Last summer, after thirteen seasons of an all-white, mostly uptown cast of the Real Housewives of New York City, a new batch of successful, aspirational women were handed a Bravo apple for the beloved reality franchise. Season one of the well-received RHONY reboot included two out of six native New Yorkers, and now, a third has joined for the second installment of the series: art curator and collector Racquel Chevremont.
Born in Brooklyn and raised in the Bronx, 53-year-old Chevremont has a long résumé in the art and modeling worlds, having been signed to Elite Models in 1993. She’s spent the last 20 years working with the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Guggenheim, curating works by Gordon Parks, Dawoud Bey, Glenn Ligon, and Natia Lemay (she also advises on films and television series, including And Just Like That—Nicole Ari Parker’s character’s enviable art collection was curated by Chevremont). She cites the importance of representation in everything she does, including co-founding The Josie Club, a social impact group that supports (and is run by) Black queer femmes and women.
Representation is also part of why Chevremont, a Black queer woman herself, wanted to join the Housewives universe. A longtime friend of Jenna Lyons, herself one of the few openly queer women on a series typically centered on the lives of women in traditional, heterosexual relationships, Chevremont spoke with her family—her teenage son and daughter, and her partner, Mel—about the decision. “Clearly they were going to have to be a big part of this. It’s not something I’d be doing on my own,” she tells W. And by opening up her life to the cameras, Chevremont also knew she’d be addressing the (very public) end of her relationship with Mickalene Thomas. The art-world power couple, known professionally as Deux Femme Noirs, were together for 11 years, and ended their engagement in 2022.
On the morning of the RHONY season 15 premiere, Chevremont, who was feeling “a little nervous, but good” spoke to W from her apartment about the biggest challenges of the season and which Housewife surprised her the most.
Why did you decide to join the Housewives?
I think Jenna felt a little lonely last season. She was much older than the women, and queer, so she had an idea: would I be interested in joining the show? She said, “It’s not as scary as you might imagine.” I thought, this could be interesting. It could push what I’ve been doing over the last couple decades of my life, which is using whatever platform I have to advance representation. Why not? How bad could it be?
(L-R) Racquel Chevremont, Sai De Silva, Jessel Taank, Jenna Lyons, Erin Lichy, Brynn Whitfield, Ubah Hassan
Danielle Levitt/Bravo
Now that you’ve filmed the season, how are you feeling?
I’ve had cameras follow me around in the past. I expected it to be a lot more intrusive. I thought they would install cameras in my house, and I would be in this bubble, 24/7. That wasn’t the case. And the women are lovely. I hope they feel the same way [about me]. I’ve made really good friends.
In the trailer, you mention the “art world rumors” surrounding you. How did you decide what boundaries to set with what you shared?
I’m usually a very private person, but I knew I would have to share my life. I didn’t really set major boundaries, but I did have in mind certain things that I didn’t want to talk about, because they’re just not a part of my life anymore. But yes, the rumors you allude to were a huge part of my life over the last couple of years, and so that did make it on there.
There’s been a lot of discussion around the RHONY reboot being a better representation of the diversity of NYC. Do you think that’s true?
Yes. The show is about New York City, and there were large demographics that were left out. Now, you’re seeing more parts of the city and more experiences. I mean, you have a girl that grew up in the Bronx on Real Housewives, how much more authentic can you get than that?
How much will audiences get to see of your work?
You do see a bit of what I do. But given that most people in the art world like to keep their anonymity, not everyone wants to be on camera. But I did get a couple of artists on!
How did you approach your fashion for the show and your interview looks? Many Housewives hire stylists.
I mainly wore what I have, what was already in my closet. It’s eclectic. I might be a little different from the other ladies with respect to what I wear, but it is me.
Who did you end up closest with by the end of the season?
I would say Erin [Lichy]. Both my partner and I became pretty good friends with Erin and [her husband] Abe, which may be surprising to people. I’m significantly older than Erin, but we’re both New Yorkers, and we have similar sensibilities—we’re mothers, we’re wives, we’re both entrepreneurs, we have some similarities in how we grew up. That was a surprise for me as well.
Who else surprised you?
Sai, actually. One of the things Jenna told me was, “Girl, watch last season. Don’t come in here completely blind.” So I, along with a lot of viewers, had a different idea of what Sai might be like—but we hit it off.
How did you approach the conflict that always happens on these shows?
It’s a new experience, but I’m a New Yorker. I’m very direct, and I don’t like to beat around the bush. So the New Yorker in me comes out in that respect.
Who do you think will have the most to answer for at the reunion?
There might be a few of us that have stuff to answer for, that’s complicated.
At this moment, do you feel you’d like to return for another season?
Given the experience I’ve had thus far, if they want me back, I would definitely return. But ask me again in a couple of months!
