“After nine seasons, the show’s been very white, and in the most diverse, melting pot of a city,” says one insider of the New York show, who added that Bravo will angle to make the cast more diverse.
The insider said, “They just shot the reunion — so now is the time [that] they start really looking at what they’ll do with the next cast.”
Another source close to the cast told us, “New York is such a diverse city. The show should definitely reflect that.”
Star Bethenny Frankel — a close confidante of Bravo exec-turned-host Andy Cohen, who has his ear — recently said she’s in favor of shaking things up, telling Parade this month: “I would like to see some younger cast members. I’d like to see an African-American woman on the show. I suggested someone who didn’t work out. There are really no Jewish women in the cast. There are also no Asian, Latino or gay women on the show. I’d like it to represent New York more.”
The show added Jules Wainstein in Season 8, whose tagline was, “A Jew and an Asian walk into a bar .?.?. Then they had me!”
Carole Radziwill groused on-camera of the newcomer, who exited after just one season, “She’s Asian and Jewish, but you don’t have to remember that ‘cause she’ll tell you, like, two dozen times.”
A source told us that whoever joins for Season 10 will likely be someone already associated with the women on the series.
“Unless you’re famous, you really have to be friends with someone on the show to get cast,” the source said.
Like Frankel, we hear that veteran cast member Luann D’Agostino has also suggested a pal as a possible castmate.
For its current season, the show added onetime top socialite Tinsley Mortimer and has been on a ratings roll by regularly winning the Wednesday cable ratings, according to Nielsen numbers.
Who would you like to see join ‘The Real Housewives of New York’?