Real Housewives’ Ramona Singer Allegedly Used N-Word, and On-Set Racism Made Eboni K. Williams Want to Quit — Report
Former Real Housewives of New York City cast member Eboni K. Williams and former producer Darian Edmondson have shared new details about their experiences working with former series staple Ramona Singer in a new exposé published by Vanity Fair. Both Williams and Edmondson allege that Singer was the source of multiple instances of racism during the production of Season 13 of the Bravo series.
Edmondson, who is Black, claimed that Singer used the N-word during a confessional following one of the season’s highly inflammatory moments. In the episode, Singer expressed her discomfort with the topic of race to Williams, before inquiring about the race of her co-star’s boyfriend. When Williams pointed out the contradiction there, Singer reportedly had an outburst, prompting Williams to leave the scene. After explaining to Edmondson in private how the conversation reminded Singer of when her Jewish colleagues would refer to her as a “shiksa” (a Yiddish term for a non-Jewish woman), Edmondson asked what the term meant. Singer allegedly replied, “It’s literally like somebody calling you a n—–.” (Singer told Vanity Fair that she “never” uttered the word.)
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Williams said RHONY’s problems with racism started before filming began, when cast members attended anti-racism training. Singer allegedly made a derogatory comment about absentee Black fathers. When the cast was advised against using similar stereotypes, Williams claimed that Singer responded, “What if they don’t have a father? Why can’t I say that? Most of them don’t.”
Another source claimed to Vanity Fair that Singer melted down after another argument seen on the show. When Williams accused cast member Luann de Lesseps of exhibiting white fragility, Singer reportedly “slammed her hands on the table” and said, “This is why we didn’t need Black people on the show… This is gonna ruin our show.” Singer denied the comment to Vanity Fair.
Williams told the publication that after enduring said on-set drama, she wanted to exit the series in November 2020, scheduling a meeting with production three days later. She said producers told her, “Listen, what you’re giving us is exactly what we want. If we wanted a different Black woman, we know how to get them.” One producer reminded her, “This show is a comedy.” Production denied to Vanity Fair that Williams ever tried to quit.
TVLine has reached out to Bravo/NBCUniversal for comment.
This isn’t the first time racist allegations have stricken the RHONY set. In 2021, TMZ reported that Singer was under investigation for a “racially motivated” comment, but was eventually cleared by the network. The Season 13 reunion, however, was postponed, then ultimately cancelled, and the series was eventually retooled with a new, diverse cast. That season, Season 14, concluded its run on Oct. 29.
Singer wrapped filming on the upcoming fourth season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip earlier this year, has guested on Watch What Happens Live since and is set to appear at BravoCon in Las Vegas, which begins this Friday, Nov. 3.
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