Veteran RHONY Star Drops Bombshell on Her True Feelings About the New Cast!

Dorinda Medley shared her thoughts on the new ”Real Housewives of New York City” cast.

In a January 2025 interview on Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast, the former RHONY star admitted that it’s hard to compare the veteran cast to the newcomers.

“The crown is heavy,” Medley said. “There’s a lot of people in middle America that still can’t quite let go of the old girls. It’s not a matter of them being good, us being better, us being worse, them being good. It’s just change is hard for the audience.”

 “I think that these girls have a lot to follow up on,” she added. “But I like them. I’ve met most of them.  …It’s just different. It’s like saying, ‘Do you like the beach or do you like skiing?’ You know what I mean?”

Medley was a cast member on RHONY from seasons 7 to 12, which aired from 2015 to 2020.

The most recent season of RHONY starred Erin Lichy, Ubah Hassan, Brynn Whitfield, Jessel Taank, Sai De Silva, and Jenna Lyons, Racquel Chevremont and Rebecca Minkoff.

Dorinda Medley Said The New RHONY Cast Members Represent the ‘New’ New York

Bravo

In a March 2022 interview with Variety, Bravo producer Andy Cohen dropped the news that RHONY would be rebooted with an entirely new cast after 13 seasons. He added that “legacy” revival starring OG stars would also be developed. The latter series never came to fruition, but Bravo did produce the “Ultimate Girls Trip” series.

When RHONY returned with a new cast in July 2023, some fans weren’t sure what to make of it. On “Hot Mic,” Medley said she never felt that it was ”them or us.”

“I think they (Bravo) made an executive decision,” she said. “Get rid of one and replace with the other. …I personally think that was a tremendous jump and tricky because we have such deeply loyal, committed fans that grew up with these women that it was a lot for them. All of the sudden, ‘now you see them, now you don’t’ and present these new girls who are beautiful and talented and really, the new New York.”

“I mean New York is that now,” the 60-year-old reality TV alum said. “Not our generation. Our generation, that’s a world that really doesn’t exist. And people need to know that woman. How did she raise children? What’s the dynamic of their life in New York? New York’s a different place now than it was when we were raising children in New York.”

Medley also admitted the new members—most of them in their 30s and 40s—look “so young” to her. “They’re so much more glamorous than we were ever,” she added. “We just weren’t that glamorous in that way. Half the time we were filming in our apartments, and we really didn’t get hair and makeup and all that. So, it’s totally a different game.”

Dorinda Medley Invited the Newbies to Film at Her Estate in the Berkshires With RHONY Veterans

Bravo

Medley previously opened up her estate, Bluestone Manor, for an “Ultimate Girls Trip” season featuring veteran “Real Housewives” stars such as Vicki Gunvalson, Phaedra Parks, and Jill Zarin. The 11,000-square-foot mansion is located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts

Speaking with Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast, Medley challenged the new RHONY cast members to film with OGs at her estate. “We should send those new girls up there for a night and see how they fare,” she teased. Medley noted that she would only invite a few select OGs as not to intimidate the new women.

“A couple of us,” said cracked. “We wouldn’t want to overwhelm anybody.”