Real Housewives of New York

American TV personality and author Aviva Drescher was 42 years old when she made her debut on Bravo's reality series "The Real Housewives of New York City" back in 2012.

Joining Aviva in the dramatic series included Ramona Singer as the turtle time wrangler with 'crazy eyes,' Luann de Lesseps as the countess and former model, Sonja Morgan as the outgoing recent divorcee and Carole Radziwill who gave Aviva a run for her money when it came to writing books.

During the season 6 finale, Aviva iconically threw her prosthetic leg onto the floor at a social event.

'RHONY' alum Jill Zarin is wasting no time ripping up her new $3.5 million home ... a lot of money for a fixer-upper, because she's spending millions renovating it.

She scooped up the Boca Raton mansion in July after selling the home she lived in just a few miles away. Jill's new 6,000 square foot home has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and 26-foot ceilings throughout -- 26-foot ceilings ... insane!

Jill's had a crew of construction workers changing the home from its original Mediterranean look to something more transitional.

She gutted the house and is adding a new chef's kitchen ... with a 5-foot galley workstation. There's a brand new annex bar, marble Napoleon fireplace and even custom tennis-themed bathrooms with racquet-patterned wallpaper.

Jill's also ripping out all the marble floors and installing new windows, among many other things. She's doing an exterior makeover as well, including landscaping which will include the now-obligatory pickleball court.

As for the backyard, it'll get an outdoor kitchen and a new, massive pool.

American TV personality and author Alex McCord was 34 years old when she made her debut on Bravo's reality series "The Real Housewives of New York City" back in 2008.

Joining Alex in the dramatic series included Bethenny Frankel as the 'skinny girl' empress, Ramona Singer as the turtle time wrangler with 'crazy eyes,' Luann de Lesseps as the countess and former model, Jill Zarin as the fabric store owner from Long Island, Sonja Morgan as the outgoing recent divorcee and Kelly Killoren Bensimon as the ultimate social lite and horseback rider.

Before this little musician turned into a stellar businesswoman and a fashion designer for some of Hollywood's biggest names, she was just a 70's kid stringin' on her guitar with big dreams of moving to the Big Apple.

Before creating her own business, Yummie Tummie, this clothing designer used her fashionista skills to help create clothing lines for Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Diddy. During her tenure as a "Real Housewife of New York City," she never backed down from her cast mates and even went head-to-head with Skinny Girl's Bethenny Frankel.

Need one more hint? The Berkshires!

Remy Ma was in early talks to become the first rapper-turned-'Real Housewife,' but she ran into a major problem -- because as any realtor would tell her, it's all about location, location, location.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... 'RHONY' star Eboni K. Williams brought up Remy's name to casting several months ago for the Bravo reality series ... suggesting Remy would be a great addition to the show.

We're told the casting team had a virtual chat with Remy and the conversation went really well ... but they hit a huge roadblock when they found out the Bronx-born MC now lives in New Jersey full-time.

Our sources say the rapper used to have an apartment in midtown Manhattan, but she doesn't anymore. At the time she was recommended to casting it was still believed she had ties to NYC.

While the Bravo series is historically loose about the cast's "wife" status, they're pretty strict when it comes to geography -- so all convos with Remy about "Real Housewives of New York City" ended.

We're told well-known NYC newscaster, Tamsen Fadal, from the CW affiliate PIX11 was also being considered, but ultimately that didn't work out, either.

Bravo hasn't officially announced the new cast for season 14. As we reported in April, housewives honcho Andy Cohen announced the network is completely rebooting and recasting 'RHONY' after 13 seasons.

Sonja Morgan is not taking no for an answer when it comes to selling her NYC townhouse ... because TMZ has learned she's just put it back on the market!

Real estate sources tell us the 'RHONY' star is listing her Upper East Side townhouse for $8.75 million. Sonja initially listed it way back in 2013 for $9.95 million amid her divorce from J.P. Morgan heir John A. Morgan.

The 4-bedroom home has seen a lot of changes since then because we're told Sonja has given it a complete makeover over the years.

She had an offer in 2017, but turned it down because her daughter needed stability at home amid the divorce -- she would frequently bring friends home from boarding school, so they still needed the space.

As we've reported, she listed the 5-story townhouse for the 7th time in 2017 for around $10 mil ... still, to no avail.

Someone's missing out ... all the bedrooms feature wood-burning fireplaces, and there's also an elevator, sauna, gym, and terrace -- all sitting in the ritzy Madison Ave and Central Park neighborhood.

In January 2020, Sonja had an $11.75 million cash offer, but the buyer ended up dropping out in February when the pandemic began. Then, for a period of time, she couldn't show the home because of COVID.

After the lockdown lifted in the city, she rented the home to a family from Spain, before renting it out to a new tenant, for 32k a month. We're told, the tenant recently moved out.

Now, Sonja is back at it ... determined to get the pad rented again, or sold for the asking price.

'RHONY' alum Dorinda Medley is on to new things ... cause TMZ has learned she sold the a Manhattan pad she's had for the last couple of decades.

Sources familiar with the sale tell TMZ the former NYC housewife sold her Upper East Side apartment near the end of May for $2,498,000 million. She paid $1.2 million for the place in 2007.

The apartment has loft-like 14-foot high ceilings with oversized windows, huge closet space, a chef's kitchen .... and a ton of renovations, including brand new bathrooms with designer fixtures and hardwood floors throughout.

Whoever snagged the space will also be able to enjoy a 24-hour concierge, a swimming pool, and a yoga room ... just to name a few of the building's amenities.

We're told she's already bought a new place in The Big Apple and the new pad is currently undergoing renovations. She's currently spending her summer at her home, "Blue Stone Manor" in The Berkshires of western Massachusetts.

'RHONY' alum Jill Zarin isn't fretting that she hasn't gotten a call for the 'RHONY' throwback series ... she says even if she's shut out, she's grateful for everything the network has done for her.

We got the former NY housewife at LAX, Tuesday, and asked how she feels about the new series "RHONY: Throwback" that's in the works ... which will feature some of the OG New York women.

Jill tells us, she hasn't heard from producers but she's not worried because she doesn't think anyone has gotten a call, at least not yet. She thinks Bravo execs are focused on rebooting and recasting for the original 'RHONY.'

Of course, this is very different in tone from former 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star, NeNe Leakes, who just filed a lawsuit in federal court ... accusing 'RHOA' producers of ignoring her complaints about years of alleged racist remarks directed her way by a fellow cast member Kim Zolciak-Biermann.

She also claims Bravo execs blacklisted her ... making it hard to take legal action sooner and making it hard to find work.

Bethenny Frankel might've been groovin' out a little too much on the roller rink in New York City ... getting into the music before taking a hard fall.

The philanthropist/entrepreneur was at the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink for the opening of Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace -- where it's transformed into a roller rink. It's all the rage again ... decades after roller skating was a thing.

Bethenny was dancing away while putting on lip gloss ... then falling butt-first on the floor. Luckily, someone was nearby to offer the former 'RHONY' star an assist.

The event was packed with celebs ... Usher hosted the opening, and fellow icons Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Floyd Mayweather, and Meek Mill all laced up.

Bethenny's quite the talented skater, although ice is more her thing ... she was the runner-up on "Skating With The Stars" in 2010 -- making it all the way to the finale with her partner, professional skater Ethan Burgess.

Julia Fox has had no conversations with producers for "The Real Housewives of New York City," despite rumors swirling she might join the franchise ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell TMZ ... no conversations at all have occurred between Kanye West's former girlfriend of 2 months and 'RHONY' execs, whatsoever. But our sources did not shut down the possibility completely.

We're told producers are deep into casting but no decisions have been made yet. Still, we're told there has been no contact between Julia and producers.

In case you missed it, Bravo honcho Andy Cohen announced last week that the network is completely rebooting and recasting 'RHONY' after 13 seasons. Cohen also revealed the network will cast an additional series -- tentatively called "RHONY: Throwback" -- featuring some of the former New York housewives.

The "Uncut Gems" actress, who split from Ye in February, was raised in New York City and is good friends with 'RHONY' star Leah McSweeney, who also served as Julia's sponsor in AA years ago.

Luann de Lesseps' striking looks have us saying, "money CAN buy you class!"

Here's a 41-year-old version of the countess back in 2006 hanging out backstage at New York Fashion Week (left). This was two years before Luann snatched her 'apple' and became a leading cast member of "The Real Housewives of New York City."

And, 15 years later ... the now 56-year-old ex-countess is still making a splash, she recently posted a shot as she prepares for her next cabaret tour which kicks off next month (right).

To think her iconic mug shot went viral just five years ago ... she has come a long way! "Feelin Jovani?" ... absolutely!

But, the real question here is ...

Ramona Singer's apprehensive about the 'Real Housewives of NYC' reunion taping, because she believes Eboni K. Williams is going to try to make her look racist ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to production tell us ... Ramona recently went to 'RHONY' producers to express her concerns about potential racial talks during the reunion -- specifically, that Eboni might attack her and frame her as a bigot.

We're told Ramona attempted to negotiate terms in order to avoid topics such as race during the Bravo special, but producers shot that down and said they'd never agree to that.

Our sources say Ramona accepts that, and has no plans to dodge the reunion -- she just wanted producers to know how she feels.

Of course, there's been a lot of drama surrounding the reunion already ... as it was scheduled to film in early August, but got bumped to September. Fans are speculating it's either due to low ratings or strife among the cast, but we're told it's simply due to "scheduling conflicts."

We broke the story ... Eboni fired back at those blaming the ratings slide on her race convos, saying it's on producers to decide what makes the final cut.

Eboni also appeared to throw shade toward her fellow housewives Thursday, when she posted a photo of her and Crystal Kung Minkoff -- the first Asian-American housewife on 'RHOBH' -- and wrote, "These deranged bigots are just mad AF that their days of dominance are coming to an end."

She included the hashtag #TimesUpOnWhiteSupremacy too, but didn't call out anyone by name.

'Real Housewives of New York City' star Eboni K. Williams says all her talk about racial issues on the show has nothing to do with their poor TV ratings ... she says that's all on producers.

Eboni tells TMZ she shouldn't be the scapegoat for a declining TV audience just because she doesn't make final cut decisions about what ends up airing ... but the producers do.

The way Eboni sees it ... 'RHONY' has tackled tons of sensitive issues over the years -- like mental health, alcoholism, bankruptcy and divorce -- so race shouldn't be any different.

If you didn't know ... 'RHONY' TV ratings are down, and fans have been speculating all season it's because Eboni seems to lay it on thick.

Sources close to the cast tell us some cast members are also tired of that storyline coming up on every episode. We're told they think 'RHONY' should be light-hearted, fun entertainment ... with a bit of drama, of course -- but Eboni says that's not up to her or her castmates.

There's clearly a rift growing, as Eboni says she feels demonized by some of the 'housewives' and some viewers. She adds ... if some of her castmates didn't show up for shoots with microaggression, there wouldn't be a need for the constant race discussions.

Something's gotta give.

Bethenny Frankel could soon be doing backflips into a huge stash of cash ... because it looks like she's flipping a mansion in one of America's richest cities.

'The Big Shot with Bethenny' star is listing a 5-bedroom estate in Greenwich, CT for a cool $3,375,000 ... putting the home on the market after scooping it up last year.

The two-story house is 4,698 square feet and the master suite comes with vaulted ceilings, a fireplace, seating area and a private balcony. The master bath features a walk-in shower, freestanding tub and double sinks.

There's another fireplace in the living room, which includes a couple sets of French doors opening up to a stone terrace, which overlooks the large, oval pool in the 2.1-acre yard.

Bethenny's big into real estate, and she's flipping this property apparently for a handsome profit ... she bought it back in 2020 for $2.1 million.

The 'Real Housewives of New York' are set to resume production next week, but not everyone's happy. Our sources say some of the cast members are pissed at Ramona Singer over her reckless behavior, traveling maskless all over the world.

Production sources tell TMZ ... some cast members are livid after seeing Ramona hitting up St. Barts and parts of Florida while production was on hiatus. Making matters worse ... we're told the cast's fuming over the fact she threw caution to the wind and visited these places without practicing COVID guidelines ... like wearing a face mask.

Production has been shut down for nearly a month after a 'Housewife' and several crew members tested positive for COVID. We're told frustration mounted when Ramona was seen galavanting at tropical spots over the last few weeks ... even after the cast was specifically asked to stay in NY.

For what it's worth ... a source close to Ramona -- who in the past had been dragged over her quarantine behavior -- tells us the network was well aware she had been traveling. Our sources say Ramona will take a COVID test before she resumes filming.

And, speaking of filming ... we're told the cast will film in and around Manhattan early next week and in a couple of weeks head to Ramona's Southhampton, NY pad to film what was originally supposed to be a cast trip to upstate NY.

Former "Real Housewives of New York" star Jules Wainstein is getting sole legal custody of her 2 kids and just over $7,000 in combined child and spousal support ... now that her divorce is a done deal.

Jules and ex-hubby Michael Wainstein got the judge's final stamp on their divorce back in September and the judgment spells out the details of the split, including the custody arrangement for their 2 kids ... 10-year-old Jagger David and 7-year-old Islo Rio.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Jules will get $4,133.33 in spousal support for the next 2 years. She'll also get $3,000 per month in child support. Even though her ex will have parenting time, Jules gets final say on where the kids go to school, and what religion they'll be raised in, which BTW ... will be Judaism.

Jules -- who relocated to Florida not long ago after leaving 'RHONY' in 2016 -- can't move with the children without David signing off. He's also living the Sunshine State now.

The exes also hammered out a visitation schedule -- including Jules getting the kids for Thanksgiving in even-numbered years and odd-numbered years for the December school break. She also gets the kids on Mother's Day.

As far as assets go ... they'll evenly split Michael's interest in a mobile home community.

As we've previously reported ... Jules and Michael had a divorce was pretty nasty ... especially the custody war. Back in March, Michael accused her of abusing drugs ... just one month after she was busted for domestic battery.