Fans are still processing the news that The Real Housewives of Dallas will not return in 2022.
It's not a shock, exactly, but despite the show's recent controversies, any cancelation or hiatus has Bravo fans anxious.
Could another franchise be next?
It's possible. Bravo might pause RHONY in the same way, waiting another year or two before having another bite at the Big Apple.
A new report claims that The Real Housewives of New York City may follow in RHOD's footsteps.
“There is still no confirmed date to shoot the reunion show after it’s being postponed twice," an alleged insider claimed to RadarOnline this week.
"First, August 5th is canceled and now the September date has been canceled too," the source added.
"But even more concerning, there is no date to start filming season 14 on the books," the insider continued.
"And," the supposed source added, there is "talk about putting the show on permanent hiatus."
That would effectively mean that RHONY, like RHOD, would be more or less canceled until some future date when Bravo brings it back.
The Real Housewives of Miami has been but a memory for the better part of the last decade.
It was not technically caneled it -- just put on an indefinite hiatus.
The People's Couch received the same treatment. RHONY could potentially be next.
The controversies, the report alleges, have made this decision far above Andy Cohen's head.
“The decision about the show’s future is no longer in the hands of Bravo," the insider claimed.
"After all the accusations of racism the decision has gone all the way up to the top bosses at NBC,” the source added.
“The fear is that the show is just too controversial now," the insider suggested.
"Which is why there is talk about shutting it down until things cool off," the source claimed.
"The last thing they want to do is having this show poison the entire franchise," the insider alleged.
There have certainly been a number of racist controversies recently.
Note that we said racist, not "racial."
It's important to call things what they are.
Some Housewives clearly hold racist assumptions about the world, even if they harbor no conscious malice towards people of color.
And clearly, a vocal minority of fans and viewers feel the same way.
Actually, scratch that -- because some of them very obviously and loudly hold conscious malice.
The first can be fixed.
There is no shame in admitting that growing up in a culture where white supremacy is entrenched in our history and laws gave people some wrong ideas.
Education can be illuminating. That is why production asked Eboni K. Williams to share her lived experiences in the first place.
But not everyone is interested in learning -- even if it might make them a better person.
A minority of Bravo viewers are nothing short of enraged that Eboni would educate instead of merely entertain.
And they are joined by people who are merely "uncomfortable" when the subject comes up ... and want everyone on TV to pretend that race and racism don't exist.
Other franchises, like The Bachelor, have learned recently that catering to white fragility can backfire.
If The Real Housewives of New York City goes on the chopping block due to what some have called an "all-Karen boycott," it would be letting the bad guys win.
But ... is that actually going to happen? What should we make of this report.
One possibility is that this is classic fear-bait reporting and not based in fact.
Anonymous sources are often very real, and can leak information that is confirmed to be true sooner or later.
But sometimes these sources are less reputable, if they exist at all. More prominent publications tend to not publish unreliable claims.
Another thing to consider is that, sometimes, networks will use trial balloons in the same way that governments will.
They float an idea through an alleged leak, see how the public responds, and then make an informed decision using that reaction.
Hopefully, those who genuinely enjoy RHONY will be more vocal than those who would want to cancel the series just to spite Eboni.
Notably, Andy Cohen has spoken of how this was a difficult season amidst COVID-19, and how he would rather add to the cast than do a shakeup.
Reports have said that Ramona might not be asked to return, or might at least be demoted, due to her behavior and to the expense of paying an OG.
Only time will tell. For now, the Housewives themselves are likely as in the dark as the rest of us.