Andy Cohen puts his foot in his mouth on the regular. Usually to little consequence. He is deeply entwined in all Real Housewives culture. But this time he may have gone a little too far when it came to negotiations for the stalled Real Housewives of New York: Legacy series.
As reported by Page Six, a dig that Andy made towards potential Legacy cast member Jill Zarin allegedly unraveled the whole thing. The potential spin-off of Real Housewives of New York, which was already facing casting troubles, was reportedly scrapped. And now sources are pointing to Andy’s shade as one of the reasons it ended entirely.
On an episode of his show, Watch What Happens Live last year, Andy discussed former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong jumping franchises to join Real Housewives of Orange County. “She actually lives in Orange County. This makes her the first Housewife to move from [a show based on one] city to another,” said Andy.
He then added, “In unrelated news, Jill Zarin is closing on homes in Potomac, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, Orange County, Atlanta, Miami, Dubai, and Salt Lake City. Just kidding! I love you Jill.”
But sources say that Jill wasn’t laughing when she later sat for negotiations for Legacy. Executives also looked at RHONY veterans Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, Dorinda Medley, Tinsley Mortimer and Kelly Bensimon for the series.
After Jill tried her hand at playing hardball to join the show, she lost out after executives wouldn’t give her the payday she was looking for. Apparently, that was the final straw for those trying to put the series together. They allegedly lost interest in moving forward with the series.
RELATED: Luann de Lesseps Speaks Out On RHONY: Legacy Being Put On Pause
A source close to Kelly said that “[Jill] pushing for a big payday was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” But a Jill insider denied the claim. “It wasn’t about the money. Jill just wanted all the women to be paid the same. They started at the same time,” the insider said.
“They built the show together. She felt they should be paid the same. She would have done it for $1, as long as everyone was getting paid the same,” the source insisted to Page Six.
Allegedly, Kelly was offered more than Jill and Lu was offered more than Kelly, furthering tensions. Production insiders asserted that all of the potential cast members overestimated their value, to their own detriment.
Is it just me who is wondering why a whole show would be scrapped over Jill? Well, apparently the list of fan favorites to join Legacy was pretty short. And given that most Real Housewives franchises have seven to ten cast members, after a few wouldn’t sign on (ahem, Bethenny Frankel), Bravo couldn’t make the numbers work.
Sources say another point of contention was Jill’s tax issues. She lives in Florida more than half of the year. Therefore, she doesn’t have to pay state taxes in New York. She argued that if filming, promoting and other work related to the show kept her in New York for more than six months, she would need the amount of her tax bill paid to at least break even.
All of this drama stems from a dismal 13th season of RHONY. In a surprise move, Andy announced in March of 2022 that they would reboot RHONY with a new cast. And add on a Legacy series to presumably reinvigorate longtime fans of the show.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK JILL WAS AT FAULT FOR BRAVO SCRAPPING THE SHOW? DID BRAVO LOWBALL HER? DID YOU WANT TO SEE HER ON LEGACY?
[Photo Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo]
