The Real Housewives of New York City’s Erin Lichy is breaking down the lingering misconceptions about her character ahead of the hit series’ season 16 premiere.
“I don’t really give a sh** what people think about me,” Erin, 39, exclusively told Us on Tuesday, September 1, ahead of the hit Bravo show’s Tuesday, September 8, season 16 premiere. “No, I’m kidding. Sometimes I do.”
She continued, “I feel like people think that I’m so pampered, and I have worked so hard. I was not given anything. I mean, I definitely grew up in a comfortable way, and I grew up in New York City with a lot of opportunity but I have worked my ass off. And sometimes I feel like people don’t really realize that — a lot of people do, but a lot of people don’t. That kind of bugs me a little, but I’ll show them all.”
Bravo fans were first introduced to Lichy in 2023 after she joined the all-new rebooted RHONY cast for season 14. She’ll return to the reality TV screen for season 16 alongside costars Sai de Silva, Jessel Taank and Carole Radziwill, who previously appeared on seasons 5 through 10. A few new Housewives, including Hailey Glasman, Daisy Toye and Erika Hammond, will also be joining the fold.
As she prepares for the season 16 premiere, Erin told Us she has learned how to navigate the public misconceptions about who she is and what she’s about — sorta.
“The comments. Do not read. It’s pointless,” she quipped of the assumptions made about her on social media. “We all take, like, a beating at some point.”
Thankfully, she also reveals she had two consistent friends in her corner this upcoming season — Daisy and returning OG Carole.
“I think that with us, it was a very easy, authentic, immediate, close friendship,” Erin revealed. “It was like when you just have chemistry with a friend and then they’re your friend forever. That’s how it felt with the two of them.”
She continued, “I’ve been friends with Carole for a while. I met Daisy, like, six months ago. But it’s like, ‘Hey, do you have a white suit?’ [and,] ‘Yeah, I’ll drop it off later tonight.’ That kind of friendship. And it feels good. It feels like really, for the first time, I have this kind of support on the show.”
Erin admits that during her inaugural RHONY season she was what many would consider a bit of a “pot stirrer” — a characterization she says she’s “aware” of and one she carries with her into the new season.
“I think so,” she says when asked if she continues to stir the pot among her fellow Housewives. “But then I hand over the baton to someone else. So just wait, and you’ll find out who that is.”
Season 16 of The Real Housewives of New York City premieres on Tuesday, September 8 at 8/7c on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock.
