Leah McSweeney Talks More Diversity on RHONY & Racism

In an August 8 interview with Page Six, Real Housewives of New York star Leah McSweeney talked more diversity on the show, revealing that she thinks there’s more that can be done on the network.

“I hope that there’s not only diversity of race, but an even deeper diversity of where someone lives or what their interests are,” McSweeney told Page Six, “I hope that there’s just more diversity all across the board because New Yorkers are not a monolith, obviously. I think that it is gonna head in that direction.”

In the past, The Real Housewives of New York has been criticized for its lack of women of color in the cast. On The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, star Garcelle Beauvais is the first black housewife on the Beverly Hills franchise.

McSweeney Spoke About Being An Ally

On August 9, Bravo will air a special called “Race in America: A Movement Not A Moment,” which will feature a conversation between many Bravo stars, including McSweeney. McSweeney told Page Six that she hopes the special will encourage people to become allies, even though she doesn’t really like that term herself.

“When we’re talking about race and racism — why do we even have the word ‘ally?’” McSweeney said to Page Six, “This is an everyone problem. ‘Ally’ shouldn’t even be a thing. Everyone should be against racism, no matter what freaking color you are, no matter where you’re from. It’s truly a very evil idea, racism in general. So it should be, across the board, completely looked down upon and destroyed.”

McSweeney continued, “In terms of being an ally,” she said, “I think it’s just like, acknowledging racism exists. That’s the other thing  — people who say, ‘I don’t see color.’ I’m like, stop. Come on. That’s insane to say. I understand that’s a white person wanting to sound like they’re saying the right thing — it’s actually not the right thing to say — but they have good intentions.”

“We also need to draw a line where someone says something and it’s clearly a mistake, right?” McSweeney added,  “Or [we need to ask ourselves], can they learn from it? So we have to see things in a nuanced way as well … I think, as uncomfortable as the discussion can be, people need to be able to feel like they can discuss it.”

McSweeney Recently Called Out A Fellow RHONY Castmember For Her ‘All Lives Matter’ Comment

According to People, in June 2020, Real Housewives of New York member Ramona Singer commented “all lives matter” on an Instagram post amid nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd’s death. McSweeney called Singer out for her comment, posting a screenshot of the comment on her Instagram story, adding an emoji of a woman with her hand over her face.

After a video went viral in July 2020 that showed McSweeney and friend Elyse Slaine claiming that Singer poops during sex, McSweeney replied to Singer’s comment denying the claims in the video. McSweeney wrote, “Ok geriatric Regina George aka Miss all lives matter Don’t worry about the example I set for my daughter. She has an open mind and heart. Treats all with respect. Doesn’t see people or treat people as less than.’ Sees every race, religion, sexuality as equal, Elyse was ur actual friend (no idea why). You don’t deserve Elyse. OH HELL NO B*****!”

Ramona Singer Apologizes to Leah McSweeney on Twitter