Queue And A

Sonja Morgan Forgot She Peed In Between Cornstalks — Until She Saw The ‘RHONY’ Trailer

By Lea Palmieri @littleleap
Published April 1, 2020, 8:30 a.m. ET

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Full disclosure: I ended this interview with Sonja Morgan by telling her I hoped I’d be able to see her soon and give her a big hug. We’re not besties IRL, but sometimes, especially these times, it feels as though we are. Watching her in the first episode of The Real Housewives of New York City Season 12 and then talking to her about the usual topics such as Luann de Lesseps’ ego and peeing in between cornstalks and making out with dogs (any RHONY viewer knows these are extremely usual topics) finally felt like a healthy dose of normalcy after being cooped up for weeks.

But before I got uncharacteristically sentimental with Sonja, we discussed newbie Leah McSweeney, how it feels to be the face of social distancing, why their Season 9 jaunt to Mexico is the best cast trip, and why she hopes more people will admit that they let their dogs lick their face.

Decider: Tell me, how are you, where are you, what are you doing right now?

Sonja Morgan: Family’s all healthy, got the daughter home from the university, she’s doing school online starting today. And you know me: after I wrap in December, I always go off and juice and do my colonics, get my immunities back up. It’s a roller coaster. We start [filming] in August and go right into Fashion Week and all those parties and then it’s up to Dorinda’s for Halloween or Christmas and there’s Thanksgiving and New Year’s. So I always go away [after] and I had booked to go to the desert, Palm Springs. Normally I go to the retreat in Costa Rica but I didn’t want to go out of the country, so instead I came here. And it’s good, I’m all alone in the desert, walking around talking to myself. Well, there’s peacocks, there’s bunnies, there’s those little lizards and yeah, I’ve made some friends.

You’ve kind of become the face of social distancing, as that famous meme of you in bed with the remote control keeps going around. 

[Laughs] This is how you do it! What people don’t know about me is when I’m not at a party and being the face of comedy, I’m at home recharging my batteries, just like that. But always quaran-chic. You’ve got to have the tiara, the pets, I’ve got my poodle. And yoga and sex; workout, bubble baths, nice surroundings, you’ve gotta have it all. Working on my shoe collection, my fashion collection, working on my health, studying the stock market, reading some good books.

The first episode captures all of your reactions to the Bethenny news, how do you feel about how that’s addressed? 

I think it was good to let viewers know how we felt because it wouldn’t have been adequately portrayed if we just had to talk about it, it would be different. I miss Bethenny. It was like separation anxiety for me because my daughter was going off to school and I was losing Bethenny at the same time. And I can always count on her, to call her. I think we all could count on her when we have something going on. When Ramona broke off with Mario and when Luann needed lawyers and help during her arrest, Bethenny was there.

You have a discussion with Ramona about your daughter going away to college and she says you and Quincy will become closer than ever. How was that adjustment for you and was Ramona right? 

The thing is, again, like with this virus, fear is the worst thing. I had fear of the unknown more than anything and acted out over it. And Ramona was right that after my daughter went off to school we were closer than ever. She has more time at college than she did at boarding school to come home because it’s closer.

I just felt like I was losing her and Ramona’s right, you get closer when they go off to school. College is different from boarding school. Boarding school, I have been so stressed about the SAT and getting the college counselor and getting into college, because no mother will rest easy if their daughter doesn’t get into a good school. It’s the foundation for the rest of their life, you think. You think!

They say we can’t pick our family but we pick our friends and I’ll tell you, the Housewives, we’ve been in isolation with each other many, many times on very luxurious trips, but you know, more money more problems.

Are you staying in touch with all the ladies while everyone is social distancing? 

Oh, the girls have been great. I’m more of a reclusive type, I’m sure you’ve seen on the show over the years. They always complain, ‘We never see you, you got to Europe, you eat croissants and don’t go to the museums even’. They don’t see me because like I told you, I’m very quiet.

So the thing is that they’re doing wonderful group texts about ‘Be aware of this and be aware of that,’ and so I deal with this kind of thing with more like put my head in the sand and stay healthy and it’s all gonna get better. I’m very positive because I’m a Sagittarius and I say what can I do right now to make life better until the professionals take care of this? My girls always have all this information to tell me to keep me safe that sometimes scares me more. So I really love that they do that but I use humor, as you know.

Tell me about the new Housewife, Leah. She seems like someone you would get along with.

Yeah, I always need everyone to love ’em until they prove otherwise. She is a real New Yorker, first of all. I’m sure you’ve seen some of the girls that come on didn’t quite feel like New Yorkers, they were kinda transplants. This girl is a New Yorker through and through. So for the viewer, I think that’s gonna be interesting if they don’t live in New York and it will be good if you’re a New Yorker because you’ll resonate with her because she is a New Yorker. And I enjoy her very much because I like to roll and have fun and she does too. She’s also intelligent so we have some really nice meaningful conversations.

In the first episode, we’ll see that you were by Luann’s side when her probation was officially over, and you also give her some real talk about being self-aware. How is your friendship with her now and has her ego settled down at all?

Oh my god, I’m so happy to have Lu back because before she was always on a precipice of, ‘Am I gonna end up in jail again?’ because that’s where she was. If she had one misstep, which is basically having drinks and having a judge say, ‘You know what, no I don’t understand you having another drink, you’re back to jail.’ That [was] her life from day to day, and that impacted her relationship with me and the girls. So once that was lifted that day that I was with her, I had Lu back, the old Lu, and it’s just wonderful. We always have a great time together.

But to answer your question, a diva is a diva. I wouldn’t want Luann any other way. That’s why she packs the room for the cabaret.

You have some pretty legendary moments in the trailer, but were there any that you didn’t remember happening until you saw it? 

Oh yeah, there’s a lot of those. Oh yeah, add alcohol to the fact that we film hours and hours and hours and you will say, really? I don’t remember taking a pee between the cornstalk at the apple vineyard, apple whatever it was. Apple picking backslash vineyard, because there was definitely wine there. And it was so funny because I thought, gosh I’m not drinking now so I don’t want to drink, and the next thing you know, I’m peeing between the cornstalks.

We also see that the group returns to Mexico this season.

Yes. I’ve really become a huge fan of Mexico, I’ve been going to Ixtapa, it’s a very cool place. It’s like a top 10 resort, very rustic, healthy but still elegant and very affordable, I love it. I’ve become a fan of Mexico since Bethenny took us, that would have to be our best trip ever. I love going there now, any chance I get, I go.

It also appears that you have quite the make out session with your dog Marley.

I know, it might’ve been my best makeout session ever, I don’t know if that’s a good thing to say.

I don’t know, you’ve had some pretty memorable ones on the show before. 

[Laughs] Actually you’re right. Let’s rewind the tape, there’s been one with Bethenny, one with Lu, one with Tinsley. I have to say, I’m the first to do these things on the show though. First to talk about sex, the first to go naked in St. Barts, the first to have a younger boyfriend.

Now they’ll all be making out with their dogs, too.

The first dog funeral was mine, the dog funeral at the river. I’m glad other people do that now because it’s a very cathartic way to let them go. It’s a spiritual way of letting go. Maybe other people will show the world that they actually let their dogs lick their face like that.

Is there anything else you’re excited for us to see this season?

I just want to make people laugh and have fun even if it’s for five minutes, because wherever you are in life, everybody’s problems are just as painful to them. You can’t judge, oh because so and so has more money or lives in a better [place]. We’ve got to be closer to each other, care for each other, look at our health more. Just be kinder to each other, more patient! I’m hoping to keep people laughing.

The Real Housewives of New York City premieres Thursday, April 2 at 9pm ET/PT on Bravo. 

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