“The Golden Life” premiered on E! in October 2026, serving as an unofficial offshoot of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York City,” starring Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, Ramona Singer, Dorina Medley, and Kelly Bensimon. Now, after the much-talked-about premiere episode, Andy Cohen is explaining why the show isn’t on Bravo.
Andy Cohen Says Things Felt Final With the OG RHONY Cast
While promoting his new book, “Andy’s Bravo Scrapbook: Twenty Years Behind the Scenes of the Real Housewives and the Bravoverse,” Cohen appeared on the “Morally Corrupt” podcast in 2026. One of the highlights from the conversation came when host Rachel Lindsay mentioned that “The Golden Life” had been pitched to Bravo and asked why the network rejected it.
“We were going to do a show called ‘RHONY: Legacy,’ if you recall.” From there, Coh’en went on to discuss how the show had fallen apart following the decision to reboot “The Real Housewives of New York City.”
According to him, “I will say, Jill was part of a big reason why ‘RHONY: Legacy’ didn’t happen and then, not to kick a woman when she’s down.” From there, he explained that they produced “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy” instead.
Regarding why Bravo said no to “The Golden Life,” Cohen said, “We really felt watching that show that it was kind of in a weird way a great kind of ender to that arc with that group.”
“And that’s where we left it,” he added.
Andy Cohen Previously Reacted to News About ‘The Golden Life’
Following confirmation that E! had greenlit “The Golden Life,” Cohen took to SiriusXM’s “Andy Cohen Live” in February 2026 to share his thoughts.
“You know what, I’m excited for them,” he began. “I texted the ladies yesterday. I think it’s gonna be a great show.” Cohen also discussed his support for the cast, saying he would “never root against” them.
According to him, “I absolutely love them. I love them together. So does America. I’m gonna speak for America, and I think it’s gonna be great, and I can’t wait to watch, and I’m happy for them.”
Luann de Lesseps Says She Got Permission From Bravo
As mentioned, “The Golden Life” premiered on E! in October, and there are now plans in place for the show to arrive on Hulu on November 3. Ahead of the series premiere, the cast interviewed with SiriusXM’s “Page Six Radio.”
When discussing how the show came to be, Morgan said, “Luann and I, for years, we were meeting.” She continued, “We were doing all these zooms, pitching concepts, making up storyboards and all that, and then someone who is not with us today, she actually said, ‘Okay, I have an in; let’s meet with these people.'”
However, many of the cast members, including de Lesseps, were unsure about signing on for the show. “When they called me, I was like, ‘No.’ I did ‘Ultimate Girls Trip,’ right? I’m working for Bravo, and so I was like, ‘No. Bravo’s my family.’ And then I got permission from Bravo to actually do the E! show, which I didn’t know at the time.”
She then said, “I didn’t know if I wanted to do it because I’m an empty nester. My daughter lives in L.A. I don’t need my house in New York anymore, and they said, ‘No, no, we want to do this in Palm Beach. Because everyone in New York goes to Palm Beach.'”
“The Golden Life” airs on E! on Tuesday nights.
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Andy Cohen Explains Why Bravo Passed on ‘The Golden Life’