Andy Cohen Says Casting Is ‘Heavily Underway’ for ‘RHONY’ Season 16

According to Andy Cohen, The Real Housewives of New York City isn’t going anywhere.

The Real Housewives executive producer, 56, addressed rumors that the iconic New York City iteration of the Bravo reality show was shutting down for good on the May 13 episode of SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live.

After reading a few headlines that claimed the network had axed the show, Cohen provided clarity by saying, “I don’t know how else to say it, we are between seasons on the Housewives.”

“What’s so interesting is, last week when I was here, the Bravo execs met with 10 potential new Real Housewives of New York,” he continued. “This is called the casting process between seasons and it’s heavily underway. That’s why nothing has been announced.”

“So I don’t know what to say. It’s really odd. It just keeps going on and on. There you go,” he added.

Following a tumultuous 13th season, Cohen announced that the series would be ushering in a new RHONY cast in early 2022. Brynn Whitfield, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Ubah Hassan and Sai De Silva were eventually cast in the series’ reboot with Racquel Chevremont joining in season 15.

Despite Bravo’s efforts to bring in fresh faces, the new cast was subject to a few criticisms about their friendships and overall bond after the first season of the rebooted series aired.

“I think the group dynamic is a little bit of a challenge this season,” Cohen told Deadline about the new cast in November 2024. “I think the rap on the group in Season 1 was, ‘Oh, there’s not a lot of history there.’ The interesting thing about them this season is they hang out a lot and they are a cohesive group.”

At the time, the television personality added that he still has faith in the cast, saying, “I really believe in this group of women. I think they’re very aspirational. I think they’re fun to watch. I think the clothes and the window into a different kind of New York is all what we wanted it to be.”

Cohen also reflected on the success of the original show, which starred Bethenny Frankel, Jill Zarin, Alex McCord, Ramona Singer and Luann de Lesseps in season 1 before undergoing several casting shake-ups. 

“We had 13 great seasons, plus a Girls Trip with that group of women, which is an incredible accomplishment,” he said. “A lot changed, a lot shifted in [their] world and in life — Sonja is now living in Florida, Ramona basically lives in Florida. Things have shifted.”

“So with this group of RHONY, we’re kind of looking to the future with them,” he added. “I loved the original, but this is a new group.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Real Housewives of New York City is streaming on Peacock.