Bravo die-hards are no doubt counting the days until they can see Luann de Lesseps rejoin her The Real Housewives of New York OGs in a new season of Ultimate Girls Trip, but they may be shocked to hear the Countess-turned-cabaret-star may have broken her sobriety during the trip. Now, the reality star is opening up about her journey with sobriety.
De Lessep's much-discussed RHONY: Legacy series was scrapped in favor of a freshly-cast RHONY reboot and a fifth season of the Ultimate Girls Trip spinoff instead. However, the latter of the shows would see Luann reunite with her old New York co-stars Ramona Singer, Dorinda Medley, Sonja Morgan, Kelly Killoren Bensimon and Kristen Taekman in St. Barts. But the "Money Can't Buy You Class" crooner revealed that it wasn't just the Housewives' signature brand of drama happening during the UGT vacation. She also referenced her sobriety, or lack thereof, telling Page Six at a Peacock event on Tuesday, December 12:
I take it day by day. And you’ll see it on this trip. I address it in terms of, you know what? That was an occasion, and I like to have fun on occasion because that trip was an occasion.
When the outlet point-blank asked the reality star, who has been very open about her ongoing struggles with alcohol, if she imbibed while filming the tropical spin-off, De Lesseps didn't give a concrete answer:
You’ll see on the show. You’ll have to watch.
The Bravo personality has been forthright about her drinking problem and her ongoing sobriety journey. It started after the star's December 2017 arrest in Palm Beach, Florida, where she was charged with disorderly intoxication, resisting arrest, battery of an officer and making threats against a public servant. She agreed to community service, weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and to abstain from drinking alcohol for one year. She later voluntarily entered rehab for alcohol treatment.
Though de Lesseps was living sober following the legal troubles, she resumed drinking after her probation ended, with a 2020 episode of The Real Housewives of New York City showing the former Countess sipping some vodka before taking the stage in a benefit comedy show. She said at the time:
Oh, it tastes so good. Oh, that's good. To be able to have a sip of vodka and not get arrested is huge. I don't have to make excuses. I'm a grown woman and I'm ready.
She also disclosed during that RHONY Season 13 episode that filming with her NYC co-stars, who have been known to like themselves a glass or two of Pinot Grigio (we're looking at you, Ramona!), made her "very tempted" to drink:
For the moment I've been kind of taking it day by day. But you know, I'm with the girls a lot and they like to drink, and sometimes I get very tempted.
In March 2022, de Lesseps had another drunk-in-public snafu, getting kicked out of a piano bar in midtown Manhattan for inebriated behavior, including arguing with the crowd from the stage. She issued a public apology following the incident:
After a regrettable incident, I was faced with the truth … Clearly my struggles with alcohol are real!
However, by October of the same year, the Housewife said on SiriusXM’s “Jeff Lewis Live” that she had cut off alcohol completely, saying that she was "happier" and "healthier" without the strong stuff.
Will Luann fully partake in the partying when Ultimate Girls Trip Season 5 rolls around? As she said, we're going to have to tune in to find out. The first three episodes are available to stream with a Peacock subscription, with new episodes hitting the 2024 TV schedule every Thursday thereafter.
