Andy Cohen holds a bit of a State of the Union for the 'Real Housewives' franchise with ET.
Andy Cohen is still "levitating," one week after receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"What's funny now is, two friends of mine went and cleaned the star, which was hilarious, the other day and sent me the video, which I posted," he tells ET, just minutes after interviewing his pal, John Mayer, for a SiriusXM and Pandora pre-Super Bowl LVI kick-off concert in Los Angeles.
"Porsha [Williams] texted me a picture of her at the star, which now I'm loving that people are actually going to the star -- which I never really thought would happen," the Real Housewives franchise executive producer adds. "The answer is, no, it has not sunk in yet. ... I'm still in a form of levitation, it was a really great day made all the more special by my family being there, my son, my parents, it was really great."
Andy interviewing John proved to be a bit of repaying the favor, seeing as John showed up in a big way for the Watch What Happens Live host, delivering a memorable tribute at Andy's Walk of Fame ceremony that was chock-full of Housewives references, the most memorable of which was, "When Homeland Security shows up to the Beauty Lab and Laser parking lot and your friend’s life is suddenly in shambles, will you be a Heather Gay or a Lisa Barlow? Andy is forever a Heather Gay."
Surprisingly, Andy says he didn't hear from any of the women the "Last Train Home" singer name-checked. "Listen, no matter what he says, if John Mayer is calling you out, I think it's pretty fun," Andy notes.
But speaking of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's 'Wives, Andy shares some updates on that cast's future, as well as other cities in the franchise. Read on for a city-by-city breakdown.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
The Utah-dwelling Bravo-lebs are back to work, filming season 3 of the show before season 2 even finishes airing. However, they're down two Housewives: Andy confirms Mary Cosby and the show parted ways after she did not attend the reunion taping, and Bravo cut ties with Jennie Nguyen last month after racist social media posts she shared before joining the show resurfaced online.
"The reunion left off with the women who are remaining in quite a dramatic spot, where you don't know what's going to happen," Andy teases. "So I'm glad that there are cameras on them now, because it's already kicking off, there's a lot going on and I'm glad we're there shooting right now. We did something similar with Beverly Hills, where we started shooting the new season fairly soon after we shot the reunion and in a case like both of those, it really paid off."
As for the cast changes, fans have questioned how Jennie's exit was handled. It took the network nearly a week to respond to her insensitive online behavior (a delay Bravo apologized for once a decision was made about Jennie's future with the show), and only seemed to add more confusion to the question, where is the line? Cast members on other shows were fired immediately for similar actions, while others who have proved to have questionable moral judgment remain employed. Viewers often point to returning RHOSLC star Jen Shah, whom the U.S. government has accused of running a telemarketing scheme that preyed on the elderly, keeping her spot on the show. However, Jen maintains her innocence -- and remains innocent until proven guilty in the court of law (her trial is set for this spring, while RHOSLC is filming season 3).
"Listen, I think that we're in a time where, we're producing a show that is about outspoken, sometimes politically incorrect people who are speaking their mind and, you know, we have to be sensitive to issues of racism," Andy offers, "and we have to look out for everybody who is not only watching, but who are also on the show, and you know, look-- there's, every case is different, but we wanna do the right thing and it's a work in progress."
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 2 finale airs Sunday, Feb. 20, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.
The Real Housewives of New York City
Any time Bravo lets someone go from a show in the midst of a controversy, Ramona Singer's name trends on Twitter. The outspoken OG of RHONY has put her foot in her mouth many times over the course of the last 13 years, with the show's most recent season -- which ended in September with no reunion, a first for the franchise -- proving especially challenging for viewers to stomach. Ramona struggled to make space for conversations newcomer Eboni K. Williams (The Real Housewives of New York City's first Black cast member) wanted to have about race and current events. She also exhibited appalling behavior at a Shabbat dinner, for which she has since apologized.
It seems no news is... good news? Or maybe it really is just no news for now. Andy tells ET there's no timeline to share about RHONY's return, as the series remains on an extended hiatus while Bravo figures out the next step for the franchise. It appears no decision has been made about Ramona's status on the show, as well as for the rest of the season 13 cast: Eboni, Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan and Leah McSweeney. Andy is also mum on murmurs that RHONY veterans Dorinda Medley and/or Jill Zarin are set for apple-holding comebacks.
"I got nothing," he laments. "I'm asked that question all the time, but I really have nothing to say."
For now, fans can rewatch past seasons of The Real Housewives of New York City on Peacock.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta
A comeback Andy is jazzed to speak about, however, is Sherée Whitfield's three-peat. The RHOA OG is back for season 14, which will mark her third tenure as a cast member. Sherée and the rest of the ensemble -- Kenya Moore, Kandi Burruss, Drew Sidora, Marlo Hampton and Sanya Richards-Ross -- are soon to wrap production on the fresh batch of episodes.
"I'm so excited, I love Sherée -- I'm a huge Sherée fan from the beginning," Andy gushes. "She's amazing and we're about to wind down that season -- and I don't wanna give anything away -- but I'm very excited about the finale that's coming up."
The Real Housewives of Atlanta will return to Bravo later this year.
The Real Housewives of Miami
The Bravo-verse expanded last year with a move of some shows and spinoffs to the network's streaming sister, Peacock. That included the return of The Real Housewives of Miami for season 4, eight years after the show wrapped its original run. The fan response has seemingly been more than anyone anticipated, leaving Andy feeling "bullish" (aka excited and optimistic) about season 5 getting a greenlight.
"It's a great season," he says. "I'm about to go back to my hotel and watch part 1 of the reunion, and it's wonderful. I think this was an amazing rebirth for Miami. I love the ladies, there's so much drama, there's so much lifestyle -- they're beautiful, they're wealthy, and dramatic and funny, and I'm thrilled about this reset."
Andy and the women -- Alexia Echevarria, Larsa Pippen, Lisa Hochstein, Guerdy Abraira, Dr. Nicole Martin, Julia Lemigova, Marysol Patton and Adriana de Moura -- recently filmed that reunion he mentioned in New York City, which will stream after the show completes its 12-episode run. The final episodes will focus heavily on issues between Larsa and Adriana, namely Adriana's fascination with Larsa's one-time connection to the Kardashians' world.
"You know what I loved about the reunion? They sorted through a lot of their issues," Andy teases. "There was a lot of drama but it was, there was not a lot of like screaming. It was a pleasurable day for me, I really enjoyed it, and I learned a lot about all the women. I loved it."
The Real Housewives of Miami is now streaming on Peacock, with new episodes debuting on Thursdays.
The Real Housewives of Orange County
Andy is also loving the "renaissance" happening on the other coast, with RHOC season 16 serving as a reset for the franchise. Heather Dubrow returned as a Housewife after departing the series at the end of season 11, while longtime star Kelly Leventhal (née Dodd) got the boot. However, Kelly -- known for having no filter -- is keeping up with the show by regularly recapping and riffing on the series on her podcast with her husband, Rick & Kelly UNMASKED. Kelly's been keen to point out RHOC's ratings dip without her, posting the numbers week after week. She even getting into a bit of a Twitter spat with Andy over it.
"I kind of love it," Andy cracks, admitting he's a fan of the cottage industry that's popped up in the last few years of fired Housewives launching podcasts to comment on the franchise.
"A lot of the former Housewives are watching the show and commenting on it, and you know, listen -- it gets people talking, and good if she wants to watch the show and comment on it, more power to her," he says.
Another RHOC alum, Tamra Judge, recently started a podcast of her own with one-time The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp. Tamra is set to appear on an upcoming episode of WWHL, the announcement of which sparked fans on Twitter to call for her return to RHOC.
"I mean, what were focusing on is Ultimate Girls Trip season 2, which she's a part of, and so that's what I'm really looking at with Tamra," Andy offers back. Tamra is one of the women starring on the second installment of the Peacock-based mash-up series, which sees stars from across the Housewives universe come together for week-long excursions. Season 2 is all "ex-Wives," with Tamra, Vicki Gunvalson, Jill Zarin, Eva Marcille, Phaedra Parks, Brandi Glanville and Taylor Armstrong descending on Dorinda Medley's Massachusetts' estate, Blue Stone Manor.
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, while Ultimate Girls Trip streams on Peacock. Season 1 is now re-airing Tuesdays on Bravo.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Like The Real Housewives of Atlanta, RHOBH is also finishing up production on its next season, which started filming in the immediate aftermath of the season 11 reunion, a three-part special that could've been called "The Grilling of Erika Jayne." The "Pretty Mess" singer's life took center stage on season 11, as her divorce from once high-powered attorney Tom Girardi unfolded in real time, along with a series of lawsuits against Tom (at least one involving Erika) that proved to be fodder for Erika's co-stars and viewers alike.
Erika's back, along with the entire season 11 line-up -- Kyle Richards, Lisa Rinna, Dorit Kemsley, Garcelle Beauvais, Sutton Stacke, Crystal Kung Minkoff and "friend of" Kathy Hilton -- plus two newbies, Diana Jenkins and Sheree Zampino. Leaks about RHOBH's new season have trickled in over the past few months of filming, with Bravo gossip accounts on Instagram going wild over a recent cast trip to Aspen, Colorado. Rumors of meltdowns, allegations of drug abuse and whispers of a cease and desist letter have inspired plenty of chatter online, but Andy is tight-lipped on what exactly went down in the Rocky Mountains.
"Can I say anything about what went on in Aspen?" he repeats back when asked. "I can't! You're gonna see it on the show."
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills will return to Bravo later this year.
The Real Housewives of Potomac and The Real Housewives of Dubai are also expected to premiere in 2022, while The Real Housewives of New Jersey currently airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Check out the video below for previous updates from Andy on those shows.
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