Bravo executive producer Andy Cohen is onboard with casting a transgender Real Housewife, but he has one condition. She should be friends with someone on the cast and not just a token trans person.
“I think if there was a trans ‘Housewife’ who was friends with other ‘Housewives’ that would be the way,” Andy explained during an appearance at the Newport Beach TV Fest.
“You wouldn’t want it to be a stunt,” he added. “You know, you wouldn’t want it to be like, ‘Let’s cast into this.’ If someone was friends with that person, then that would be great.”
The Bravo boss doesn’t want it to be a “stunt”
According to the Daily Mail, while he’s open to the idea, he has “no idea what franchise that would be.” During the early days of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, production “flirted with the idea” of casting Jaime Laurita. Jaime is the brother of Caroline Manzo and Dina Manzo, who is gay.
However, “This is a show about women and celebrating women,” Andy, who is also gay, explained. “So I’d think we’d leave it there.”
But since the Housewives franchise premiered in 2006, several LGBTQIA+ cast members have been featured. The first openly gay Housewife was Braunwyn Windham-Burke of The Real Housewives of Orange County. In December 2020, she came out as a lesbian as an already existing cast member.
In 2021, The Real Housewives of Miami welcomed the first lesbian Housewife to be cast on the series. Former model Julia Lemigova has been married to tennis star Martina Navratilova since 2014.
When Bravo launched the rebooted Real Housewives of New York in 2022, former J.Crew creative director Jenna Lyons was cast. Jenna is also an openly gay woman.
Furthermore, Racquel Chevremont, who identifies as a lesbian, was cast on RHONY Season 15.
The door is open to casting a transgender Housewife, as long as it’s done respectfully and organically. Bravo just needs to find someone with a transgender friend. Would love to see it.
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