Eboni K. Williams is opening up about her fight with Real Housewives of New York City co-star Luann de Lesseps.
“It was really tough, and it did affect I think very much so my relationship with Luann and it took a long time for us to kind of get to a place of any kind of repair around it, because I think after this blow up that we have, I think there was a question mark on both ends around trust. Can I trust your intentions for me as a woman, as a person?” Eboni told Us Weekly on the Friday, June 4, episode of the “Getting Real with the Housewives” podcast. “In a friendship, it’s hard to have an authentic connection when there’s a lack of trust.”
Williams said she doesn’t play when it comes to “the judgment and demonizing and stigmatizing of women,” but admits that she and De Lesseps are in a “solid place,” but still have room for growth.
“I think, frankly, some of this is generational. I think we just have to be honest about that. These women were coming into their womanhood in a very different society as it relates to the liberation of women,” Eboni explained. “Leah and I are very fortunate to kind of stand on the shoulders of the previous generations’ work around that. I think some of that is at play and it’s difficult to talk about without it all sounding like you’re agist or shaming the women because where they are generationally.”
She added, “So, of course, they’re not going to see it the way we necessarily see it, but we just don’t want to be shamed or stigmatized around our authentic experience.”
During last week’s episode, Williams engaged in a heated and racially sensitive exchange with co-star Luann de Lesseps over education. The argument began after Ramona Singer and Leah McSweeney had a debate about whether it's appropriate to candidly discuss sex among friends, leading de Lesseps to step in and suggest that using vulgar words did not align with their conservative values. Williams chimed in and disagreed with de Lesseps.
“I don't subscribe to the fact that to use those words means you're unclassy or not a lady,” Williams said as de Lesseps replied, “It has nothing to do with class, it has to do with education.”
When Williams said that she's the “most educated person in this group,” de Lesseps argued that her co-star's degrees don't make her more educated. “That's probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard somebody say,” she said.
As the pair continued to go back and forth, Singer told her castmates to “bring it down” because her “ears are hurting.” Williams then told Singer that her “white fragility is killing me right now,” leading de Lesseps to warn the lawyer to not “go after” Singer's race since they didn't attack hers.
Williams later grew frustrated as her costars failed to see her side of things. “If you don't want me here because I'm not free to express how I feel about things, I will leave your property," said Williams. “I think you should go," de Lesseps quickly agreed. “You need to calm down and think about what you just said was very offensive to us.”
Photo Credit: Lev Radin/ M10s/MEGA; Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
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