During Part 3 of The Valley Season 2 reunion, host Andy Cohen grew noticeably irate with Jesse Lally. To briefly explain, Jesse is now dating a woman named Lacy Nicole. However, Lacy irked Andy following the taping of the Season 3 finale. So during the reunion, Andy refused to show Jesse any grace when it came to Lacy. Andy thrilled (most of) us in this moment, but then I got to thinking. Why does Andy not show this same level of heat to all of his Bravo-fied babies?
When stars sign on to film for a reality television series, they need to do so with the intent of MENTIONING IT ALL on camera. From their highs to their lows, all of their real-life narratives must be on display, like Melissa Gorga sang about during her pop star era. Actual realities are vital to this genre, as Andy hotly explained to Jesse. However, I can think of at least two other stars who have also broken this rule, and yet, they have received little to no heat in return from the king of midnight fun.
Why was Andy Cohen mad at Jesse Lally over girlfriend Lacy Nicole on The Valley reunion?
Lacy does not want to film for The Valley. She and Jesse are dating, yes. However, Lacy is not a fan of the cameras that constantly surround her man.
Her fear likely stems from her incredibly traumatic background. In her early 20s, Lacy was the victim of a violent kidnapping. She was held in captivity by “a gang of men” for one awful night. Therefore, she likely has an ever-present need to feel safe in every environment that she encounters.
Knowing this about herself, Lacy still decided to show up to the set to see Jesse after he filmed the final episode of Season 2. While there, she reportedly fought with his ex, Michelle Saniei. Then, at the reunion, Michelle remained silent about this event because, allegedly, Lacy threatened her with legal action. Their fight, however, was reportedly meaty, so Andy felt annoyed about how Lacy maneuvered this entire narrative.
But Jesse was mad too, so he tried to get in a lick in by claiming, “They picked up cameras and put a boom over our head as soon as she walked in.” In response, Andy said, “As they should have. They were doing their job. If your girlfriend showed up today, you know what I would do? Stick a mic on her and get her in here.”
Andy then looked right at Jesse, asking him with the sternness of a mad teacher who wants to yell but knows that they cannot, “You understand?” After this verbal smackdown, all that Jesse could do was agree with Andy.
Andy doesn’t have the same energy for Real Housewives
Hosting gigs are never easy. Not only does Andy need to lead his participants equitably, but he also has to ask the questions that most viewers want to hear. Watching Andy put Jesse in his place for having the guts to whine about a camera in his face, on the set, was so life-giving, until, that is, I realized why.
Andy does not typically hold his Real Housewives stars to this same level of commitment. Sure, Andy is shady and funny and asks solid questions. But I can think of at least two Housewives who refused to either speak about or film with their rumored significant others. And yet, Andy has never sternly asked them to “understand” their assignments.
Case in point, Kyle Richards was rumored to be dating Morgan Wade. Morgan appeared with Kyle on her series, yet neither woman detailed what their relationship was. At her last reunion, Andy mentioned this to Kyle. Yet, he never grew heated at her for her unwillingness to speak her truth.
Then we have Jenna Lyons, who loves Cass Bird. Yet, Cass will never appear on her series. However, Cass lives with Jenna, and filming takes place in their unit. To refrain from labeling you as a hypocrite, can we now stick a mic on Cass anyway, Andy?
Andy should treat everybody across all Bravo shows the same when it comes to showing their lives
Andy cannot demand that Lacy or Jesse “understand” how filming works if he is not willing to forcefully broach this same topic with the characters attached to the Real Housewives franchise. Now, should he ever bend and start utilizing this same energy for all of the stars on Bravo, he will likely receive pushback. However, the bulk of this pushback will likely come from the ladies on the Real Housewives series. Andy has allowed some of these women a sense of privacy and freedom for so long that many have since grown far too comfortable in their seemingly secure positions on Bravo.
Nevertheless, there is nothing better than watching a cocky reality television star getting called out on national television. Viewers enjoy accountability, like a lot. So, when Andy scolded Jesse for thinking that he could dictate where cameras should and should not be on the set of The Valley, I, and likely many others, giggled. Moving forward, Andy, please maintain this same level of passion with every character on your set, and if they cannot handle being real, well, send them packing.
The Valley is available to stream on Peacock and Hayu in the UK and Ireland.
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT ANDY SOMETIMES MOVES IN HYPOCRITICAL WAYS AS A HOST?
