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Real Housewives of New York City premiered in 2008, just the second Real Housewives franchise to grace our televisions, following Orange County. Thirteen seasons later, with only two OGs—Ramona Singer and (Countess) Luann de Lesseps—remaining, the original iteration of the show came to a close. For a while, there was talk of a Real Housewives of New York Legacy, a reunion of fan favorites from the early years, but contract negotiations reportedly didn’t go so smoothly. And a new, revamped Real Housewives of New York City premieres this month with a new generation of Housewives.
Still, if you’re like me, you’re nostalgic for the days of Jill Zarin and Bethenny Frankel’s beautiful friendship, for Luann insisting she did not fuck the pirate, for Sonja Morgan washing her lingerie in her bidet, and for Ramona’s infamous turtle time. The women of the Big Apple have given us so many iconic moments over the years, too many to count. In honor of all the entertainment they’ve shared with us, let’s learn more about where they are now.
Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny Frankel in 2022
Frankel was an original cast member; she started her Real Housewives of New York City journey as a private chef and aspiring entrepreneur, known for her biting tongue and quotable one-liners. (Scary Island’s “Go to sleep!” is arguably one of the most iconic Housewives moments, as is her screaming “Mention it all!” while leaning back and spreading her legs during a spar with Ramona Singer.) After a spin-off about her marrying her now ex-husband Jason Hoppy and a temporary hiatus from RHONY, Frankel left the franchise for good after season 11. Where is the OG apple holder now? Just open TikTok—Frankel, who has continued to expand on her SkinnyGirl brand, is now a fixture on beauty and shopping TikTok, where she reviews everything from high-end products to drugstore finds; she also recently launched a YouTube channel.
Luann de Lesseps
Luann de Lesseps in 2023
Along with Ramona Singer, de Lesseps is one of the OGs to have made it all the way through to season 13. She came on the scene as a—let’s face it—pretentious and etiquette-obsessed housewife who was at the time married to Count de Lesseps, a fact she never let people forget. (In one now infamous scene, she scolds Frankel for introducing her to a driver by her first name.) Her marriage to the count ended back in 2009; her relationship, marriage, and divorce from Tom D’Agostino was a central plot point in seasons eight and nine of the show. If you’ve seen that GIF of Frankel shaking and sipping alcohol, it’s from a scene in which she breaks the news to de Lesseps that D’Agostino has been unfaithful. (She would still go on to marry him.) After a highly publicized arrest for battery, trespassing, and disorderly conduct, de Lesseps's journey to and from and back again to sobriety was extensively documented on the show. Lu joined the first season of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, and these days she can be found cabareting her way around the country; a new Simple Life–style spin-off, Crappie Lake, starring her and fellow RHONY castmate Sonja Morgan, airs this month.
Alex McCord
McCord joined RHONY in season one and left in season four. Her close (very close) relationship with husband Simon was constant fodder for gossip among the other women, who repeatedly pearl-clutched at her insistence that he join her for a girls night dinner, and at her reticence to travel without him or their two young sons at the time. McCord’s most egregious offense for this group of women, though, was her Brooklyn townhouse, which seemed perpetually under renovation. There was constant chatter, too, about the distance between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and most of the Housewives acted like the short trip between the boroughs was akin to crossing a hundred miles in the desert without food or water. McCord was one of the few OGs set to join the Legacy show cast, but fans of McCord (myself included!), fear not: She recently joined the cast of an upcoming season of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip
According to her Instagram, McCord received her master's degree in psychology in 2020 and is currently pursuing her PhD. She and her family have lived in Australia since 2017.........
