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| Born: Oct. 1st, 1973 (age 51) Occupation: Reality TV personality |
Alex (Alexandra) McCord (born October 1, 1973, Washington D.C.) was raised in Kansas, Texas, and in The United States Virgin Islands. Later in life, McCord was invited on to the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City.
In 2008, The Real Housewives of New York City took the world by storm with the debut of its first season. The cast consisted of Alex McCord, Bethenny Frankel, Jill Zarin, Ramona Singer, and LuAnn de Lesseps. McCord co-starred in the first four seasons of the show and lived a life alongside her husband, Simon Van Kempen, and her two sons, Francois and Johan van Kempen. She also shared glimpses of her career in modeling and design, opening up about the challenges of being a working mother in her book, Little Kids, Big City: Tales from a Real House in New York City (With Lessons on Life and Love for Your Own Concrete Jungle). After her four seasons on the show, the McCords moved to Australia, the native country of her husband. There, she continued her education and went back to school pursuing a Master's degree.
McCord attended Northwestern University from 1991 to 1994. She then attended the City University of New York, where she studied psychology and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 2020, McCord graduated from the University of New England with a Master’s degree in professional psychology. She is currently enrolled in a PhD program at the University of New England and is expected to graduate with a degree in clinical psychology in 2025.
Kyle Egan Richards Umansky is an American actress, socialite, and television personality. Since 2010, she has appeared as a main cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and as of 2019, is the last remaining original full time cast member on the show.
Bethenny Frankel also known as Bethenny Parisella: is an American television personality, TikToker, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and author. She was the runner-up on the NBC reality competition series The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in 2005. Frankel is best known as an original cast member of the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City, starring in 8 of the 14 seasons since its 2008 premiere. Her spin-off series Bethenny Ever After aired three seasons from 2010–2012, and Bethenny & Fredrik aired one season in 2018. She also headlined the Fox daytime talk show Bethenny (2013–2014) and the HBO Max reality competition series The Big Shot with Bethenny (2021).
The Real Housewives is an American reality television franchise that began on March 21, 2006, with The Real Housewives of Orange County. Each installment of the franchise documents the personal and professional lives of a group of affluent women residing in a certain city or geopolitical region. Eleven different series have been produced in the United States, and there are 21 international adaptations in addition. The American series is broadcast on Bravo; previously the Miami installment aired for a time on Peacock.
The Real Housewives of New York City, abbreviated RHONY, is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on March 4, 2008. Developed as the second installment of The Real Housewives franchise, it has aired fifteen seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of several women residing in New York City.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta, abbreviated RHOA, is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on October 7, 2008. Developed as the third installment of The Real Housewives franchise, it has aired fifteen seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of several women residing in and around Atlanta, Georgia.
Luann de Lesseps is an American television personality, singer, model, and author. She is best known as an original cast member of the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City, featuring in the first 13 of 15 seasons since its 2008 premiere. In 2018, she began headlining "Countess and Friends", a cabaret show of her own making.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey, abbreviated RHONJ, is an American reality television series that premiered on May 12, 2009, on Bravo. Developed as the fourth installment of The Real Housewives franchise, it has aired fourteen seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of several women residing in the state of New Jersey, primarily in North Jersey.
Ramona Singer is an American television personality, businesswoman, and author. She is best known as a cast member on the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City, in which she has starred in the first 13 seasons from 2008 to 2021.
Porsha Dyanne Williams is an American television personality, singer, actress and activist. She starred on the reality series The Real Housewives of Atlanta from 2012 until 2021, rejoining the cast in 2024. She also starred in the spin-off series, Porsha's Family Matters. From 2013 until 2021, she served as co-host of Dish Nation. She was co-host of Bravo's Chat Room in 2020, alongside Gizelle Bryant, Hannah Berner and Kate Chastain.
The third season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, an American reality television series, was broadcast on Bravo. It aired from November 6, 2007 until January 29, 2008, and was primarily filmed in Orange County, California. Its executive producers are Adam Karpel, Alex Baskin, Douglas Ross, Gregory Stewart, Scott Dunlop, Stephanie Boyriven and Andy Cohen.
The fourth season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, an American reality television series, was broadcast on Bravo. It aired from November 25, 2008 until June 11, 2009, and was primarily filmed in Orange County, California. Its executive producers are Adam Karpel, Alex Baskin, Douglas Ross, Gregory Stewart, Scott Dunlop, Stephanie Boyriven and Andy Cohen.
The first season of The Real Housewives of New York City, an American reality television series, is broadcast on Bravo. It aired March 4, 2008 until May 27, 2008, and is primarily filmed in New York City, New York. Its executive producers are Andrew Hoegl, Barrie Bernstein, Lisa Shannon, Pam Healy and Andy Cohen.
The second season of The Real Housewives of New York City, an American reality television series, is broadcast on Bravo. It aired February 17, 2009 until May 28, 2009, and is primarily filmed in New York City, New York. Its executive producers are Andrew Hoegl, Barrie Bernstein, Lisa Shannon, Pam Healy and Andy Cohen.
The third season of The Real Housewives of New York City, an American reality television series, is broadcast on Bravo. It aired March 4, 2010 until June 24, 2010, and is primarily filmed in New York City, New York. Its executive producers are Andrew Hoegl, Barrie Bernstein, Lisa Shannon, Pam Healy and Andy Cohen.
The fourth season of The Real Housewives of New York City, an American reality television series, is broadcast on Bravo. It aired April 7, 2011 until August 1, 2011, and is primarily filmed in New York City, New York. Its executive producers are Andrew Hoegl, Barrie Bernstein, Lisa Shannon, Pam Healy and Andy Cohen.
The fifth season of The Real Housewives of New York City, an American reality television series, is broadcast on Bravo. It aired June 4, 2012 until October 22, 2012, and is primarily filmed in New York City, New York. Its executive producers are Andrew Hoegl, Barrie Bernstein, Lisa Shannon, Pam Healy and Andy Cohen.
The first season of The Real Housewives of Melbourne, an Australian reality television series, was broadcast on Arena. It aired from 23 February 2014, until 11 May 2014, and was primarily filmed in Melbourne, Victoria. Its executive producers are Kylie Washington and Lisa Potasz.
The first season of The Real Housewives of Dallas, an American reality television series, was broadcast on Bravo. It aired from April 11, 2016 until June 19, 2016, and was primarily filmed in Dallas, Texas. Its executive producers are Adam Karpel, Andrew, John Paparazzo, Rich Bye, Samantha Billett and Andy Cohen.
"I Am Real" is the debut single by Australian hotelier Simon van Kempen. It was released on 21 April 2011, through JSM Music, during his wife Alex McCord's tenure on the American reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City. The song was written by Allison Beth Simon, Jon Jason Appleton, and Koki Saito, while production was handled by Joel Simon, Ross Hopman, and Saito. During its development, van Kempen and McCord met with the team of writers to ensure that the song's lyrics would represent them accurately. A dance-pop and EDM track, "I Am Real" contains tongue-in-cheek lyrics that address van Kempen's critics. One lyric references a comment McCord used to describe fellow cast member Luann de Lesseps.
The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, abbreviated as RHUGT, is an American reality television series that premiered on Peacock on November 16, 2021. The series follows several women from The Real Housewives franchise as they vacation together.