Andy Cohen says 'outrage culture' has changed Real Housewives franchise - as he ... trends now
Andy Cohen got candid about how producing the Real Housewives franchise has dramatically shifted over the years.
The 55-year-old Bravo boss — who has been named in a bombshell lawsuit against the network by RHONY alum Leah McSweeney — said that since launching the franchise over 15 years ago, the creators have had to swiftly adapt to the evolving cultural landscape.
'Producing a show about politically incorrect women in 2024 is different than producing a show about politically incorrect women in 2009,' the TV host told The Hollywood Reporter in a wide-ranging interview published on Wednesday.
'We are living in an outrage culture now, and everyone has had to adapt to that,' he continued.
Cohen added that viewers' 'sensitivity' has grown more acute, attributing this shift to the pervasive influence of social media.
Andy Cohen got candid about how producing the Real Housewives franchise has dramatically shifted over the years; seen in 2022
The 55-year-old Bravo boss said that since launching the franchise over 15 years ago, the creators have had to swiftly adapt to the evolving cultural landscape; seen with Housewives in 2018
'Sensitivities have changed over the years. Social media has a huge impact. There's not a lot of room for nuance these days,' he added.
When asked about the criticism that Bravo has been 'slow to adapt', such as diversifying their casts, Andy expressed his pride in the network's efforts to ensure that the shows accurately reflect the demographics of the country.
He even acknowledged the 2020 death of George Floyd as a catalyst for change.
'George Floyd was an important cultural shift that forced us to look at all of our programming,' he stated, noting that he is no longer in charge of programming.
'Bravo made it a mandate to diversify its shows. I mean, they had a show, Summer House, that was like a bunch of white people in the Hamptons. Southern Charm was a bunch of white people tomcatting in Charleston. They thought, 'Why are a lot of the shows so segregated?'
'They decided that there needed to be more representation across the dial. And they did it.'
Cohen was also asked about McSweeney's lawsuit that alleges he and the entire network fostered a 'rotted' workplace culture and that he and other producers constantly encouraged them to imbibe alcohol
