PHOTOSCountess Luann De Lesseps Slammed Over Allegations She Wore Blackface On 'RHONY' — See Her Response
April 5 2018, Updated 12:56 p.m. ET
While on Watch What Happens Live, Luann de Lesseps admitted to host Andy Cohen that she was "horrified" by the backlash against her Diana Ross costume on the season premiere of Real Housewives of New York, which had some people accusing her of blackface. Click through for more details!
"I'm horrified in that I never meant to hurt anybody's feelings because that was not — you know, I love Diana Ross," she told Andy. "I totally respect Diana Ross, you know? And it was really kind of a tribute to her, you know?"
On Twitter, Luann, 52, reiterated that she never meant to offend anyone and that she didn't alter her skin color in any way. "I would like to clear the air, I love and respect Diana Ross, this was my tribute to her I was showing my sincere admiration," she wrote. "I in no way altered my skin color and I did not mean to offend anyone."
She claims that her seemingly darker-than-normal complexion was due to bronzer, which she regularly wears. "I'm tan, like, right now," she said on Watch What Happens Live. "So, I didn't add anything, and I would never, ever, ever dream of doing a blackface. Ever."
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After the blackface accusations were cleared up, Andy then took issue with Luann's sky-high afro wig. "Diana Ross very rarely wore an afro," he said, "it was really about the long hair, but that's another story."
Luann — who recently opened up about going sober following her arrest for disorderly intoxication in December — still maintained that her Halloween costume was a tribute to the Motown singer and nothing more.
What do you think about Luann's response to the accusations she wore blackface? Let us know in the comments!
