Andy Cohen Confirms ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Casting Changes

Andy Cohen is clearing up a couple of Housewives rumors.

The Watch What Happens Live host appeared on the Tuesday, June 3 episode of The View, and shed some light on the status of the fan favorite franchise, Real Housewives of New Jersey. After co-host Alyssa Farah asked whether or not RHONJ was on pause, Cohen confirmed that the show is currently in the midst of casting.

“It was really on a deep pause and we are actively there casting and looking at the future of what that will be,” Cohen, 57, said, alluding to the longstanding rifts between the season 14 cast, with sister-in-laws Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga refusing to film with each other that season.

“It’s a great franchise, and we love it,” Cohen continued. “I just have to reiterate that.”

The previous cast included Giudice, 53, Gorga, 46, Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin, Jackie Goldschneider, Jenn Fessler, Danielle Cabral and Rachel Fuda.

Along with confirming the casting of RHONJ, he also shared that the network is casting for Real Housewives of New York.

“We are between seasons, where we typically do a little casting, which is what’s happening now, and we’re very close,” he said, before noting that there will definitely be new faces on RHONY season 16. Season 15 includes Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Brynn Whitfield, Racquel Chevremont and “friend of” Rebecca Minkoff.

While fans can expect a couple of new faces on both RHONY and RHONJ, Bravo recently announced an entirely new installment to the long-running franchise: Real Housewives of Rhode Island.

During Cohen’s appearance on The View, he revealed that the upcoming installment will bear a resemblance to RHONJ. Sunny Hostin asked if Cohen’s previous May comments that the RHORI will “remind [audiences] of early Jersey in a weird way,” were still true. 

“No Jersey Housewives is a stand-alone,” he told Hostin, 56. “Let me just say that.”

“I don’t think a lot of people realize what a very Italian community in Rhode Island,” he explained. “And you know what? You don’t mess with folks from Rhode-y.” 

“We have found a very Italian group. They’re hilarious, and they’ve got big families, and so I’m really excited to introduce everybody,” he said.

“The cast is incredible,” Cohen previously told Page Six of RHORI. 

“Rhode Island is such a small state, and they all kind of know each other and overlap, and it’s an incredible group of women who have really interesting connections,” he continued. “I think it’s going to really surprise people.”

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The Real Housewives of New Jersey and The Real Housewives of New York are available to stream in their entirety on Peacock.