Bravo is showing their support of Eboni K. Williams following backlash from viewers who accuse the new Bravo star of bringing up a lot of political and race conversations on the current season of The Real Housewives of New York City.
Bravo released an official statement in support of Williams.
“Bravo invited Eboni K. Williams as the first Black woman to join the cast of The Real Housewives of New York to be her authentic self, which has brought a new perspective to the show,” the network told E! News in a statement. “We support Eboni in expressing her views, and we are proud that the show is addressing these important and relevant issues.”
As previously reported, Williams denied that she is to blame for a reported decline in the ratings for the current season of the Bravo hit reality series.
Williams told TMZ that the show’s producers, not her, have the final word on what makes it on the air.
The lawyer turned reality star said that her serious on-air conversations don’t have anything to do with fewer fans watching and that she shouldn’t be the scapegoat for a drop in ratings, reports Page Six.
Williams said that if her co-stars didn’t exhibit microaggressions during filming, she wouldn’t even need to initiate race-related conversations as often.
But, she said, they are important talks to have and noted to TMZ that the Bravo hit reality series has historically covered other sensitive topics, including alcoholism, mental health, money woes, and divorce.
According to The Daily Mail, the April 6 episode of “RHONY” garnered 764,000 live viewers, making it the show’s lowest-rated episode ever.
The news comes after it was reported this week that a cast shakeup for Season 14 is underway and the taping for the Season 13 reunion has been pushed back from Aug. 5 until at least September amid the reported decline in ratings and some fan backlash about the storylines this season.
Photo Credit: Bravo Media/NBCUniversal
