Ramona Singer is reflecting on how much reality TV has changed since she first joined The Real Housewives of New York City nearly two decades ago.
The RHONY OG, who is returning to television on E!’s The Golden Life alongside Luann de Lesseps, Dorinda Medley, Sonja Morgan and Kelly Bensimon, admitted that the Housewives world felt very different when she first started.
“I think when we first started, reality TV was a little more lighthearted,” Ramona told Us Weekly in its Reality Stars of the Year issue. “I think sometimes now it gets too drama oriented and fake oriented.”
Ramona was part of the original RHONY cast when the show premiered in 2008. At the time, Real Housewives was still a new Bravo universe, with RHONY becoming only the second city in the franchise after The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Because of that, Ramona says she and the rest of the cast were thrown into fame without much of a roadmap.
“I sometimes personally never would accept how popular [and] so-called famous we were,” Ramona admitted. “I used to really not embrace it. It kind of frightened me and scared me. But now I can embrace it.”
Ramona credits her real friendships with helping her become more comfortable with the attention over time.
“We are real friends. We fight sometimes really badly. But we do make up. We have resolution, but we’re real,” Ramona said of Luann, Dorinda, Sonja and Kelly.
She added, “There’s nothing fake about us, you know? And we’re inspirational to fans. I mean, look at us all.”
Ramona said she is proud that the women are still thriving at this stage in their lives.
“We’re all at a certain age,” she said, while making it clear that age has not slowed them down.
“I never thought when I was younger I’d ever looked like this at this age,” Ramona shared. “And let me tell you out there, life just gets better. My life is just beginning.”
Ramona first captivated Bravo fans in 2008 and went on to become one of RHONY’s most memorable personalities, known for her “Singer Stinger,” chaotic energy and “maven of a good time” reputation.
After 13 seasons, RHONY ended its original run in 2021 before Bravo eventually rebooted the franchise with an entirely new cast. But fans never stopped talking about the original women, which is part of why The Golden Life is already drawing attention.
The new E! series follows Ramona, Luann, Dorinda, Sonja and Kelly as they live it up in Palm Beach, Florida.
According to Ramona, viewers can expect the show to feel more fun and natural than some of the current reality TV drama.
“I think fans will be so delighted because we are more lighthearted. We’re genuine,” Ramona said. “Nothing is fake. Nothing is made up. We don’t have a script. That’s what makes us so unusual.”
Ramona also teased that fans will see a calmer version of her this time around.
“The viewers will see a different Ramona from the standpoint that I’m really much calmer now,” she said.
Still, she is not pretending she has completely lost her edge.
“Do I still get hyper? Yes. Do I still have a disagreement like I did with Dorinda? Absolutely,” Ramona admitted. “But there’s more of a zen to me, more of a calmness to me.”
Ramona said she has more patience now and believes she has “evolved tremendously” over the past two decades.
But Luann joked that Ramona still has her famous bite.
“She still has the stinger,” Luann said, referencing Ramona’s “Singer Stinger” nickname.
Luann added, “You cannot change the leopard’s spots.”
Ramona, however, seems happy exactly where she is.
“I’m just living my best life,” she said. “And I never felt better.”
The Golden Life premieres Tuesday, October 20, at 10 p.m. ET on E!.