Real Housewives of New York are going to have some new faces as well as some returning cast members for its upcoming season 13.
The reality TV show initially began to see changes in the cast during filming last summer when Bethenny Frankel decided not to return for season 12. Even after a barrage of devoted fans on social media platforms demanded her return, Bethenny made it clear that she was not returning to the long-running reality franchise.
As the latest season continued, viewers watched as cast member Tinsley Mortimer quit mid-season to join her on-and-off again fiancé, Scott Kluth, in Chicago.
“I, of course, am going to miss my new friendship with Leah and Sonja’s crazy antics with me,” Tinsley said during her final episode, referring to Leah McSweeney and Sonja Morgan. “I have changed so much since coming back to New York and moving into Sonja’s townhouse. … It’s taken me a little bit of time, but I finally feel like myself again. I feel confident again.”
In August 2020, news broke that RHONY star Dorinda Medley was the next to exit the show.
“She was in a bad place, her house had been flooded, her dad was sick. We lost Bethenny right as filming began and we lost Tinsley halfway through the season. So maybe Dorinda didn’t feel like she could take the year off,” the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host Andy Cohen said on Radio Andy. “Sometimes taking a pause is a good thing and I am really hopeful that this is indeed a pause and that she would rejoin the show at some point. … I think a pause is a good thing and she will come back renewed and refreshed.”
Although it is uncertain if Dorinda will return in the future, she won’t be featured next season. Scroll down for everything we know — so far — about season 13:
Tinsley’s Out
“Thank you mugshot, thank you Sonja, thank you townhouse, thank you everybody else I met along the way. It’s been a great ride and I’m just so happy with where I am right now and so excited for my future,“ Tinsley, who joined the cast of RHONY during season 9, said during the June 2020 midseason finale.
Dorinda’s Out
“What a journey this has been. I have laughed and cried and tried to Make it Nice,” Dorina wrote via Instagram after her departure announcement in August 2020. “But all things must come to an end. This was a great outlet for me to heal when my late husband Richard passed away. I have met so many interesting people and learned so much about myself, about life and about women along the way.”
Leah Is In
After catapulting onto the reality scene after her first season, fans were left uncertain of the rising star’s return to the small screen. “I’m comin back,” Leah replied to a social media user. “My work here isn’t done yet!”
More Diversity
Bravo has stated that they have plans to shake things up next season and showcase more diversity and representation.
Leah, who joined during season 12, has also made it clear she wants more representation on the show. “I hope that there’s not only diversity of race but an even deeper diversity of where someone lives or what their interests are,” the fashion designer told Page Six. “I hope that there’s just more diversity all across the board because New Yorkers are not a monolith, obviously. I think that it is gonna head in that direction.”
The OGs Returning
RHONY OGs Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps will likely be returning for season 13. Production of the newest season began late September and is set to follow the women from Labor Day through Christmas.