Sanya Richards-Ross is the newest full-time addition to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” and hopes to stay despite fan criticism of the latest Season 15.
Richards-Ross, who joined “RHOA” in Season 14, is aware there are calls for a partial or full cast reboot ala “The Real Housewives of New York City?”, especially in light of comments Andy Cohen made at the recent BravoCon saying there is a “growth opportunity” with the cast.
“Listen, I’ve heard the fans as well, right?” Richards-Ross told TheWrap at the annual fan in Las Vegas over the weekend. “But I think the biggest complaint the fans have had is the nostalgia of having women who have really good friendships. And so unless they’re going to find a whole new friend group, I think that takes some time.”
“I think with Drew [Sidora] and I being new to the cast, it took two years where I finally developed a real friendship with the ladies, and I think we can build a great show,” she added.
However, she also recognized that cast changes are a staple of the “Real Housewives” franchise. She said, “I would love to continue filming and being a part of the community. I love the Bravo universe. It’s wonderful. But the experts gotta do their job, they gotta cast who they think is best. Whatever happens, I’m always going to love the show and support the show.”
If Richards-Ross were to return for Season 16 (Bravo does not comment on casting), a major storyline would be her pregnancy, which was announced in July 2023. When asked if cameras would add stress her pregnancy, Richards-Ross wasn’t worried.
“To be honest, I’ve always felt the cameras have not been any more stressful to me than my everyday life,” she explained. “And you know, so far so good with the pregnancy. I would love to see the happy ending of the story because it was trying to get here. It was difficult for me and my husband to decide to get here and then the miscarriage. So I think its a nice way to tie a bow on a really beautiful story that a lot of people across the world can relate to. Ultimately, I’d be fine with it and I’m sure the network would work with me on the days I’m not feeling it.”
Even if Richards-Ross doesn’t continue on “RHOA,” fans will still see the four-time gold medalist on NBC as part of their Olympics broadcast team next year.
“I will be in Paris! We are booked and he’ll be there!” she said, pointing down to her baby bump.
Season 15 of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” is streaming on Peacock.
