Andy Cohen’s Vendetta Against Jill Zarin Tanked ‘RHONY’ Legacy Spin-off
Andy Cohen’s Vendetta Against Jill Zarin Tanked ‘RHONY’ Legacy Spin-off
Andy Cohen reportedly played a role in the alleged downfall of the highly anticipated “Legacy” edition of the Real Housewives of New York City.
The Bravo executive took a shot at Jill Zarin last year during an episode of Watch What Happens Live — and it appears that the Bravo alum didn’t forget it.
Andy Cohen suggested that Jill Zarin was desperate to be back in the Bravo spotlight during an episode of his chat show, and the dig was fresh in Jill’s mind while in talks for the “Legacy” project, according to a Page Six report. Jill’s demands reportedly sank the franchise, amid tense negotiations.
RHONY Season 13 crashed and burned which led to a canceled reunion due to flopped ratings and discord within the cast. Network executives later announced that the show would be split into two parts, a complete RHONY reboot with a new cast, and a “Legacy” edition, which would feature fan favorites from past seasons.
Bravo worked to secure Season 13 cast members, Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan, and pursued Jill, Kelly Bensimon, Dorinda Medley and Tinsley Mortimer. Just as both shows were coming together, Cohen took a nasty swipe at Jill, an original RHONY cast member.
Andy Cohen mentioned how Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, Taylor Armstrong, had jumped from the 90210 to the Orange County franchise before poking at Jill, on live TV.
Cohen explained—“She actually lives in Orange County. This makes her the first Housewife to move from [a show based on one] city to another.”
“In unrelated news, Jill Zarin is closing on homes in Potomac, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, Orange County, Atlanta, Miami, Dubai, and Salt Lake City,” he snarked, listing every “Housewives” city.
Cohen added—“Just kidding! I love you Jill.”
Jill went on to play hardball with the network and eventually walked away without a deal. The outlet reports that network execs “lost interest” in the “Legacy” project and shut down negotiations.
A source close to Kelly Bensimon claimed — “[Zarin] pushing for a big payday was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
However a source close to Jill explained that her only demand was for everyone to be paid the same.
“It wasn’t about the money,” the insider clarified. “Jill just wanted all the women to be paid the same. They started at the same time. They built the show together. She felt they should be paid the same. She would have done it for $1, as long as everyone was getting paid the same.”
Kelly Bensimon was reportedly offered more than Jill, and Luann was offered more than the former model. Jill allegedly demanded that her New York State tax figure be included in her compensation, as she lives more than half the year in Florida in order to dodge paying state tax. She wanted the bill covered if filming and promo work kept her in the city longer than six months out of the year.
The network reportedly struggled to assemble enough throwback cast members to put together a “Legacy” show, making Jill’s exit more problematic.
Ramona Singer, Bethenny Frankel and Tinsley Mortimer were counted out early on, leaving Bravo in need of every other considered RHONY alum in order to put together a seven to ten person cast.
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