Rumors about RHONY and about Eboni K. Williams has been so heated and nasty that Andy Cohen has had to step in.
It’s no secret that there are some people who are threatened by Eboni speaking about her lived experiences as a Black woman.
We’re not just talking about Ramona. Some audience members have blamed Eboni for this season’s low ratings.
Eboni is pointing out that that’s nonsense.
Speaking to the Insider, Eboni K. Williams is brushing off the accusation that she’s somehow dooming the longstanding series.
“From my experience in television, any expectation to carry ratings around a program will go to the veteran talent,” she noted.
Plenty of newcomers aren’t well liked (albeit Eboni’s case is more complicated) without it impacting ratings, because the OG’s make up the difference.
“So I think it’s nonsense to correlate the ratings performance of a 13-year series to a freshman talent,” Eboni stated.
She added: “I just don’t buy it.”
The ball would be in the court of Luann, of Ramona, of Sonja … of everyone else, even Leah, before the newest face.
Eboni also noted that, in many cases, television ratings have been down.
She explained that the ratings decline may have less to do with the show itself than it does with the “viewing habits of our nation.”
“People are not watching appointment television the way they used to two or even three years ago,” Eboni explained.
“That’s the reality,” Eboni affirmed.
“The other reality is RHONY‘s ratings were disproportionately up last season,” she added.
This was the case “because the series premiered in April of 2020.”
“Which was literally the inauguration, like the kickoff of the lockdown of a national and global lockdown,” Eboni accurately characterized.
She summarized the situation: “People literally had nowhere else to go.”
Meanwhile, while going out on the town can be hazardous as the unmasked and unvaccinated prolong this pandemic needlessly, more people are going out.
Infamously, Ramona and Luann have both whined that they have to learn about other people now that Eboni’s on the show.
Recently, Eboni hosted a party that showcased elements of Black history.
Some of her castmates feigned surprise at the topics and convsersations that followed.
“They knew exactly what to expect,” Eboni clarified in the interview.
“I let them know that there would be learning about the history of iconic Harlem,” she added.
Eboni specified: “I told them verbally in the invitation.”
Notably, Sonja even brought her reading glasses with that in mind.
“If you look back at the scene, you’ll see her putting them on,” Eboni added.
She explained: “She knew she was going to get an education.”
Eboni explained that she is far from the first Housewife on the show to talk about history and culture.
“Sonja Morgan took everybody to Philadelphia to go to the Morgan library and hear the history of John P. Morgan [and the] family legacy,” she recalled.
“Which is great,” Eboni continued, “that’s considered interesting.”
“So it’s only when … it’s accompanied by this Black American education,” Eboni said, “now the event becomes boring.”
“[That] tells me what you’re bored by is the learning and education of Black American life,” she expressed.
Yes. Either that, or people are unwilling to express their true feelings, and claim to be “bored” when they’re really uncomfortable.
Sometimes, learning new information makes you uncomfortable. That’s life!
But when white fragility is used to silence Black voices, whether the stakes are high or as low as they are for talks amongst the Housewives, that’s not good.
It is hoped that Bravo will ignore the calls to oust Eboni. If the network loses some white insecurity among their viewers, well, that’s a good thing.