Eboni K. Williams Wants to Bring 'Black Excellence, Not Perfection' to 'The Real Housewives of New York City'

Glad to hear you’ve started filming and that you’re able to do so safely. I’m sure Bravo fans will be happy to hear that as well. Were you a fan of Real Housewives of New York? What made you decide to join the cast?

I am an unapologetic and proud Bravo fan, and I'm a fan of the franchise. I've been watching Real Housewives since it originated with Orange County some 15 or 16 years ago. I've seen every episode of RHONY as well, and RHONY really was always one of my favorite franchises because it represents boss women. New Yorkers, we have an edge. I'm a Southern transplant to New York, but I've been here for about six years now and it's the tempo, it's the pace, it's the direct way in which we communicate with each other and get shit done. That really attracted me to the franchise and the whole history of the vast majority of women that have held an apple.

When the opportunity arose, I had a lot of consideration around it. I'm a lawyer, so I'm classically trained in risk assessment and pros and cons and weighing things out. As fantastic and legendary as the franchise is, it was a very obvious point for one of the most predominant and preeminent cities in the world—which is New York City, that has a 26% Black populace and almost 30% Hispanic populace—to not have a single Black woman ever hold an apple. It just could no longer be the case. I feel blessed and uniquely positioned to show up and fill this gap and fill this void that’s long overdue. I'm excited to do this and really make season 13 RHONY something very special.

As Black women, we rarely just represent ourselves when it comes to navigating predominately white spaces. Does it feel daunting to know that you won’t just be representing yourself on RHONY but all Black women?

You're exactly right about that. I have a degree in Black studies from UNC Chapel Hill, my bachelor’s, and we talked about this in undergrad. The reality of when you are a minority of any kind is that you don't get to just show up individually. You are constantly representative of the collective. It's definitely not lost on me, and I call it my gracious responsibility as a Black woman. I'm not new to this. I'm new to reality television, but I'm not new to being the collective representative of Black womanhood. Frankly, I've been the first of a lot of things. When I first started practicing law, I was the first Black woman attorney and the only Black attorney, male or female, in my first law firm.

I know what it is to show up in all white spaces and having to be mindful of everything you say, everything you do, the way you show up aesthetically. All of it is scrutinized to the highest level. All of it tells a story. All of it represents what will be potential opportunities for all those that come behind you that look like you. That's very top of mind for me as I embark on season 13 of this platform, and I'm very excited to do it. Am I going to be the perfect representation of Black womanhood? Absolutely not. But I'm going to give it my damn best try.