Fans love many things about Luann de Lesseps from Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City. Over the years, she's come to be known for her 'countess' status, passion for cabaret, and evolving fashion looks. However, something viewers can also count on from Luann is a certain lack of self-awareness.
Luann was introduced as a housewife during RHONY season 1 in 2008. She was immediately a stand-out personality in the group and has been holding an apple every year except for RHONY season 6. Many of the show's iconic moments involve Luann, such as filming her music video for Luann's song Chic, C'est La Vie, calling Alex McCord out for her "Herman Munster shoes," and her "be cool, don't be all uncool" response to the ladies getting startled by a man she brought home while on vacation together.
However, some Luann moments evoke more of a cringe response than anything else. While Luann has maintained her legend status on RHONY, her years on the show haven't come and gone without a little bit of head shaking here and there. Her lack of self-awareness has reared its head in the form of more innocent things like her music career, but it has also gotten her into trouble on some occasions.
Luann's Argument About Education With Eboni K. Williams
In RHONY season 13, at Luann's Hamptons house, Luann and Eboni K.Williams got into a heated argument when Eboni mentioned she had the most education out of all the women in the group. Luann took this as an insult, as she thought Eboni was suggesting she was smarter than everyone. Things escalated, and Luann eventually called Eboni "angry," which struck a nerve in with Eboni due to stereotypes around women of color being "angry" and "aggressive."
Luann's Comment About Aviva
RHONY season 5 saw Aviva Drescher join the cast. She was only on RHONY for two seasons but still managed to be at the center of some unforgettable moments, including the now-iconic prosthetic leg throw. Aviva's prosthetic leg was an interesting difference between Aviva and the rest of the RHONY cast, and in one of Luann's confessionals, she called her "poised, and graceful, and charming." However, as Luann was finishing her sentence, she said, "you would never know she had a handicap."
When Luann Spoke To A Young, Aspiring Model
Luann's visit to Boys & Girls Club in RHONY season 2 had good intentions, but once again, her words were her downfall. She arrived with plans of presenting herself as a role model for the girls in the after-school program, and the topic of the day was self-worth and positive self-image. When a 10-year-old girl expressed her desire to one day become a model, Luann responded by first telling her she had a beautiful face and following it up by saying, "losing weight is the easy part."
Luann's Infamous Halloween Costume
Not much needs to be said about Luann's Diana Ross Halloween costume in RHONY season 10. It was particularly messy given the fact that the season aired as recently as 2018, a point in history where blackface and the discussion around racial prejudice and cultural appropriation had long inhabited the zeitgeist. On an episode of Watch What Happens Live shortly after the Halloween party aired, Luann assured Andy that the costume "was a tribute to" Diana Ross and that she didn't tan herself any more than she usually would for the outfit.
Source: Watch What Happens Live/YouTube