Can’t wait to share a slice of life in this city that hasn’t been seen before."
"Anyone who’s aware of my work knows I don’t hold back," she added. "I’m going to keep it just as real here as I do everywhere else."
Williams, who is an attorney and a television host, is making history as RHONY's first Black Housewife. She is currently the host and executive producer of Revolt Black News. She also has hosting credits on Fox Sports, Fox News Channel, NBA 2K, and more.
Before becoming a television star, the North Carolina-native earned her law degree at school at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. After receiving her Juris Doctor degree, specialized in family law and civil litigation. In 2017, she released her book titled Pretty Powerful: Appearance, Substance & Success.
She will be joining returning cast members Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Leah McSweeney, and Sonja Morgan. Prior to Williams’ addition, it was rumored that Bershan Shaw was joining the series.
Are you excited about Eboni's addition to RHONY? Sound off in the comment section below!
Photo Credit: Bravo/NBCUniversal
