Ramona Singer Said Black People Would “Ruin” ‘RHONY,’ Used The N-Word, And Claimed “Most” Black Children Don’t Have Fathers: Report

Just days before Ramona Singer is set to appear at BravoCon, new details about her alleged racist remarks have surfaced.

According to a new Vanity Fair report, the Real Housewives of New York City star was forced to undergo a virtual education session ahead of Season 13 along with castmates Leah McSweeney, Sonja Morgan, Luann de Lesseps, and Eboni K. Williams — who was the first Black woman on the franchise. The call — which was focused on “Black Women,” “Microaggressions,” “Lexicon,” and “Missteps” — was a “cover your ass” move, according to Williams, who claimed it mainly covered what they should avoid saying, like the common but racist stereotype that Black fathers are absent.

“What if they don’t have a father? Why can’t I say that? Most of them don’t,” Singer allegedly said during the meeting, per Williams and McSweeney.

Another instance came amid a scene when de Lesseps and Singer said they were uncomfortable hearing the word “dick” since they were raised “churchgoing” and “conservative.” The scene erupted into a fight between the women and Williams, who called out their “white fragility,” before leaving altogether. While the scene we saw ended there, one of the remaining people claimed to Vanity Fair, “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.'”

Singer rebutted the claim, telling the outlet that it “absolutely” did not happen, before adding, “In fact, I supported adding diverse cast members well before Eboni was added.”

The television personality — who is gearing up to star on Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy — also allegedly told a Black staffer that there are “so many of you guys here now” that if they changed their hair, she wouldn’t be able to remember their names.

“It was strictly a commentary on my inability to remember names,” she said in an email to Vanity Fair. “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.”

Moreover, Darian Edmondson, who was a Black senior producer on Season 13 of the show, claimed Singer once used the n-word with her. While reflecting on a race-based conversation she had with Williams, Singer compared being called a “shiksa” by her Jewish colleagues to a Black person being called the racial slur.

“Ramona, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Edmonson said, to which Singer replied, “Oh, it’s literally like somebody calling you a n—er.”

According to Singer, she “never” used the word; she described Edmonson’s recollection as a “misrepresentation” of their conversation. While she said she did open up about being called a shiksa when she was in college, she said she “did not compare” the two.

The show’s Season 13 reunion was ultimately canceled, before it went off the air for two years and returned with an entirely new and more diverse cast. During that time, Singer had been the subject of an HR investigation after a crew member and Williams filed complaints. Still, she got a second chance when she was cast on the next season of RHUGT.

A source familiar with production told Vanity Fair that the RHONY and RHUGT production company, Shed Media, took action after they were made “aware of concerns related to conduct on the RHONY season 13 production.”

“[P]roducers immediately reached out to the affected employees to make sure they were supported, and Shed hired an outside investigator to conduct a thorough and confidential investigation,” the source said. “Where issues were substantiated, appropriate corrective action was taken […] These measures were taken over two years before the casting of UGT: St. Barth’s [Legacy].”