Why Eboni K. Williams Thinks 'RHONY' Was Split Into 2 Shows

"Only Sonja Morgan was willing to come to the table and negotiate a future that involved me as a part of this ensemble," Eboni K. Williams said

By

Published on April 6, 2022 12:29 PM

Eboni K. Williams is candidly speaking about the future of The Real Housewives of New York City franchise.

During an appearance on Stitcher's Reality with the King podcast, the TV personality, 38, shared why she thinks the beloved series is now being split into two different shows.

"I feel I was more than willing the whole season and after we aired and after we wrapped and after the decision to not have a reunion, I was always willing to negotiate with my former castmates about what an ensemble future could look like that included all of us, always right up until the very end," Williams told host Carlos King. "They were unwilling is all I can tell you. They were unwilling to come to the table and meet me even halfway in that negotiation."

The Beyond the Edge contestant continued, "And if you know anything about business, you know anything about the art of the deal, you can't close that way. You can't close when parties involved in the negotiation are unwilling to give, even an inch. So I think that more than anything is actually the reason, Carlos, that we are now getting these two shows."

Clarifying that she's stating her "opinion" on the matter, Williams explained that she thinks the series would have likely proceeded as usual had all her castmates been in agreement.

"If those same former castmates of mine had been willing to enter into the negotiation of coexisting and sharing space with myself and additional women outside of their particular New York world and bubble, you would have had a season 14 that was what everybody anticipated," she said. "A proper integration of old school, new school."

Williams said she "was not blackballed," citing her recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as evidence of Bravo still being in her corner. But she reiterated that Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer and Leah McSweeney were allegedly "unwilling" to negotiate with her.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY — Sophy Holland/Bravo

"Only Sonja Morgan was willing to come to the table and negotiate a future that involved me as a part of this ensemble," she said. "Period dot. Period dot."

PEOPLE has reached out to Bravo for comment.

When Williams joined RHONY in its 13th season, she clashed with Singer, 65, on multiple occasions. The cast didn't film its reunion special after the finale due to "scheduling challenges," but a source told PEOPLE an internal investigation tied to complaints of racism was filed among the cast.

Last November, franchise producer Andy Cohen told Entertainment Tonight that the series "is in pause mode" and "will be in repair mode." Upon sharing that revelation, the 53-year-old acknowledged that "this last season of New York was a season that wasn't people's favorite."

Cohen then revealed to Variety last month that Bravo is "rebooting and recasting" the series, splitting it into two different shows. He revealed that the series highlighting OG RHONY stars is being called "RHONY: Throwback" or "RHONY: Legacy" internally.

"You know that we're at a crossroads for RHONY," Cohen said. "We've spent a lot of time figuring out where to go. And the plan that we've come up with, I think, is a real gift to the fans."