Eboni K. Williams says watching herself on Real Housewives of New York can be "re-triggering and re-traumatizing"

Variety

Williams felt she and her castmates had made a lot of progress after filming the show, despite her first season coming amid COVID shutdowns. "We also had a lot of fun times, and I felt really good about my decision to join this crazy ride," she tells Variety's Kate Aurthur. But then she watched the episodes. "I think I wasn’t able to properly anticipate how different this Housewives adventure would be from my previous career in television," says Williams. "I’ve been on camera nationally for well over 10 years now from various news organizations and outlets. And the difference was you do a newscast, it’s in the can and that’s it. This is very different, and I didn’t really calibrate elements such as the re-triggering and re-traumatizing that would happen when you watch it back. It’s only by virtue of watching it back that you kind of see some things you missed in the actual moment. And that compounds the impact of the re-watch. There’s also, I would suggest, even a third component, which is the social media response of the episode. And seeing how your castmates may or may not respond as well. You don’t know until you know." Williams also responded to accusations calling her boring and tabloid "hit pieces" that alleged that her "wokeness" is behind the show's ratings decline. "That felt like sh*t, Kate. That felt like sh*t," Williams says of the Daily Mail stories, which questioned her reputation when she worked at. Fox News. "The only thing that really kind of annoyed me was the absolute lies that were told about my time as an analyst and news anchor and host at Fox News," says Williams. "Because you could ask anybody in leadership there today, and they will tell you I was exceptional while I was there. Trust me, I had to be, Kate. It wasn’t optional. I was exceptional. I was a consummate professional. And I left on very good terms at my own request. I actually left money on the table on my contract, didn’t take a cent with me." ALSO: Williams confirms there will be a RHONY reunion.