One thing I didn't see mentioned: These TV shows are edited and produced, so the audience is not seeing the unvarnished, authentic participants. They are seeing what the producers want the story to be. There's nothing wrong with producers creating their vision of the show; that's what they're paid to do. But audience members (and Andy Cohen) transferring the idea that Real Wives authenticity can be pasted on top of Trump is disturbing, since there's no filter between Trump and the rest of the world. He tweets, and there's no editing room to filter or adjust or edit out.
4
In all honesty don't Andy Cohen and Bravo perpetuate the "Amos and Andy" unfortunate aspects, of stereotypical gay life? If so, is that good?
I don't think so, however I realize it makes them both so MUCH money.
Hence if you measure your success by the amount of money you make, notwithstanding the method, I suspect they are true American success stories and laughing all the way to the bank.
I don't think so, however I realize it makes them both so MUCH money.
Hence if you measure your success by the amount of money you make, notwithstanding the method, I suspect they are true American success stories and laughing all the way to the bank.
1
How about this idea, Andy Cohen? "The Real Housewives of the Neanderthal Caves!"
I KNOW Neanderthals' sense of fashion was way more creative than your typical modern-day anthropologist's-- and, based on today's 'reality tv', not nearly so vicious as modern 'cave-dwellers.'
I KNOW Neanderthals' sense of fashion was way more creative than your typical modern-day anthropologist's-- and, based on today's 'reality tv', not nearly so vicious as modern 'cave-dwellers.'
Ps: please @Andy Cohen find a way to work Waca into the new game show on Fox!!
Theres nothing better than a glass of wine and real housewives drama after a demanding day at work. Brain off. While I appreciated and enjoyed this profile on Andy, I still have so many questions. Who is Andy? The one anecdote we got from his childhood was about him being gay. That tells us nothing.
How did he transition from journalism to entertainment? Did he ever regret it? How does he know when a real housewife needs be fired? What makes a good episode? And how come he doesn't promote his radio shows on bravo? This is the first I'm hearing of it. Sign me up!
How did he transition from journalism to entertainment? Did he ever regret it? How does he know when a real housewife needs be fired? What makes a good episode? And how come he doesn't promote his radio shows on bravo? This is the first I'm hearing of it. Sign me up!
1
There is an on and off button on every remote. Also, now this is techy, there is a channel changer. About Andy Cohen, he is such an honest, hard working man that has made a ton of money. Yes, this is America. If anyone out there takes these housewives seriously, you can go on line and find mental health care. I say "Go Gettem Andy". He sure is doing something right. Read all three books and beg for a 4th. So many "high horses" out there. LOL at all who are so serious. Try laughing at yourselves.
3
Make me gag. The Housewives and Andy Cohen are the symbols of how low we have fallen in our society. Where women are admired and paid well to curse, scream and abuse others while network executives are licking their chops. I am sorry the New York Times even covered this garbage.
6
Don't watch!! Hundreds are employed and that's a good thing
2
I've discovered reality T.V. as a "thank you" for giving a small contribution to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
I'm hooked now. .I've watched the same video of baby burrowing owls over and over again.The baby owls are irresistably cute,and the musical accompaniment to their antics is brilliant.
A few days later, Cornell sent me a link to a video of two hummingbird hatchlings who fledged on New Year's Day.The first hatchling just took off.The second one flaps and flaps his wings ,flexes, preens, tries flapping again,unti he or she is finally airborn,and the viewer breathes a sigh of relief.
Why would I watch "Real Housewives"( I never have) when I can watch
"Real Baby Burrowing Owls" and "Real Fledging Hummingbirds "??!!
I'm hooked now. .I've watched the same video of baby burrowing owls over and over again.The baby owls are irresistably cute,and the musical accompaniment to their antics is brilliant.
A few days later, Cornell sent me a link to a video of two hummingbird hatchlings who fledged on New Year's Day.The first hatchling just took off.The second one flaps and flaps his wings ,flexes, preens, tries flapping again,unti he or she is finally airborn,and the viewer breathes a sigh of relief.
Why would I watch "Real Housewives"( I never have) when I can watch
"Real Baby Burrowing Owls" and "Real Fledging Hummingbirds "??!!
4
It is not reality tv, made up medical issues, accidents galore, fighting over who didn't call who..it's demeaning to women, it's fake.
2
Some of the podcasts that discuss the Housewives, like Bitch Sesh mentioned in the article, are hilarious. The best and possibly oldest is "Watch What Crappens" which has been recapping and analyzing Bravo shows for five years now. Ronnie and Ben and hugely entertaining. The Housewives are anything but real and it's interesting how many commenters here are disturbed by the existence of these shows or believe they represent America. It's escapism. That's all. For disturbing turn to news.
2
I made fun of the Housewives until I started watching then I got addicted. I'm a college educated woman in her 50's in a white collar job but this show is sheer entertainment. The women are proudly gossipy, outrageous and mean and their husbands are mere flunkies to their wives' drama. The shows are fun, sick, sad yet entertaining. I'd never be friends with any of the women but they are funny in their cluelessness and craziness. And if Andy Cohen "gets" what "real" America is, then he's a visionary. Like it or not, he's succeeded in channeling the crazy into entertainment so bad it's good.
5
This is a perceptive piece of reporting. The Housewives exhibit over-the-top kind of behavior, but it is mostly a put-on. The audience realizes it and doesn't mind. It's meant to be entertaining and an escape from our own real life dramas. To give viewers a chance to wind down and put our minds and bodies in neutral. It's important to get distracted and recharged. Andy's a nice guy, and it shows. I haven't watched any of his shows in a long time, but I like him.
1
Several weeks before the election, when Hillary was ahead in all the polls, I watched with amusement as Andy asked his viewing audience who they were voting for... Trump won hands-down.
He seemed (mildly) surprised.
Reality TV is mindless, Prozac for a tuned-out nation.
He seemed (mildly) surprised.
Reality TV is mindless, Prozac for a tuned-out nation.
Many, if not most, viewers DO NOT think the Housewives are a put on. How can you give the US television viewing audience so much credit? Have you not seen who they elected president?
2
I suppose someone could tape anything nasty, evil or sordid in our society and make an excuse for holding a spotlight on something "real". That doesn't make it right or creative. Andy Cohen emboldens bad behavior with these horrible shows. The fact that he has become any sort of "celebrity" from it is just sad.
1
nice, this article is a very funny read. hats off to the author, the writing is great!!
as far as the whole discussion around reality tv is concerned i feel those who voice concern. real housewives certainly does not bring out the best in either its candidates nor its viewers (im assuming my day-to-day morals here as a benchmark. others might come to different conclusions). at best the show provides a guilty pleasure for viewers but maybe more often it helps cement the kind of weird behavior its participants are known for. no disrespect to people like andy cohen who i am sure devote their lifes to making a career in television. but you are left wondering if there is not something more meaningful tv can aspire to than showing middle aged women trashing each other. after all, tv is one of the more prominent platforms for public discourse in the us.
as far as the whole discussion around reality tv is concerned i feel those who voice concern. real housewives certainly does not bring out the best in either its candidates nor its viewers (im assuming my day-to-day morals here as a benchmark. others might come to different conclusions). at best the show provides a guilty pleasure for viewers but maybe more often it helps cement the kind of weird behavior its participants are known for. no disrespect to people like andy cohen who i am sure devote their lifes to making a career in television. but you are left wondering if there is not something more meaningful tv can aspire to than showing middle aged women trashing each other. after all, tv is one of the more prominent platforms for public discourse in the us.
2
Somethimg no one ever seems to mention about the women in these shows: almost every one is a successful gold digger. Several have hooked much older, wealthy men. Several have been dumped by older, wealthy men. I'm sure the shows serve as instruction manuals for young women.
I would like to thank Andy Cohen for his contribution to the downward spiral of American culture
2
The problem is that the show isn't a reality show at all. The "actors" on each franchise are prodded and pushed by producers to act as outrageous and naughty as often as possible b/c if they are too goody-too-shoes, they will get booted off the show.
Despite what Cohen says, bad behavior is rewarded. And the problem is that young girls watching what they think is a reality show see that being classless and vile (along w/the Kardashians)is the way to make it as a woman in our society.
Despite what Cohen says, bad behavior is rewarded. And the problem is that young girls watching what they think is a reality show see that being classless and vile (along w/the Kardashians)is the way to make it as a woman in our society.
6
Also, considering many of these reality "stars" on Real Housewives are making near or more than a million dollars per season - it isn't really a reality show, is it? The "actors" are given story lines and have producers telling them how to respond to things and how to block each shot. Not reality at all but Cohen is trying to convince us it's all real?
3
Well, I've always had a mixed love-hate affair with watching "Watch What Happens Live". Usually I set up the DVR to record it, so I can later review who the "guests" were and if the synopsis says "television personality so-and-so", I know to delete that recording.
Now after having read this article, I don't think I can watch another episode of "Watch What Happens Live". I was thinking of seeing the Andy and Anderson show in person, but instead I will save my money.
Now after having read this article, I don't think I can watch another episode of "Watch What Happens Live". I was thinking of seeing the Andy and Anderson show in person, but instead I will save my money.
2
Even if one cuts the cable there is little to watch. Mainstream networks such as: ABC, CBS, NBC, A&E, TLN, History, and Bravo all depend almost completely on so-called reality shows.
They are cheap and require no stars, scripts, and little in the way of direction.
When rolled into news, sports, cooking and home improvement lineups, practically all TV is reality TV.
I have never seen a reality show. Consequently, I don't watch much TV anymore.
With conglomerates owning book & magazine publishing, movie releases, and 'music', it's a wasteland out there now.
This, along with the general deterioration of education and discourse, should be no surprise. People will always follow what's easiest and provides instant gratification.
They are cheap and require no stars, scripts, and little in the way of direction.
When rolled into news, sports, cooking and home improvement lineups, practically all TV is reality TV.
I have never seen a reality show. Consequently, I don't watch much TV anymore.
With conglomerates owning book & magazine publishing, movie releases, and 'music', it's a wasteland out there now.
This, along with the general deterioration of education and discourse, should be no surprise. People will always follow what's easiest and provides instant gratification.
1
I went to a meet and greet for Cohen new book. It was very staged, 1 hour only, we were told no pictures unless he stops and you could "capture" the momental. Books were pre-signed. Those there felt ripped off at $50 a ticket and at three ultra expensive Palm restaurant in friend Bozzi'so place in Beverly Hills. Much different from the first book signing at Barnes and Noble. I don't watch the housewives, rich women complaining about their lives, who cares. Andy is a smart guy, should spend his energy on something new.
1
Really, Why did you go? Free? This is what I'm talking about. Can you laugh?
1
I used to think people watched reality tv to feel superior but now I have a different theory. I believe there is a hunger for authenticity among our people. We have watched advertisements depicting the fun and wonderful lives people are having thanks to pain relievers, the right beer choice, drug choice, hotel choice etc etc. Yet our lives never seem quite as happy as all those beautiful laughing people on TV. We hungered to see how people lived in reality. We turned to TV, the very medium that duped us in the first place, to show us how people really talk and live...only to be duped again. Perhaps if we can be honest with ourselves and our friends and neighbors we could begin to both see and live authentically and stop chasing the pretend lives we see on television. I have nothing against Mr. Cohen but I think he has not contributed anything positive to our culture...just more of the same old, same old..... that money and fame should be the goal of every American.
4
It's infuriating that Mr. Cohen refuses to take responsibility for the work he created and the impact its had on the culture at large. I work as a crew member in reality television. These producers and show runners stumble through a series of manipulations to create conflicts and unusual situations with the "talent." And then they edit the footage in such a way as to heighten the "reality" they created. If it sells, then everyone involved goes home feeling like a good day of work was accomplished. There's no thought given to how the standards of mediocrity in our culture have been lowered. And they sure won't take responsibility when it happens. But of course they know when millions of people are tuning in and digesting their creations--and let's not mince words here, these shows are created with a capital C.
11
Whether I am reading about poverty in Mathew Desmond"s brilliant book "Evicted" or viewing Andy Cohen's fantastic "Housewives" episodes, I am benefiting from an extraordinary glimpse of America in the early part of this century. I like Andy Cohen. He's very bright and I thinks he showcases the women the way they want to be portrayed.
I have never watched his nightly talk show or read any of his work but I do love watching The Real Housewives of New York and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I think the shows are quite entertaining.
I have never watched his nightly talk show or read any of his work but I do love watching The Real Housewives of New York and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I think the shows are quite entertaining.
2
Don't watch myself but had just been thinking, how about Real Housewives of the White House? They seem to fit the mold. Still wouldn't watch mind you but seems appropriate since we will have a reality tv president.
For sure, Andy Cohen is, like any huckster, laughing all the way to his bank. He and his ilk will feel right at home with the huckster-in-chief Trump and his venal underlings.
I'm in love with Andy, Waca, the gay shark, his impeccable taste in clothes, shotski night, shirtless bartenders, Mr & Mrs Cohen, pleading the fifth and all things Cohen. He is affable & gregarious, smart & oh, so sexy. I'm in love with Andy Cohen.
1
This is the laziest "journalism" I've ever read!! Nothing new and why is this article even necessary? You give Andy a HUGE pass and do not critique why this type of reality TV - which isn't reality, it's completely staged - is necessary? It isn't happening the world at all and a good journalist would point that out, not have a "cutesy" article with embarrassing photos, sucking up to Andy and praising how he really just mimics society and gets it? No, he doesn't and the Times pandering to him is horrifying The NY Times would never have run this article ten years ago!!
1
This was well written. I got to learn something new - how Andy's mother discovered Andy was gay.
I just wish someone would ask him when/why he got into Madonna. I would like to know this.
I just wish someone would ask him when/why he got into Madonna. I would like to know this.
I am just a little amused by the haughty attitudes of some of these comments and the disdain for the entertainment products of Andy Cohen. Interesting, though, that the comment writers read the article. Perhaps more interested than they care to admit?
1
Have never seen these shows but am now convinced they've contributed mightily to the ignorant ascendancy of Trump. It's everything that's wrong with America...along with the rural, uneducated drug addicts.
2
This profile masquerades as a sort of investigation of the zeitgeist as the nation prepares for the Inauguration of its first reality show President. But it is as feckless as the housewives on these shows I never watch and Trump's tweets.
1
Where he points, New York and online comments, to demonstrate the real world that already exhibits what he is merely taping, are not the only places in the universe. In other parts of the world, and even places as close as upstate New York, where relationships are defined over generations and not just by proximity, behavior is governed not by the need for respect from but by the recognition of the honorable in the other. Nobody predicts the future. Or rather, everbody does, but only some are given sufficient platform to influence how others will perceive the coming present. Cohen, like his harem, merely finds in others what he seeks in himself. His discoveries are not everywhere. They are not everyone. I am some otherwhere.
1
Bread and circus for the American 21st century?
Um, no thanks...
Um, no thanks...
1
Why do some commenters believe that people who watch "Real Housewives" episodes don't watch anything else? As I write this I just finished watching an episode of RHOBH on On Demand, followed by Naked Science on NatGeo, and now I'm trying to follow the complex engineering behind the Grand Canyon Skywalk, also on NatGeo. If there's nothing I want to see on PBS or Turner Classic Movies, I might even watch WWHL. You're probably thinking I watch too much TV, but I have a demanding job, and sometimes I just want to be entertained. Is that too much to ask? At least my entertainment doesn't involve people shooting each other up. And, the housewives are playing themselves. They aren't faux backwoodsmen or phony evangelists who think they're the moral authority for America. PS: You say you don't want to live in Andy Cohen's America, but you already are.
4
I can't help but like Andy Cohen: he's likable. And I like his interview show (sometimes). But the Housewives shows are boring trash. And the fact that they may reflect our current Trumpian society makes it that much less palatable: remember he did not win the popular vote.
1
Thoroughly enjoyed this article. Andy Cohen is an everyman for our time. Somehow we all identify with him. He judges the antics of 'bravolebrities' without being a snob. Although he 'hobnobs' with the 'hoi-paloi' he does not have contempt for the clueless. He is on the correct side of political and social issues and is still entertaining. What's not to love. And he has a dog.
2
Nice AC thinks it's all going to work out. Trump a Democrat???
But, really, that would be the best reality T.V. out there. Maybe he'll make another million w/something as good as Masterpiece Theater.
Or maybe not.
Unfortunately -- the REALITY is -- the genie's out of the bag and he's laughing all the way to the bank. Love him or hate him. Narcissistic America has made him a very wealthy man.
But, really, that would be the best reality T.V. out there. Maybe he'll make another million w/something as good as Masterpiece Theater.
Or maybe not.
Unfortunately -- the REALITY is -- the genie's out of the bag and he's laughing all the way to the bank. Love him or hate him. Narcissistic America has made him a very wealthy man.
Silly man. His stupid reality shows and occasional interviews of the vapid (and grotesquely hideous) participants of these shows reinforces gay male stereotypes. Quite unfortunate.
1
Good article
1
We are doomed. The sooner global warming kills us off the better.
Andy seems fairly reasonable and balanced here, obviously playing to a broader audience for the acceptance and acknowledgement he craves. While claiming to have almost predicted the outcome of the election, he snarks on Trump and Trump supporters every chance he gets on Twitter while he tries to describe him politely here. His disdain is nasty and severe. He laughed gleefully that he mutes those with whom he disagrees rather than blocking them - but he clearly doesn't respect them, their perspective or that they follow him because they follow his shows. Andy is his most charming when he is awestruck by getting to interview a star he admires, but then he blows it when he behaves like an elitist who only lives in his wealthy, Manhattan celebrity bubble.
Watch What Happens Live "is real" and Andy works hard with timing and even love for this 'new world order'; the housewives are a product of having a lot of free time. Real people watch it !! Also, the ad Co's love their take of it too.
Yuck.
"O.K., maybe it did sting a little when Vanity Fair had an article devoted to the hosts of late night, and Cohen seemed to be the only one excluded from it."
Must we go through this again? Samantha Bee.
Must we go through this again? Samantha Bee.
1
Andy Cohen richly deserves to be tarred, feathered, and ridden out of town on a rail. He needs to be accompanied by every single person connected to any form of "reality" TV. The world will be a better place for it.
1
I love Taffy. I can't wait for a new piece. This, however, severely disappointed me. By the end she absolves Cohen of any moral or ethical responsibility. He didn't merely tape the Housewives. They are not the subject of a traditional documentary that strives to explore their reality in a non biased way. He carefully constructed a formula and franchise over many years, calibrated to an inch of its life on set, in the edit, and in the recap reunions. The show has enacted a tremendous toll in coarsening the national dialogue and interpersonal relationships. That responsibility shouldn't be blithely ignored if responsibility should be broached as an issue appropriate to a profile such as this. Media has consequences.
2
Excellent reporting and writing.
1
Andy reaches more women, and has his finger on the zeitgeist, in a way that no one else has since Oprah.
Unmentioned is Andy's inclusion of black women (via Atlanta) in a "real" way. Unlike most heavy handed tv attempts to include minorities, where there is no character development, just a stand in to teach a racial lesson, Bravo is different. Here, black housewives can be just as vapid and catty as their white counterparts.
Breaking racial barriers by showing us all equally, as Andy has done via Real Housewives, does more for race relations than 1,000 marches or, frankly, most legislation.
Unmentioned is Andy's inclusion of black women (via Atlanta) in a "real" way. Unlike most heavy handed tv attempts to include minorities, where there is no character development, just a stand in to teach a racial lesson, Bravo is different. Here, black housewives can be just as vapid and catty as their white counterparts.
Breaking racial barriers by showing us all equally, as Andy has done via Real Housewives, does more for race relations than 1,000 marches or, frankly, most legislation.
2
Drek-meister. All of it. Total drek. I began watching during the years when my father was dying. It was a diversion. I grew up in NJ so I could relate to some extent to the disgustingly stereotypical Italian families. I knew people like that. I remember commenting to my husband that when Teresa Giudice bought $120,000 worth of furniture for her mausoleum, that she was going to whip out a wad of cash. No way, he said. No one carries 120 grand in cash. Sure enough, that's just what she did. And then I commented that the IRS was surely going to express an interest in the Giudices. Two federal prison terms later....Cohen has a talent for exploiting those with massive personality disorders and/or a propensity for criminal conduct. It stopped being amusing when that exploitation led to the suicide of one of the husbands of a woman on Beverly Hills.
3
It isn't Andy Cohen's America...it's OUR America...the women in Real Housewives are a mirror image of our society--only richer (trash, but with money). Lots of ordinary women, just like them...trash with less money.
1
Does watching these reality shows allow the viewers to feel superior?
1
Sadly, I think many people missed the point of this article. This comments section mirror what the article discusses. As a Housewives fan, I love seeing how other people live, act and the drama that comes along with all of it. If this isn't your thing, why watch? Why try to tear him down? Andy Cohen, in my opinion, is intelligent, funny, charismatic and innovative. Bravo to Bravo and congrats to Andy on all of his successes!
5
Very much enjoyed your insight, wit, and style. Thanks for making our morning!
1
Fabulous. This explains everything. Now I know why Donald Trump is president and I can no longer be surprised by the nature of the unreality we're heading into politically: "The Real Politicians."
I love Andy and these shows. They are a train wreck, and I find them funny and entertaining. I don't see why you have to eat your peas and carrots all the time, have the burger too.
1
There is no need to analyze why anyone watches these shows, or intllectcualise the phenomenon. They are the TV equivalent of a bowl of ice cream or a bag of chocolate candy - just a brief indulgence in something "bad". It's not the end of civilization.
8
I am a fan of The Real Housewives franchise and a fan of Andy Cohen's talk show. Sure, the housewives are ridiculous, but that's what makes them entertaining.
I caught one of the episodes of 'Watch What Happens Live' where the poll question was 'Hillary or Donald?' and I even voted that one time. I assumed that all the other people who watched that show were just like me. I assumed that we all were watching these shows and laughing at, not with, the people on the shows. I assumed that we all could agree how stupid these women are. I assumed that Andy Cohen fans couldn't possibly be fans of a man so clearly unfit to be president. Boy, was I wrong.
I caught one of the episodes of 'Watch What Happens Live' where the poll question was 'Hillary or Donald?' and I even voted that one time. I assumed that all the other people who watched that show were just like me. I assumed that we all were watching these shows and laughing at, not with, the people on the shows. I assumed that we all could agree how stupid these women are. I assumed that Andy Cohen fans couldn't possibly be fans of a man so clearly unfit to be president. Boy, was I wrong.
12
I watch these women with some horror. These women, most with children, willingly present themselves to the world as narcissistic, shallow, mean human beings. I like to believe I'm better then they are, I hope I would never debase myself like they do for money, but until Bravo comes knocking on your door, I doubt any of us know for sure how low we would go.
4
Your article missed important reality TV and Real Housewives’ pre-history and deserved respect for Andy’s development, educations and career experience. Perhaps it is your naiveté and bias. You should have included somethings so obvious that the omissions seem to reveal you do not understand commercially viable cinema verite, LGBTQ employment/career options and the slowly declining bias in the entertainment and journalism/news industry (and elsewhere), as well as the content and context of the Real Housewives phenomenon. A heterosexual would not and could not create this franchise, nor use its more latent qualities so successfully, all of which you never noticed despite the lack of subtlety and Andy’s openness and pride about being gay. The housewives franchise is an in-vivo drag show performed by cisgender heterosexuals and Andy is an maestro who uses the politics of contemporary drag subversively to reveal and mock the delusions held about class, privilege and conformity by the performers themselves, those who identify with or aspire to be like them and others, while raising the value of those marginalized. He seems equally talented in his ability to reveal more intimacy and details about his guests than other talk show hosts, who try and fail by thinking it is simply coping the games and gimmicks that make Watch What Happens L!ve with Andy Cohen a success. Without Andy, neither show would have begun or be such game-changers. Bravo, Andy!
4
Andy Cohen couldn't believe the results when he took a viewer poll about who should be our future president. He said he was surprised at the gigantic lead that Trump had over Hillary, among his viewers. He clearly wasn't admitting to himself who his viewers really are, and he ought to take a cold, hard look. Yes, the occasional celebrity is a "super fan". But having Meryl Streep on your show doesnt make you PBS. The debate about whether life imitates art, or the reverse, has not been settled. It's a thin line. Personally, I am quite convinced that the Housewives have not just reflected or predicted the downfall of manners, dignified behavior, and authenticity. They have contributed to it. Andy needs to "own it" (a common Housewife cliche). He needs to make peace with the fact that he has contributed to, and not just mirrored, the coarsening of society. He's smart, and he ought to figure this out by now. Meanwhile, I have all these opinions because I am a consumer of this drivel. I used to follow him on Facebook, back when the Housewives seemed like harmless, mindless television. Now, I'm following the logical result of mindless reality television every day in Washington as the ultimate super rich, spoiled train wreck is about to run this country. I have watched the housewives secretly, apologetically, against my better judgment. I am a self-hating fan, I suppose. Andy, if you want to do something of value with your life, you're gonna need a different job.
15
"He clearly wasn't admitting to himself who his viewers were,and he ought to take a cold ,hard look.
"Meanwhile ,I have all these opinions because I am a consumer of this drivel."
I supposed you could contact Andy Cohen and offer to provide him with "cold,hard look" at one of his viewers.
"Meanwhile ,I have all these opinions because I am a consumer of this drivel."
I supposed you could contact Andy Cohen and offer to provide him with "cold,hard look" at one of his viewers.
What could possibly be any _less_ interesting than witnessing the social clamor and inane galavanting of a completely disconnected and sickeningly bourgeois band of immature divas?
2
Meet Damon Killian in the making. :)
1
"Real" journalism -- who commissions these things and who allows them to be printed.
Trump won only because of an arcane system which should be gone.. so our votes do count.
Hillary and Bill will attend the Trump Inaugural.
Ivanka Trump (a good friend of Chelsea Clinton-- both have fathers-in-law who did time) will live down the block from the Obamas.
Cohen could do a meaningful program -- real housewives of DC!
Or how about a program about shifty landlords? or real estate "investors" or just "Property" (that could be real fun these days)
Trump won only because of an arcane system which should be gone.. so our votes do count.
Hillary and Bill will attend the Trump Inaugural.
Ivanka Trump (a good friend of Chelsea Clinton-- both have fathers-in-law who did time) will live down the block from the Obamas.
Cohen could do a meaningful program -- real housewives of DC!
Or how about a program about shifty landlords? or real estate "investors" or just "Property" (that could be real fun these days)
The lack of moral responsibility, the lack of ethical thinking astounds me.
What are his values?
As a native New Yorker, I am not comforted by his remark that "all is going to be ok."
What are his values?
As a native New Yorker, I am not comforted by his remark that "all is going to be ok."
2
I can't condemn all reality tv shows. Programs like Project Runway (where talented people actually have to produce something and careers get a boost) and The Amazing Race are fun and we get to see how people use their skills and smarts to win.
But Andy Cohen's empire, including the Kardashians, are simply gawking at vulgarity and excess, and populated with narcissistic, unintelligent people who have nothing to offer anyone. They have coarsened our culture and, I believe, have setback feminism by showing women at their worst, because these people are playing to the camera and will not get camera time unless they display catty bratty self-absorbed behavior. Sorry, Andy - you're a creep.
But Andy Cohen's empire, including the Kardashians, are simply gawking at vulgarity and excess, and populated with narcissistic, unintelligent people who have nothing to offer anyone. They have coarsened our culture and, I believe, have setback feminism by showing women at their worst, because these people are playing to the camera and will not get camera time unless they display catty bratty self-absorbed behavior. Sorry, Andy - you're a creep.
6
The only Trump supporters I know live on a steady diet of "reality" TV. That's very telling.
1
He sounds like an intelligent person. He should use his talents on something more meaningful or artistic. Rise up from the gutter and make something inspiring, Andy. You can do it!
2
I'm just glad to have gotten over a few years ago the myth that my fellow gay men are somehow mystically imbued with the gifts of grace, taste and culture. That fantasy still reigns in some quarters and Andy Cohen uses it very skillfully to hide the fact that he's just your regular old fashioned purveyor of trash for the masses. When the truth gets a little too obnoxious however, he's able to put on the charming gay mask and get away with being considered special enough to deserve a full blown profile in The New York Times. Bah Humbug!
4
Wow. That explained a lot. About nothing.
1
"O.K., maybe it did sting a little when Vanity Fair had an article devoted to the hosts of late night, and Cohen seemed to be the only one excluded from it." What about Samantha Bee?
3
Andy Cohen may not have invented our society but he certainly exploits its worst tendencies in order to express his misogyny and enrich himself in the process. Why does he focus so much energy on making women look bad?
It's telling that Cohen has never developed a reality show featuring groups of gay men fighting and tearing THEIR hair out all the time. Why hasn't he? It probably would be a big hit with the same audiences who can't get enough of the boring and bad HOUSEWIVES tales.
It's telling that Cohen has never developed a reality show featuring groups of gay men fighting and tearing THEIR hair out all the time. Why hasn't he? It probably would be a big hit with the same audiences who can't get enough of the boring and bad HOUSEWIVES tales.
4
The grout in the bricks of the walls that have boxed in the America that once honored brains, grit and honor. Despicable.
2
So disappointed to see the NYT giving so much ink to Andy Cohen. Andy Cohen's programming is a big part of what's wrong with America. And as Andrew Sullivan once wrote of Cohen's work it's "pornography for gay, male misogynists." Count me too among those who not only don't want to live in Andy Cohen's America.
3
Whether he likes it or not, Mr. Cohen is the type of narcissistic media windbag who paved the way for our soon-to-be Narcissist-In-Chief. Bravo, Andy.
4
The Real Housewife shows make me feel very sad. I wonder what they want people to take away from all the horrific interactions, the uncharitable attitudes toward one another, the vanity, the gross conspicuous consumption and general poor taste the participants exhibit. Why not demonstrate good will toward one another? Why not show decent supportive relationships among women? These episodes merely reinforce the media driven infantilizing and bimbo-esque notion of women we have worked so hard to overcome. Boo!
9
Andy Cohen's genius is showing that wealth does not create happiness especially when that wealth is fake or stolen.
4
What you've said is akin to stating :" Andy Cohen's genius is showing that
2+2 does not equal five.
2+2 does not equal five.
TURN OFF THE TV. The only thing democratic about it anymore is the democracy of mass hypnotized idiocy.
4
It's no great accomplishment what he's done. All you have to do is Daniel Boorstin's "The Image" and copy what he said is repulsive and take it just a little it further each time. A monkey could do it if he were so inclined.
3
Great article. Andy Cohen is a genius, he has helped make television interesting again. Thanks Andy
2
Bravo had accurate polling on election. Howcome?
2
Reminds me of Philip K. Dick. What is the authentic fake and what is the fake fake?
3
Thanks for contributing to the dumbing down of an already dumb American public. God forbid they should watch PBS.
4
This guy is an awful person, based on the garbage he produces and puts on the air. It's not hard to draw a line from his programming to the results of our most recent election.
5
Love him or not, Cohen is authentic. He always seems like a happy 12 year old being paid to do what he loves best - be a super fan!
2
Andy Cohen and Bravo will sell us the rope with which we will hang ourselves.
4
Saying that you "never know" about whether Trump might win, or noting that a selective audience trends toward Trump, does not make Mr. Cohen a political genius. Nor does Mr. Cohen's marketing of the Housewives explain why Trump won. Trying to mash up those two worlds is, for me, unsatisfying, yet there are some parallels. Trump seems to have learned something from professional wrestling and other morality tales. I'd rather hear a story from that perspective. Mr. Cohen sounds fundamentally boring. Trump, more intriguing, if weird.
I think these shows normalize the poor behavior displayed on them. Look at what is happening in our country - where the loudest voice is the one heard and remembered. Maybe shows like this were inevitable, as the article states. I don't think that absolves Mr. Cohen from the effect they have had.
9
The worst reality T.V. show of all is playing out right now.One can only hope that Trump is on the receiving end of "You're Fired! " in 2020.
I would wager a guess that all those casting snobbish stones might have watched an episode or two of MTV's Real World back in 1992. Or Survivor in 2000. Or perhaps a Top Chef in 2006. Or maybe even a football game or Simpsons episode over the years. If no to all those, then kudos to you for your superior taste.
So yes, each person's version of escapism or entertainment is different -- your Bach might be my Beck, or my PBS is your ESPN. And, of course, some folks consume only the crass and the careless. But I would argue that most of us probably have a little fantasy football mixed with our veggies, a little pop culture pleasure with our whole grains. Get over it and enjoy yourself once in awhile.
So yes, each person's version of escapism or entertainment is different -- your Bach might be my Beck, or my PBS is your ESPN. And, of course, some folks consume only the crass and the careless. But I would argue that most of us probably have a little fantasy football mixed with our veggies, a little pop culture pleasure with our whole grains. Get over it and enjoy yourself once in awhile.
6
The destruction of American exceptionalism can be closely linked to the rise of ''reality TV '' with all of its warts and ongoing sagas.
We are the mirror that we watch .
We are the mirror that we watch .
5
"Andy Cohen didn’t invent our society. To think that is to have missed the entire point of him. He simply predicted it. "
Oh please, please give us a break. This is beyond ridiculous, trying to wrest some political significance from someone as profoundly shallow as Andy Cohen. (When he called his most recent memoir, "Superficial", he meant it as a badge of honor and as a truth about himself.)
I am not without some admiration for Andy- I admire his energy and bright sense of fun, and I do think he's smart. And I confess to cringe-watching some of the Real Housewives shows solely so I can read hilariously snarky recaps the next day, as well as vibrantly funny comments about the ridiculousness. I personally think the RH shows DO have value in a sociological way, and the artifice with which they are presented is interesting. But that sociological interest is not intentional by Cohen and the producers, it is not postmodern or meta commentary on anything. It's slick but dumb entertainment where highly insecure women are used by Andy Cohen like a child playing with Barbie dolls. Now they fight! Now they make up! He loves playing them off each other, they all try to curry his favor, which he loves, but he always has clear favorites. Sometimes people critique a sort of gay misogyny at work; as a gay man myself they might well have a point.
So, good for him and his success- But please spare us this rubbish that he predicted the Age of Trump, a prescient genius. No.
Oh please, please give us a break. This is beyond ridiculous, trying to wrest some political significance from someone as profoundly shallow as Andy Cohen. (When he called his most recent memoir, "Superficial", he meant it as a badge of honor and as a truth about himself.)
I am not without some admiration for Andy- I admire his energy and bright sense of fun, and I do think he's smart. And I confess to cringe-watching some of the Real Housewives shows solely so I can read hilariously snarky recaps the next day, as well as vibrantly funny comments about the ridiculousness. I personally think the RH shows DO have value in a sociological way, and the artifice with which they are presented is interesting. But that sociological interest is not intentional by Cohen and the producers, it is not postmodern or meta commentary on anything. It's slick but dumb entertainment where highly insecure women are used by Andy Cohen like a child playing with Barbie dolls. Now they fight! Now they make up! He loves playing them off each other, they all try to curry his favor, which he loves, but he always has clear favorites. Sometimes people critique a sort of gay misogyny at work; as a gay man myself they might well have a point.
So, good for him and his success- But please spare us this rubbish that he predicted the Age of Trump, a prescient genius. No.
18
As this article reports, there is nothing real about reality shows on television. And, the people who watch this--the millions and millions who watch and induce producers to create more and more of this product--know there is nothing real about them. And the same is true of professional wrestling, people love it despite knowing it is not real.
The appeal is not the quality of the entertainment. We can cast the argument as popular culture versus elite taste, but I don't think that describes the phenomenon. I think these artificial realities are constructed so that the viewers can feel superior to many of the performers and to aspire towards the success that other performers seem to have. And since the performers are "just like us" it is believable that we can become rich and famous, too. To many people the lives they lead are less interesting than the live they aspire to lead. Hasn't that been part of the appeal of entertainment from the beginning of history? Hollywood would be nothing more than a few blocks in Los Angeles if that weren't true.
The appeal is not the quality of the entertainment. We can cast the argument as popular culture versus elite taste, but I don't think that describes the phenomenon. I think these artificial realities are constructed so that the viewers can feel superior to many of the performers and to aspire towards the success that other performers seem to have. And since the performers are "just like us" it is believable that we can become rich and famous, too. To many people the lives they lead are less interesting than the live they aspire to lead. Hasn't that been part of the appeal of entertainment from the beginning of history? Hollywood would be nothing more than a few blocks in Los Angeles if that weren't true.
23
There is definitely a vibe on the shows--even though you are stinking rich, you still have problems.
Did he eat or not eat the chocolate?
31
Nope. She says he left two - she ate one.
Yes, why is it so important in these profiles whether the subject touched the fries, pushed the cake around on his plate, eyed the chocolate etc. So he's a celebrity watching his weight - that's the important image we need to close with?
Karen, brilliant! Your question mirrors exactly what reality TV is all about!
to state the obvious: these wives prove that money can't by looks or class!
37
Bravo and all those Housewives shows is one of the reasons I cut the chord to Directv. If I want to watch a train wreck, I will watch our President Elect!
83
To think Bravo was once a network dedicated to the arts. Now it's the antithesis.
121
Yes, and TLC was "The Learning Channel." Now it's The Loon Channel.
2
I don't know. Seems like Bravo has become a gay-centric network and shows like Real Housewives are meant as camp.
And History channel was about history. And TLC actually had shows about learning. And A&E was really about arts and entertainment. But there was no money in that. Their ratings have gone up precisely because they all went low brow.
7
I do not want to live in Andy Cohen's America.
134
Bravo has been hacked by the Russians and they're plotting to dumb down America even further
1
I was about to typr the very same thing!
2
But you do. Andy is the Margaret Mead of the over marbled, gated communities of your nation and he is not a bad person for documenting it on celluloid. Choose to turn away or not but what he is documenting is real (and not a "version" of real, either). Terrifying at times but real, none the less.
Andy, I'm a people watcher. And so is Dave Navarro. Looking forward to
Seeing a visit from him on your show.
Seeing a visit from him on your show.
4
I watched one "Housewives" episode a couple of years ago. I don't get it. It was a bunch of spoiled, rich women talking about the others behind their backs and screaming at each other to their faces. One apparently couldn't walk past a restaurant or liquor store without stopping to buy alcohol. It was lowest-common-denominator TV. No wonder our national IQ is slipping if this is what people are watching now.
99
It's boring. Just Jerry Springer in a series format.
1
"Living in Andy Cohen’s America"...
No thanks.
No thanks.
116
By reporting on this, the Times enables it. Do you report on the latest in adult entertainment? No, of course not. Someone needs better editorial standards.
100
Why shouldn't they? I'd like to read those reviews!
1
Porn websites do a remarkable job of recommending "other content you might enjoy." And while I don't watch any of Cohen's programming, I suspect it's less destructive than any of the talking heads or Trump surrogates on Fox News, CNN or MSNBC.
That was a really well written piece. Thank you.
29
I can't think of anything more repulsive than reality TV. It helped break up my marriage as my wife drifted from an intelligent professional woman into a mesmerized hillbilly watching these idiotic programs. Ghost busting became her main interest in life as she withdrew from kids and me.
Divorce will be final this week and I am glad.
Divorce will be final this week and I am glad.
98
Get real; if all it took to bust up your marriage was a couple of harmless reality shows on Bravo, wedded bliss was pretty much not in the cards for you and your soon-to-be-ex wife. But like most of the commenters on this piece, you aren't recognizing the axiom first noted by H.L. Mencken, that (paraphrased), "nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." Andy Cohen is shrewd and smart and in terms of his televised corner of the domestic zeitgeist, very prescient, whether anyone likes what's reflected in that mirror or not.
The only time I've watched any of the Housewives shows was when I was undergoing chemotherapy and was doped up to my eyeballs with antidepressants. They were mildly amusing when I was in that state. Now I can't stomach any of them.
42
Golly--that comment would fit right in a housewives show.
Both my daughter & my niece watch each & every iteration of Housewives. They're both educated young professional women. I just don't get it. Is it the "trainwreck" phenomenon, where you just can't look away? Give me a period piece on PBS & I'll be happy.
45
I find these shows are generally appealing to people who are fascinated, in a jealous way, with the degree of plastic surgery, hedonism, debauchery, and social self-gratification that these women indulge in.
I watch those, too--like the "wives" with longer dresses as daywear..
I've been secretly watching Housewives for years. None of my friends know, and they would, I think, be disappointed if they knew I watch. I used to think that Housewives was an anomaly, or an outlier of American culture. Since November 8th. however, I view the Housewives and their trash talking antics as just another snapshot of US culture, just like your President elect and his cronies.
59
We all have to have our guilty pleasures!
22
Agreed. I hardly think Real Housewives is the biggest symbol of our nation's moral and intellectual decay. I never watch it, but I enjoy watching cheesy movies and TV sometimes, especially when stressed and in need of decompression. No need to apologize for what makes you happy.
3
I find your smug comment to be more than a little insulting. Not all Americans subscribe to this 'culture' any more than Canadians are all personally responsible for what has happened to First Nations persons during the residential school era. Your country is not as sophisticated and pure as you'd like to think. I can think of many snapshots of Canadian culture that are as humiliating and ridiculous.
No thanks.
52
Samantha Bee was left off the cover of Vanity Fair.
The housewife shows have become formulaic and dull. In TV terms, they've jumped the shark
The housewife shows have become formulaic and dull. In TV terms, they've jumped the shark
36
I'm a fan, but there's a smidge of truth to that.
Great piece! Very funny. The trump / housewives parallels are eerie, and Andy comes across as thoughtful and interesting.
25
SHOUT OUT TO THE DOME!
7
Cohen is as responsible as anyone for the trash that passes for TV in the US!
In the era of trump, I am living my TV turned off and I'm listening to music.
In the era of trump, I am living my TV turned off and I'm listening to music.
110
That makes two of us. Listening to great music actually helps me forget Trump is about to become president.
39
To each his own. I'm not sure how this continues to pass for entertainment. The oldest of the franchise is at least ten years old. Surely the novelty has worn off. I'm still not convinced that the executives at Bravo, Andy Cohen included, aren't on some level misogynistic and ageist. The impression I get from these shows is that they hate middle aged women. You'd be hard pressed to find a show featuring hetero middle aged men looking and behaving so ridiculously (excluding the president-elect) with minimal redeeming quailities. I know the participants are willing - they have bills to pay and probably egos to feed. I still don't have watch it.
74
Actually, you are not hard pressed to find shows featuring middle aged men equivalents. The Million Dollar Listing real estate shows on bravo are essentially the male version of real housewives, under the guise of men "doing business deals," but really it is quite similar (as are the egos and need to pay bills). You've got to search harder for gender bias on bravo!
34
"You'd be hard pressed to find a show featuring hetero middle aged men looking and behaving so ridiculously (excluding the president-elect) with minimal redeeming quailities."
...Hogan's Heroes, maybe? Times have changed.
...Hogan's Heroes, maybe? Times have changed.
1
Wait! You think a gay man might be misogynistic?