A different kind of dynamic. Andy Cohen has been candid about his complicated relationships with the Real Housewives — especially after they exited their respective franchise — over the years.
Cohen became the Vice President of Original Programming at Bravo in 2004. Two years later, he served as an executive producer for Real Housewives of Orange County, which premiered in 2006. While Cohen’s role at the network has changed over the years, he continued to produce every Housewives franchise, including The Real Housewives of New York City, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Real Housewives of Miami, The Real Housewives of D.C., The Real Housewives of Potomac, The Real Housewives of Dallas and The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. He also hosts the heated reunion specials every year.
While RHODC didn’t last, there have been more than 100 full-time Real Housewives over the years. In 2018, Cohen shed some light on how production decides it’s time for a Housewife to walk away from their respective city.
“It’s usually a conversation,” the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host said at the Tribeca TV Festival in 2018. “At the end of every season, we talk to the women about what they have coming up and whether they want to come back. What they see for the future. Then we also look at the show and say, ‘How do we want to change the show?’ I think part of the reason the entire franchise is successful is it’s an ensemble show. It’s all about what’s best for the group. What’s best for the ensemble? How’s it going to be different? Do we want to continue this conversation? Do we want to pivot into a new conversation?”
While his relationships with the women are always complex, once a Real Housewife confirms their exit, things can get even dicer for Cohen.
“I very much believe in boundaries. And sometimes I keep boundaries up with people who have no boundaries. These are people who invite cameras into their homes,” he told Paper magazine of his relationship with various Housewives in 2019. “It’s a complicated relationship … I’m a boss, I’m a friend … I’m an adversary, I’m a button pusher. I’ve become legitimately friends with many of them. I care about them. So it’s nuanced. And sometimes it’s great and sometimes it’s not great. It’s an emotional relationship.”
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Scroll through for updates on Cohen’s status with some popular former Housewives:
