‘Real Housewives,’ but make it gay(er): MTV introduces ‘Real Friends of WeHo’ – NBC News
Gay men, who have arguably been the lifeblood of “The Real Housewives” fan base, will finally get a drama-filled reality TV show they can call their own.
On Thursday, MTV announced it is launching on Jan. 20 “The Real Friends of WeHo,” which will follow six gay friends living in Los Angeles’ premiere gayborhood, West Hollywood.
“If you like the wives, don’t miss these new house guys,” a narrator says in the trailer, in what appeared to be a nod to Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise. (NBC News and Bravo are both owned by NBCUniversal.)
The show’s cast members include celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, singer and choreographer Todrick Hall, actor Curtis Hamilton, entrepreneur Dorión Renaud, TV host (and husband of “Mean Girls” star Jonathan Bennett) Jaymes Vaughan and entrepreneur Joey Zauzig.
MTV said the show will give viewers an “up close and personal glimpse” into the lives of the six friends as they celebrate life milestones, “work the red carpet” and “reveal their most intimate truths to family and friends.”
“In a town and community where image and status are everything, they’re ready to pull back the Hollywood curtain and reveal their most authentic selves not just to one another but the world,” the network said in a news release.
Goreski, who started his career as a TV personality on Bravo’s “The Rachel Zoe Project,” celebrated the announcement in an Instagram post.
“Daddy’s coming to MTV!” Goreski wrote. “Can’t wait for you to meet my friends!”
But not all social media users were eager for the debut.
“Went ahead and preemptively muted ‘the real friends of weho’ from my timeline,” one Twitter user wrote.
Another person tweeted, “The thing is that ‘the real friends of WeHo’ feels like the title of an snl parody sketch.”
LGBTQ advocate and journalist Alex Berg cheekily wrote, “I’ve been distracted from one national crisis, the House Speaker vote, by another national crisis, ‘The Real Friends of WeHo.’” But she later added, “I will also be honest and say that I will probably be watching the show.”
“The Real Friends of WeHo” premieres Jan. 20 on MTV at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.