Roxanne 
Frances Berwick rarely shies away from hard questions. As the chairman of Bravo and Peacock Unscripted, she oversees the entire Real Housewives empire along with every major unscripted franchise the network produces. That means the decisions about who returns, who gets cut, and which controversies cross the line all land somewhere on her desk.
In her new interview with Variety, Berwick went deeper than usual into one of Bravo’s most complicated topics: how the network deals with criminal behavior, public scandals, and the possibility of bringing back stars who left under tense or chaotic circumstances. From Karen Huger’s DUI to Jen Shah’s federal case to whether Kenya Moore and NeNe Leakes have a path back, Berwick didn’t dodge a single question.
The interviewer started by asking what makes certain behavior forgivable in the Bravo universe, especially after Karen Huger received a standing ovation from fans following her fourth DUI and release from prison. Berwick explained it this way:
“It’s a variety of things, and it’s also about the level of accountability, the level of change that that person is going to make. The audience is with Karen, because they’re rooting for her, because they think and believe that this will profoundly change her. I took the standing ovation as a sign of support for somebody who’s now taken accountability. That’s borne out by what she says to Andy. And then I think that there are things that are less forgivable.”
When asked directly whether Karen will return for Season 11 of The Real Housewives of Potomac, Berwick didn’t commit.
“I couldn’t tell you, because we haven’t picked that one up.”
The conversation then moved to Jen Shah. The interviewer asked whether Shah falls into the “less forgivable” category.
“For me personally, yeah. But you know, again, I have no idea on the level of accountability. But yes.”
From there, the questions shifted to cast members whose controversies weren’t criminal but still shook their franchises. Kenya Moore’s Season 16 incident in Atlanta came up next.
“This isn’t criminal, of course, but is there a road back to ‘Atlanta’ for Kenya Moore after what she did in Season 16?”
Berwick didn’t close the door.
“I would say so, but I don’t know. Yeah, I would not rule it out.”
Then came the question Bravo fans have argued about for years: Is a return possible for NeNe Leakes given her history with Bravo and Andy Cohen?
“We’ve had Nene on red carpet shows for E! — we have worked with Nene since then.”
Could she ever be on a show again?
“Yes, she can be on a show again.”
The interviewer pointed out that even cast members who aren’t currently on shows, like Teresa Giudice and Countess Luann, still feel central to the Bravo world. Does Bravo see this as an extended universe?
Berwick said yes — and that the door stays open.
“I see it as a bit of a family, and we’re not closing the door on anyone. We want to maintain that relationship, and we feel that they’re firmly within the Bravo family, and we’ll look for opportunities where they can come back.”
And because this year marks twenty years of The Real Housewives, Berwick teased how Bravo plans to celebrate while launching new chapters.
“This is 20th anniversary of ‘The Real Housewives.’ Andy announced the ‘Road Trip’ series, Vicki Gunvalson’s coming back for Season 20. What other kinds of celebrations can viewers expect next year?”
She hinted at more surprises ahead.
“Yes, who would have thought? Doing the ‘Road Trip,’ that’s a big celebration, but we will definitely be marking it. Let’s just say the audience will be very aware that it is the 20th anniversary of ‘Real Housewives,’ with many celebrations around that. I’m excited that in our 20th year of ‘Real Housewives,’ we’re introducing a brand new cast with ‘Rhode Island,’ so that will feed into it.”
Berwick’s answers paint a very clear picture: Bravo isn’t interested in erasing its history or cutting ties forever. Accountability matters. Growth matters. And above all, the connection between the cast and the audience matters most.
