Dorinda Medley teased ‘RHONY’ return before reboot plans: ‘I’m a good Housewife’
Dorinda Medley is ready to reclaim her golden apple.
One day before Andy Cohen announced plans to reboot “The Real Housewives of New York City” with an entire new cast – along with a second show that will feature OG stars – the Bravo alum teased her return to the franchise in an exclusive interview with Page Six.
“Listen, I love being on Bravo. I never would have left. That wasn’t my [decision]. I think people think in some ways it was my decision,” she said while promoting her partnership with Nutrisystem. “So, I’m always open to it and I enjoyed doing it.”
A confident Medley, 58, added, “And I’m a good Housewife.”
The reality TV personality — known for iconic catchphrases like “I made it nice,” “Not well, bitch” and “Clip!” — announced her departure from “RHONY” after six seasons in August 2020.
That October, Medley explained on the “Just B with Bethenny Frankel” podcast she was disappointed that she was unable to redeem herself on Season 13 after a “rough” go on Season 12.
She has since bounced back by writing her memoir, “Make It Nice,” reviving her SiriusXM Radio Andy Show of the same name and securing a spot on Season 2 of Peacock’s “Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip.”
During production for the spin-off, which took place in September 2021 at Medley’s infamous Bluestone Manor estate in the Berkshires, she reconnected with fellow “RHONY” veteran Jill Zarin.
Reflecting on all the fun she had with Zarin, 58, Medley told us that she would love to get the “old-school girls” back together for a future iteration of the show.
“Of course, I’m very close to Luann [de Lesseps] and and Sonja [Morgan]’s a great Housewife. Just the old-school girls,” she said of her former co-stars and longtime pals.
“I’d love to see new faces and things, but … people like to remember. We all like to tell the old story, right?”
Though Medley said she would also like to see Bravo put a “big cast” together, she failed to mention her ex-BFF Ramona Singer, who had maintained a full-time position on “New York City” since its 2008 inception.
“We still have not really communicated, which is sad because we had such a long, long friendship,” the Bluestone Manor Bourbon founder said of her fallout with Singer, 65, whom she has hardly spoken to since the Season 12 reunion aired in May 2021.
“And to tell you the truth, I still don’t really understand what bad [happened between us],” she acknowledged. “The beef wasn’t with her my last season.” (Medley memorably sparred with Tinsley Mortimer throughout Season 12.)
Medley says she has a “never-say-forever” mentality about the status of her friendship with Singer. However, she isn’t rushing towards a reconciliation.
“I swear to God, I’m not just saying this. I don’t even think about it. It’s been that long now that [our friendship is] not even part of the fabric in my quilt anymore,” she said of Singer, suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic pushed a wedge between them.
“I think the pre-COVID us and the post-COVID us are very different people now … After the pandemic, things that were so important to me and broke my heart and I sort of worried about, I just don’t care [about anymore].”
Cohen, 53, revealed the next phases for “RHONY” in a Variety interview published on Wednesday, telling the outlet that the dual show approach “takes into account everything that our passionate audience has really been telling us over the last year” — which saw “RHONY” ratings drop and the cancellation of the Season 13 reunion.
While Bravo is prioritizing the reboot — and currently looking to cast a “group of women who are real friends and who are of diverse backgrounds, races and religions” — Cohen is equally excited about its nostalgic counterpart.
“This is a series where you’re going to expect to see fan-favorites from the show’s great history,” he said of the project, internally referred to as “RHONY: Throwback” or “RHONY: Legacy.”
“We’re looking at people who are beloved by fans.”
