Andy Cohen: "I don’t personally think that the people on Bravo should be on trial for their political and cultural views"

Vulture

“It’s troublesome to me,” Cohen said in defending Real Housewives stars who have controversial views. “The line between celebrating someone’s outspokenness and not liking someone’s outspokenness is really blurring these days,” he adds. “Bravo is meant to be escapism, and I don’t personally think that the people on Bravo should be on trial for their political and cultural views. That doesn’t seem that fun to me!” Cohen admits, though, that the cable network can no longer use "the Bravo wink" -- not an explicit rebuke, but editing that lets viewers know the producers understand that what’s happening is ridiculous -- as fans have begun questioning The Real Housewives stars' controversies. “Ultimately,” he says, “the thing I am the most is a cheerleader. Because the truth of the matter is I want each of them to succeed. If each of them succeeds, it is success for me. Trust me. When they don’t, it’s more trouble for me because we have to find new ones.” Bravo has also taken steps to address racism since last summer's unrest following George Floyd's killing. Vulture's Anna Peele, who interviewed Cohen, adds: "In late March, Bravo reworked the sensitivity trainings that cast members receive every season. The sessions will now cover “such concepts as unconscious bias, stereotyping, microaggressions, and overall cultural sensitivity and will be tailored to the specific content and elements of each show,” which means things will be ramped up or down depending on the perceived biases of each cast. And this intervention isn’t limited to white talent. On a recent episode of (Real Housewives of Atlanta), (Kenya) Moore wore an approximation of an Indigenous headpiece to a Halloween party as part of a 'warrior princess' look that went largely unremarked upon on the show. After the episode aired, Bravo and Moore separately apologized for the costume and had the nonprofit Native American education initiative Illumi-Native talk with Moore and the RHOA production team about cultural appropriation."