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Are Bershan Shaw and Eboni Williams friends? 'RHONY' fans predict they are 'gonna butt heads'

'Did Ramona assume Eboni would get along with Bershan because they're both black ? #RHONY', joked a fan

Bravo was criticized for the longest time for lack of diversity amongst the cast members of their shows, most noticeably 'Real Housewives of New York City', The all-white casting of the hit reality show drew ire from all quarters, including 'RHONY' star Leah McSweeney. The network finally decided to pay heed to the criticism and made some major changes to the casting of the ongoing season 13.

From introducing Eboni Williams as the first-ever Black housewife of the franchise to roping in Bershan Shaw as the friend of the housewives, the network pulled out all the stops to ensure that there was some semblance of diversity. Fans were naturally very excited to see Black women on their screens amongst the rich, fancy 'RHONY' housewives. Initially, everybody was hoping for Eboni and Bershan to team up and show off the Black Girl Magic. Unfortunately, after watching Bershan's debut on the show, fans are predicting that the only two Black cast members of 'RHONY' might lock horns.

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Are Bershan Shaw and Eboni Williams friends?

Bershan was introduced to the housewives as Ramona Singer's friend at a party hosted by Eboni in Harlem. Eboni was hoping to introduce her fellow housewives to Black excellence and culture by bringing them to Harlem and getting a peek of the culture. While Eboni casually threw snippets of Black history during the party while conversing with the ladies, Bershan rubbed her off the wrong way. Instead of supporting Eboni in her efforts to educate the ladies about Black culture, Bershan simply declared that she believes everybody was created equal and her statements seemed to allude to her beliefs that all lives matter.

Eboni wasn't pleased by it. She felt that it was people like Bershan who enabled Ramona's views. Although both the ladies didn't say anything to each other, it was obvious that they got off on the wrong foot. In the preview clip for the upcoming episode, we see Bershan and Ramona discussing Eboni's Harlem party. Bershan expressed that she wasn't expecting the party to be some sort of learning experience, and felt that she was caught off-guard by Eboni's 'long winded' discussion on Black history.

After watching this fans began predicting that there might be some drama in store for us on the upcoming episodes of 'RHONY' between Bershan and Eboni. A fan tweeted, "So I can already tell Eboni is a bit more uptight, and Bershan seems very laidback. I mean, she’s friends with Ramona. Lmao. They’re definitely gonna butt heads. #RHONY." Another fan wrote, "Well, we aren’t all the same. Something tells me Eboni K. Williams and Bershan won’t be immediate besties. #RHONY." "Did Ramona assume Eboni would get along with Bershan because they're both black ? #RHONY," joked a fan.

Some fans however hoped for the two new cast members to work out their differences and become friends. A fan shared, "The two women of color (Eboni & Bershan) are about to fight. This is Mary and Jen all over again. It ain’t supposed to be like this! #RHONY." Another fan expressed, "As fellow beautiful black women who have overcome a lot, there shouldn’t be issues or tension. We need to be United and strong. I truly hope for a friendship between Bershan and Eboni. #RHONY."

During a recent appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, Bershan confirmed that Eboni and she didn't get along right away. She said, "People did think that we could get along right away, and I gotta tell you, I thought that we would get along right away, you know, sister to sister. I think – I can be a lot – big personality. I’m like, ‘Hey girl’ – and different people handle you differently or her way of meeting and greeting is different.” Bershan acknowledges that their starkly different personalities caused misunderstandings. “With my friends, I’m like, ‘Hey girl, sit down and let’s have a drink, let’s have fun’ – she’s reserved. So, it didn’t take well because I think some things I said may have offended her. I didn’t mean to. I’m just thinking this is sister talk.” 

While Bershan may be having a hard time getting along with Eboni, she however seems to be getting along like a house on fire with Ramona. Bershan even defended her friend against accusations of being a racist. She said, "Ramona is definitely not a racist. What she is is she lives in her bubble. So we have to understand, everyone doesn’t grow up in a diverse background. Everyone doesn’t grow up around African Americans and Hispanics and all of that stuff. So in her bubble, she lives the way she lives.”

'Real Housewives of New York City' Season 13 airs every Wednesday at 9/8c on Bravo.