The Real Housewives of New YorkSeason 13’s own,Eboni K. Williams, is making headlines after announcing her newest venture.Williams is set to launch a courtroom-style show, reminiscent ofJudge Judy, calledEqual Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams. The show will be available this fall in hour-long episodes and will be featured on broadcast television as well as streaming services. This is not the first time Williams has made headlines since being cast onRHONY. Williams was part of the only season ofRHONYthat didn’t film a reunion episode and didn’t getreunited for a second seasonwith that group of women. Since then, the show has been completely recast. There is lots of speculation for why the season didn’t get a reunion but a lot of the women onthe reality showpoint their fingers at Williams.
Ramona Singer Spills Her Tea To Carlos King
RHONYfans are decently split on how they felt about Williams' role in the season. Some fans loved her and what she brought to the show and others felt it became less about the drama ofRHONYand more like watchingThe View.Ramona Singerrecently went onCarlos King’s podcast,Reality with the King, and spoke about Williams and their season. Singer’s overall message is that politics were shoved too far down their throats this season, Williams being the one initiating most of that conversation. King shared a similar sentiment, stating that he stopped watching the season halfway through because it wasn’t theRHONYhe loved anymore. Instead, it was an educational piece. Singer felt that Williams would speak out to the press and make statements regarding the filming of the episodes instead of approaching the women on the show with her issues. Singer said, “She would say things and give interviews that she shouldn’t have given, and she’d say things she shouldn’t have said that really were hurtful, not really truthful. It was her viewpoint, but it made us feel not good because we’re a team". Most of what Singer is referring to is Williams accusing Singer of being a racist, as well as others on the show, likeLuann de Lesseps. Singer also mentioned that, had those accusations not happened, it’s likely thatBravowould’ve filmed a reunion and continued onto Season 14. An investigation into the allegations were launched, and Bravo determined the claims brought up by Williams were unfounded.
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Williams Wanted To Be A Voice For The Voiceless
Williams was the first Black woman to join the cast ofRHONY. Bravo encouraged Williams to be her authentic self in order to bring a new perspective to the show. When Williams auditioned, she was in a relationship, but that ended after she sent in her audition tape. Bravo still liked what Williams had to offer and gave her a spot on the show. Williams noted that the world changed in addition to her relationship status once she accepted the role. Americans were living through their first year of the COVID pandemic and had recently lived through a time of social unjust with the murder of George Floyd. Williams felt it was her responsibility to come onto the show and represent her community and educate those who have not been part of marginalized groups. Williams debuted on the show wearing a Black Lives Matter face mask and a sweatshirt that honored the work of the Exonerated Five, five Black and Latino men who as teens were wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for the brutal rape of a Central Park jogger. It was clear that Williams' goal was to educate her cast mates on racial conversations that they weren’t used to having. One stand-out argument came with de Lesseps after she called Williams angry, a microaggression that Williams refused not tolerate.Leah McSweeneywas one of the few to stand by Williams' side.She called out fanswho had previously demanded Bravo make a more diverse cast when they felt Williams became too political.
There Were Reportedly Untruths Told By Williams During the Show
One of the things Singer says she was most shocked by was who Williams presented to be on the show. Per her interview with King, she had no problem with Williams' discussions on race and politics, though she admits she felt it was overkill. If anything, Singer says that during test shoots and upon meeting Williams prior to the season began filming no such conversations with sensitive and deep subject matter happened. In fact, Singer says Williams was engaged to a Jewish man and in the process of converting her religion for the sake of the marriage. But once the relationship ended, Williams' stance on the show changed.
“She tested with Luann, and she talked about totally different things [outside of racial issues],” Singer claimed. “We didn’t know that side of her. But also, in her defense, at that point, she was engaged to this very wealthy Jewish man, and she was going to become Jewish, and then that whole relationship fell apart, and maybe this was the only thing she had to fall back on was to talk about her struggle and her race.” Basically, Singer says Williams' private and public persona clashed.
According to a report fromShowbiz Cheat Sheet, Williams' reasoning for her relationship with her ex-fiance ending is not true. She claimed in interviews and on the show that during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, that she ended the relationship because he chose to be shut in with his adult children and didn’t invite her to participate. But the blogs say otherwise.
“The kids barely knew her, and she barely knew them. She just wasn’t engaged in that part of his life at all,” a source claimedin an interview withDaily Mail.“The quarantine thing was just a convenient public excuse. The relationship wasn’t going anywhere. It wasn’t really heading towards marriage.”
Williams Could Have Been A Light On The Show
Williams brought a lot to the show. She has a Bachelor of Arts in African-American Communications from UNC at Chapel Hill. She also studied law at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law where she received a Juris Doctor Degree. Williams also worked as a clerk for the Louisiana Secretary of State where she helped the New Orleans city council after the devastating Hurricane Katrina, as well as for her own private practice, representing clients involved in homicide, rape, drug, and sex crimes. Finally, she worked as a freelance broadcaster on various television stations including CNN, Fox News, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and HLN. Williams had the pedigree to establish and educate her cast mates on marginalized groups and represent Black women in a powerful light that they aren’t always painted in. She also had the opportunity to diversify and promote more BIPOC individuals to be considered or auditioned for the show. Unfortunately for Williams, many fans ofRHONYaren’t interested in that representation and instead are looking for the entertainment thatRHONYhas always provided.
Williams had a very sympathetic moment onRHONYwhere she hired genetic investigators to look into finding her biological father. The show was a catalyst for Williams reaching out and looking for her father, but Williams was scared to be vulnerable with the other women on the show. That vulnerability could’ve helped the other women connect and form a bond with Williams instead of always feeling at an arm’s distance from her. Ultimately Williams was able to find her father and they started creating a relationship.She had shared a heartfelt message on her Instagramabout finding a parent and how great that is.
Williams went in with her walls up, really focused on being Type A and trying to promote change and incite diversity, but maybe she went just a little too hard with those walls. Williams' growth withRHONYcould’ve gone differently, but the state of the world at the time provided a strong sense of duty to serve her people, as a lawyer is programmed to do. Although her time on the show was brief, and she doesn’t have an opportunity to come back, Williams felt that her one-season stint was worth it. She feels it helped to elevate her brand, grow as a woman, and spread more inclusivity to reality TV.
