Following Vanity Fair’s investigative report into Bravo, which had been Ramona Singer’s home base for 13 seasons of Real Housewives of New York City, the reality star has been pulled from the network’s upcoming fan convention, a source with knowledge confirmed to VF.
The piece detailed, among other things, an investigation into Singer’s alleged use of the N-word in a conversation with a Black crew member during season 13 of RHONY. Shed Media, Warner Bros. Discovery, Bravo, and NBCUniversal declined to comment on the specific accusations against Singer as noted in complaints. When asked by VF if she used the N-word in conversation with a Black member of production, Singer responded, “Never.”
Shortly after publication, a Page Six reporter also asked Singer to comment on the allegations. In a screenshot of her reply published on the publication’s site, she attempted to defend herself by saying she literally said “NWord” instead of the slur itself—before writing the slur out in abbreviated form, followed by an ellipsis.
The 66-year-old reality star was originally slated to appear at BravoCon—an annual convention for the network’s devotees that, after two years in New York City, will be held in Las Vegas this weekend. Singer was set to participate in a panel for the new season of Peacock’s Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, which debuts in December, alongside fellow legacy RHONY cast members. She and daughter Avery Singer also planned to sell their brand, BachBoss, in a booth at the on-site Bravo Bazaar, according to TheWrap.
As reported by VF’s Anna Peele, Singer was the subject of multiple complaints for alleged misconduct during her final season of Real Housewives of New York City. After a heated exchange with her then costar Eboni Williams, who was the first Black cast member on RHONY, “Ramona slammed her hands on the table. She goes, ‘This is why we didn’t need Black people on the show…. This is gonna ruin our show,’” according to someone who was present for the scene. Singer emailed VF this “absolutely” did not happen. “In fact, I supported adding diverse cast members well before before [sic] Eboni was added.”
That season, Singer also allegedly told a Black woman staffer, “There’s so many of you guys here now, please don’t change your hair as I’m not gonna be able to remember anybody’s names.” Singer says this was typical of her behavior: “It was a [sic] strictly a commentary on my inability to remember names. […] As an example, just last week I saw a photo with me and Travis Kelce from 2016 on Watch What Happens Live and I thought he was Jax Taylor,” she emailed Vanity Fair, referencing a white Vanderpump Rules cast member. According to two people familiar with production, at another point, Singer exclaimed, “There’s so many Black chicks!” (Singer denies saying this, though footage that aired in the season shows her using the phrase “Black chicks.”)
At another point, Singer allegedly told season 13 senior producer Darian Edmondson that an interaction with Williams reminded her of when Jewish colleagues referred to her using a “Catholic slur” when she was a young woman. She says they called her a “shiksa,” a Yiddish term for a non-Jewish woman. Edmondson says she replied by saying, “Ramona, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” to which Singer said, “Oh, it’s literally like somebody calling you a n-gger.” (Singer says she “never” said the N-word and that this account is a “misrepresentation.” “I did describe an incident where I was called a shiksa while working in college,” she wrote to VF, “but I did not compare the the [sic] two experiences.”)
According to multiple people who worked on season 13, other production members went to Warner Bros. Discovery HR about Singer’s alleged remarks during filming. Williams tried to quit the show on November 6—the same day Singer allegedly used the N-word, though Williams wasn’t aware of the incident at the time. RHONY was completely overhauled the following year, with a brand-new cast deployed for its 14th season.
