Andy Cohen is weighing in on “The Real Housewives of New York” reboot star Lizzy Savetsky’s early exit from the Bravo series.
In an interview with PEOPLE, the “Watch What Happens Live” host reacted to Savetsky’s recent announcement, in which the digital influencer shared that she quit “RHONY” amid production, claiming that she was subjected to “a torrent of antisemitic attacks” ever since the Season 14 cast was announced last month.
“I can confirm that she is leaving, unfortunately,” Cohen — who is Jewish — told the outlet. “What I can also tell you is that when I’ve spoken out against antisemitism, the response that I’ve gotten has been quite alarming.”
“We’re living in really messed up, weird times right now,” he added, saying he believes “social media makes it a whole lot worse.”
“It’s a really rough time,” Cohen, 54, said. “As a Jewish American, it saddens me to see what’s happening with antisemitism.”
Earlier this week, Savetsky — who was announced as a part of the new “RHONY” cast last month — took to Instagram to confirm reports that she has departed the show.
“I will not be continuing on the ‘Real Housewives of NYC.’ As a proud orthodox Jewish woman, I thought participating in this series would be a great chance to represent people like me and share my experience,” she began in her statement.
“Unfortunately, from the time of my announcement in the cast, I was on the receiving end of a torrent of antisemitic attacks,” she continued. “As this continued, I realized that this path was no longer right for me and my family.”
“I’m looking forward to my next chapter,” she concluded. “Stay tuned — and thank you for your support! All my love.”
Bravo confirmed the news in a statement to People, saying, “After thoughtful consideration and discussion with Lizzy, we have reached the mutual conclusion that Lizzy will not be a cast member on ‘RHONY.” Sources told the outlet that Savetsky quit filming the show almost two weeks prior to her announcement.
Season 14 of the Bravo series — which features “an all-new group of seven dynamic women,” per the network — is set to premiere next year.
Meanwhile, several celebrities have been embroiled in antisemitic controversies as of late, including Kanye West, Kyrie Irving and Dave Chappelle.
In October, West was hit with backlash after he made his return to Twitter. He made the shift after Instagram had restricted his account for violating its policies, but almost immediately found himself on the wrong side of Twitter’s policies.
One of his first tweets on the platform was taken down for violating those policies, but not before it was captured and began circulating. In it, the rapper wrote, “I’m a bit sleepy but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
He further attempted to get ahead of the inevitable reaction to this statement by adding, “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” His account was later locked by the platform for violating Twitter policies.
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving found himself under the microscope after he tweeted out a link to an antisemitic film, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!” He refused to apologize in the immediate aftermath, landing an indefinite suspension from the Nets.
As reported by TMZ, after the suspension, Irving did apologize, with Nets owner Joe Tsai convinced the baller is not antisemitic after meeting with him.
“The Nets and Kyrie, together with the NBA and NBPA, are working constructively toward a process of forgiveness, healing and education,” Tsai tweeted last week. Irving remains suspended.
As for Dave Chappelle, the comedian was met with a slew of criticism over his “Saturday Night Live” monologue last week, during which he addressed West and Irving’s controversies.
Chappelle was not agreeing with antisemitic sentiments in his monologue, but the way he spoke about West and Irvine and their respective controversies didn’t sit well with some.
He was even accused by leadership from the Anti-Defamation League for “popularizing” antisemitism.
In a tweet posted on Sunday afternoon after Chappelle’s “SNL” appearance, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt lambasted the comedian’s material, asking, “Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?”
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