Exclusive: Countess Luann de Lesseps Is Unafraid To Enjoy the Many Successes She’s Earned
It’s a dreary Wednesday afternoon, and I’m sat wondering when I’ll see the sun again. January 2025 has felt like the longest month in existence, and while it feels like the walls are slowly closing in, I remain positive. Why? Because 16 years after seeing her on television for the first time, I’m finally going to have the opportunity to speak to one of the world’s brightest reality TV stars: Countess Luann de Lesseps.
Nowadays, it’s hard to find a gem quite as shiny as Luann. New reality television stars come in with expectations based on what they’ve had the privilege to watch beforehand, and build multiple walls up ahead of time to protect and deflect away from certain aspects of their lives. They’ve seen the shows that stars like the Countess have paved the way on, and in many cases, try to self-produce to emulate the same success. It’s something we’ve recently seen in the Real Housewives of New York reboot, which just so happens to also be the show that shot Luann into superstardom. Frustratingly, it means we never quite reach the lofty heights of entertainment that we once saw in the Real Housewives franchise, because if there’s one thing a Bravo viewer can do, it’s sniff out inauthenticity.
But Luann is as authentic as they come. Dressed in her signature cabaret jaunty hat, along with a sparkly mesh shirt, and Chanel brooch, she greeted me with a warm smile as soon as we connected over Zoom. Our chat touched on the Countess Cabaret tour, but also included throwbacks, looking ahead to the future, and so much more. Here’s what went down when Reality Tea got to sit down with the Countess herself…
Countess Cabaret is headed to the UK and beyond
“I work really hard at it, and contrary to what people think, I’m a great entertainer,” Luann says of her almost eight-year cabaret career so far. “Now, I’ve proved that.” Don’t ever accuse Countess Luann of lacking confidence. But, as Demi Lovato sings, “What’s wrong with being confident?” Especially when you’ve earned your stripes.
Speaking on the upcoming Countess Cabaret tour, Luann gives me a simple, yet effective tease. “It’s cabaret meets comedy meets a fashion show, because you know I’ll be wearing Jovani.” And feeling “so good,” I’m sure. “My fans are gonna love this because it’s really based on my greatest hits, and a lot of personal stories that went on during the Real Housewives.”
“My tours are always different; it’s an all-new show,” she continues. “Cabaret is a personal story, and it’s my story. How we do it is, we pick a song that we really love.”
“It’s like a big singalong. It’s immersive, and I pick songs that [the fans] grew up with, because … their moms were listening to the same music. So I pick a song, then I write the story, which is my personal story. Sometimes it’s about my life in general, my love life, or it’s about the Housewives.”
And while a majority of Luann’s fans are us normal folk, she’s also got A-list admirers. Amongst them is British actress, Tilda Swinton, who invited Lu to spend some time in her Scottish castle. “I love her, she’s such an amazing actress,” Luann gushes. “We connect because we both do what we love. I think people can see that, and I think that’s mainly what keeps people coming. It gives me joy to spread the joy.”
Hopefully, Tilda can hop on over to see Luann during her Glasgow date on February 13.
Countess Luann paved the way as one of the best Real Housewives to ever do it
For me, Luann is the epitome of what a Real Housewives star should be. There is nobody else who has given as much to her reality TV career – besides maybe Kim Richards – as she has.
Looking back on where it all started when cameras picked up for RHONY in 2007, Luann recognizes the legacy she and her fellow OGs helped build. “We didn’t know what reality [TV] was when we started. I was just doing me, it was my life, and I let people in,” she tells me.
“I feel like people all go through the same things. We all go through ups and downs, hopefully not hitting rock bottom – God knows I did – and that’s how I rose to the cabaret stage really; I got knocked down, but I got back up.”
As for the big boss man himself? “Andy Cohen has said to me, ‘Lu, you’re the most resilient Housewife I know,’ and I think it’s growing up in a big family [that helped]. You have to be tough to be on the Housewives. We make it look easy, but it’s not easy. Going up against Bethenny [Frankel] is no easy task.” Andy and Bravo of course know that first-hand, but the less said about the Reality Reckoning That Never Was, the better.
So, how about a new Bravo venture for Luann? Perhaps appearing on one of the Below Deck shows? Because she did of course coin the now-iconic catchphrase, “We got the yacht!”
“I’ve been talking about this to NBC for ages,” Luann divulges. “The OGs [from RHONY] need to go everywhere, not just Below Deck. Send us around the world! Let’s get the OG cast traveling, because our trips are epic, so being set in a different place would be genius.”
From Crappie Lake to the Love Hotel, Luann can do it all; and maybe even The Traitors
“Did you see Crappie Lake?” Luann asks me. I’m almost offended! Of course I have – it was one of the best new shows Bravo put together in recent history. But will we be getting Lu and Sonja Morgan back for another round of helping small-town heroes rebuild their cities?
“We’re still talking about Crappie Lake, but I’ve got other shows coming up. I’m sure you’ve heard about Love Hotel!” I have indeed – and I’m hopeful the drama surrounding another one of its stars, Shannon Beador, and the host, Joel Kim Booster, doesn’t overshadow what it’s really supposed to be about.
While she can’t give too many details, Luann promises she’ll reveal more on her Countess Cabaret tour. “It was a great experience for me, and I’m excited for fans to see it. It’s the first dating show for Bravo, so I’m super stoked about that. I think the fans are really gonna love it … it’ll be out around the spring some time. It’s coming soon, darling!”
Talk then moves to The Traitors, and just how disappointing it was to see Dorinda Medley out of the competition so soon. “Dorinda has a hard time lying,” Lu laughs. “You’ve gotta love that about D, she wears her heart on her sleeve … there’s talk about me doing Traitors, so let’s see what happens!”
As Luann tells me, “Housewives is like Traitors! I’m very well-trained for that.” And with the Countess being someone who simply says it like it is, should she compete in the future, I have no doubt she would make the perfect Faithful.
Tickets for Countess Cabaret are available from countessluann.com.
TELL US – IS LUANN THE ULTIMATE REALITY TV STAR? HAVE YOU BEEN TO SEE HER CABARET SHOWS?
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