Alicia Quarles Has Reportedly Joined The ‘RHONY’ Cast For Season 13 To ‘Increase Diversity’ [UPDATE]
UPDATE: A Bravo rep has confirmed that while Alicia did meet with casting, “she has absolutely not been cast.”
“Alicia has just simply met with the casting agency for RHONY as have numerous other women who have been recommended by the current New York Housewives. That is as far as the discussion with Alicia has gone,” a source explained.
The original story can be seen below.
Alicia Quarles is reportedly being added to The Real Housewives of New York City for the Bravo reality series’ upcoming 13th season.
On July 27, OK! revealed to readers that multiple sources had confirmed Alicia, a current correspondent of Daily Mail TV and former host of E!, inked a deal with the network in recent weeks. She will soon be joining returning members Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Dorinda Medley, and Leah McSweeney for production on the new episodes.
According to one of the outlet’s insiders, the addition of the socialite and fashionista — who is married to Michael Ross — comes as part of a supposed push from Bravo to “increase diversity” on their network. It also follows a 2017 statement from former cast member Bethenny Frankel, who said she had encouraged her ex-producers to break the show out if its “racially homogeneous casts.”
While Alicia’s addition to the series may have been prompted by her race, the magazine’s insider went on to say that she undoubtedly deserved to be considered for the role, regardless of her ethnicity.
“Alicia deserves to be on the series because of who she is,” the OK! source explained. “But there is no doubt that recent events across the country provided a reckoning for television producers, and the Housewives have not been immune to that.”
As fans of Bravo have likely heard, the network announced last month that after being accused of racist behavior in the past, Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute would not be included in any further seasons of Vanderpump Rules. At the same time, it was announced that Brett Caprioni and Max Boyens, who shared racially charged posts on Twitter years ago, would also not be returning to the show.
OK! went on to say that Alicia graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California, where she met her husband.
There’s no word yet on whether or not Alicia has any existing connections to the RHONY cast.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Tinsley Mortimer left her full-time position on The Real Housewives of New York City at the end of last year after getting engaged to Scott Kluth. A short time later, she shared an exit statement on her Instagram page.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all my fans and friends who supported me and are happy for my fairy tale ending. Without #RHONY, I would never have met my prince charming, Scott,” she wrote.
