Jenna Lyons & Racquel Chevremont Talk RHONY Season 15, Gay Love, & Dog Leashes

The Real Housewives of New York City (RHONY) is back, baby, and the show’s 15th season will premiere on Oct. 1 — although, between us, it feels more the second of a new RHONY after the slate was wiped clean and a new cast was instated. While RHONY has seen a younger breed of uptown-meets-downtown women taking on the much-beloved group trips, Tribeca lunches, and requisite fights over dinner, the show’s drama and fashion have reached an all-time high, thanks to the cast: supermodel Ubah Hassan, PR maven Jessel Taank, fashion influencer Sai de Silva, realtor Erin Lichy, marketing whiz Brynn Whitfield, and, of course, Jenna Lyons. There’s also a new girl on the scene: art maverick and model Racquel Chevremont, who also brings the RHONY homosexual-housewife count up to two.

It’s only right that a gay journalist joined the duo at a Soho café on a recent sunny afternoon for a coffee and a chat. Ahead, the two “later-in-life lesbians” (Chevremont’s words, not mine) dish to NYLON about being “boring” versus “crazy,” representing gay families on screen, and making exciting television.

Racquel, how did it feel for you to jump into filming a reality show?

Racquel Chevremont: It felt natural, which is the weirdest answer on the planet, I know. You get lost at some point; you don’t even see the camera, or at least I didn’t anymore.

Jenna Lyons: Right, that’s true. You’re going to have to, otherwise you just look like a deer in the headlights all the time. You can’t relax.

RC: That happened a lot quicker than I would’ve expected it to. My partner was in shock for quite some time, but the cameras disappeared pretty quickly. I’ve been in front of cameras for modeling as opposed to in this way, but it actually wasn’t as bad or intimidating as I thought it was going to be. And I had you there.

JL: We knew each other already. I think the first season was a lot scarier. I didn’t know what to expect. Also, I didn’t realize how isolating being the only non-straight woman could feel and being the oldest by 15 years. Little things like making jokes about husbands or boyfriends, or the way that they engaged with men. I didn’t realize it until Racquel joined and I was like, “Oh, it’s so nice to have someone who gets our jokes, not their jokes.”

You two were in the fashion world before you joined and are automatically the chicest people who’ve ever been on the show. I think with this new cast, especially with you two, it feels more fashion-focused.

JL: The thing that makes a big difference is not just the clothes, it’s the hair and makeup. If you look at the hair and makeup that this one [Racquel] brings, it’s like, “F*cking yes.” If you look at the other franchises, the women all have long hair, it’s big and blown out, and there’s a full beat of makeup. The makeup is all similar in aspiration, which is fine, it just doesn’t allow for variation and visual experience. Our group is not as connected in that way.

RC: We’re also the most diverse group, and that helps, too.

JL: Diversity not just in age, ethnicity, and sexuality, but also in background. She’s deeply in the art world and fashion, I came mostly from fashion. It’s been interesting to watch all the girls start to come to shows, too. Now Brynn [Whitfield]’s showing up, and it’s fun. I love going to shows.

How long have you been going to shows?

JL: I’ve been on this side of things for a long time. I was a judge for the Vogue Fashion Fund, so I had to start looking at clothes and going to shows. It doesn’t get old. I still love it when the lights go down and the music comes on.

RC: Somehow it never gets old.

JL: Never. I went to the Luar show and they were stomping like Clydesdales, and I was like, “Yes.”

Was there any advice Jenna gave you that you found helpful?

RC: Watch some of the show before you go. I had not watched it. She was like, “What are you doing? No, you can’t come into this blind. Please.”

JL: It’s also not what you think it is. It’s helpful when you’re filming because you understand how it gets there, and where it’s headed a little bit. It’s a strange process.

RC: Brynn was telling me, “Just get ready to hate yourself, get ready to feel ugly, fat, and that you sound dumb. Just get ready for all of it, and then maybe it gets better.”

JL: It’s hard. I think people are really judgmental. Listen, it is a TV show, and there is a balance of being engaging, interesting, and playful, and letting yourself go a little bit versus being guarded. If everyone acted like me, the show would be canceled. I was more reserved; I was on the board of a publicly traded company for 10 years, but I cycled off, so I was less reserved this time. I think Brynn understands there needs to be something to get excited about, and she really brings it.

RC: She’s great TV.

JL: She’s amazing TV. She’s f*cking adorable and playful and fun. Jessel plays into the ditziness sometimes, and it’s cute because she’s lovely and smart.

Racquel, is there anything you learned through filming about yourself that you didn’t expect?

RC: I’ve never spent this much time with such a large group of women. I’m a bit shy, actually, which I don’t think most people would think. But it was fun. I’ve never had this type of friendship.

I’m curious to hear about your first couple of times in front of the camera. Did you have a moment where you thought, “Did I say too much?”

RC: There were a couple scenes where I watched what I was saying because I was being asked certain things and I thought, “I’m not going to really go there.” I was a little more reserved than I could have been, and it was a balance I had to figure out. One of the first things my daughter said to me is, “If you’re going to do this, you can’t be boring, and please don’t be crazy. You’re going to have to be a little crazy, because otherwise you’re not going to be interesting.” Then, the trailer came out, and she gasped when she saw me with a leash around my neck.

JL: I was excited about that. I can’t wait to see that scene.

RC: I have to say, I think the scenes we were in together were when I was my most natural, because we’ve had this friendship.

JL: I would say the same. It always felt more relaxed when you were in the room. I really, genuinely care about the other girls and I’ve come to really, really like them, but their lives are different than mine, and they’re younger than me. Also, we had such a specifically unique story of coming out later in life, separating, and having kids. It bonds us in a way that we couldn’t have with anyone else.

RC: The later-in-life lesbians!

I loved seeing our first queer New York housewife, and then a year later having another join. How did you help Racquel navigate that?

JL: Being in a room full of people that don’t have your shared experience can feel a little scary. I knew she wasn’t going to take me down, basically. There was a certain level of respect and understanding there.

RC: It’s not just our shared experience; the age thing is a big one. There were things we would say that they had no clue what we were talking about. I went to the doctor today and he was like, “You’re 53.” And I was like, “Oh my gosh, why are you saying it so loud?” There is a 15-year gap, and while I think we both still look incredible for our age, we are still 15 years older than most of these women. I really give Jenna a lot of credit, because that had to have been extremely difficult.

JL: It’s also little things. They have very young children, they’re also in traditional marriages. They’re in different places in their career. They have a different level of energy. Also, we have had a relatively public career and been in the public eye, so we don’t have the same excitement around it. You’re a little more guarded whereas these girls are all experiencing it for the first time, and it’s more exciting for them, which I get.

Racquel, you talked about striking the balance between being boring and crazy, but how did you feel about controlling your narrative?

RC: Because we have teenagers, I didn’t want to do something that would put them into any uncomfortable situation. Same with my partner, who is a forensic neuropsychologist. It couldn’t be any further from public life. That part was scary and still is. I was guarded about my personal life, other than that dog leash. We’re a very fun couple. We’ve been friends for a very long time, and so there’s a different type of humor we have with each other.

JL: It’s also so nice to see a hot female couple on TV. The only other female couple I can think of is Martina Navratilova and Julia Lemigova from Miami, and their vibe is totally different. Seeing Mel [Corpus] and Racquel together will be good for young people around the country.

RC: I think it really matters. That was one of the reasons why I wanted my entire family to be on it, because I want that representation. Throughout my art career, representation has always been what drives me. I needed their blessing, because otherwise I’m not sure I would do it, just me in front of a camera. What fun is that, and how does that push anything forward?

You’ve got two wives in the same house.

RC: That’s so funny. Mel’s friends actually said, “Are you the housewife?” I’m excited about America seeing a functioning family. We’re just having fun, and we’re a blended family.

Jenna, are we going to see any of your relationship this season?

JL: Listen, I made the choice to be on. With the job she has and the role she plays in her career, she wants to be behind the scenes, and I totally understand. Her mother did a scene with me and Racquel, and the producer said it was one of the best scenes. She is TV gold.

What I also love about this reboot is that you are rewriting the rules of the Housewives. You’re making it work for you, which is so refreshing.

JL: I have to give a proper shoutout to the people behind the scenes. The producers and Andy [Cohen] have been very supportive of shifting the narrative. The fact that there are two gay women is pretty impressive for a widely watched show. I really thought I would get backlash in the first season, but there was not one single negative comment. I couldn’t believe it.

RC: I think it’s very brave of them. I was actually surprised when they said, “We want you.” I thought, “Wow, OK, two queer women on one Housewives show. Interesting.”