Andy Cohen insists the 'Vanderpump Rules' cast overhaul was the "absolute right thing to do".
The hit Bravo reality TV series - which first aired in 2013 - follows Lisa Vanderpump and the staff of her famous SUR Restaurant and Lounge in West Hollywood.
Bravo boss Andy has now broken his silence on the revamp and admitted it's for the best as none of the main cast still work at SUR and he's surprised they were able to keep it running over the past few years.
Speaking on SiriusXM's 'Andy Cohen Live', he said: “Bravo announced, or word got out, that they are revamping the show and I have to say, this is, first of all, the absolute right thing to do.
“I am so impressed with how production kept the show going over the last, I’m gonna say four years, when slowly but surely none of them were working at SUR.”
He added: “The entire point of the show morphed and changed as it went on, and it wound up that James Kennedy was the only one with any kind of footprint at SUR, because he was DJ-ing there occasionally and now he’s gone on and he’s got a residency in Vegas and he’s having great success and they’re all having good success outside of SUR.”
Some of the original stars, including Tom Schwartz, Lala Kent and Scheana Shay, moved over to the spin-off 'The Valley'.
Andy insisted it was a "very smart move" because a lot of the cast have fallen out and don't like being in the same room.
Ariana Madix’s split from Tom Sandoval after he cheated on Rachel Leviss caused a lot of friction and she is no longer friends with Lala Kent.
Andy continued: “And then you have others who don’t want to be in the same room, much less on the same show with each other, and that makes sense too.
“So what you were left with was really just a few pieces of what the original ‘Vanderpump Rules’ was. So I think this is a very smart programming move.”
Comparing it to Bravo's 'The Real Housewives of New York City' reboot, which saw the 14th season of the hit show air with a whole new cast, he said: “In ‘RHONY‘s case, we had 13 seasons of a show that was so beloved and so great.
“And it went on and on, and sometimes for a show, it’s the end of the road or it’s time to curve or swerve or pivot, and that’s where we were with ‘RHONY’ and that is what is happening with ‘Vanderpump Rules.'”
Andy believes the series’ winning formula was that everyone was their true authentic self.
He said: “Like it or hate it, or like them or hate them, they were always very much themselves and that’s what made that show so entertaining and surprising."
Lisa will be joined by her current staff when the 12th season airs.
