Key Takeaways
- TS Madison campaigned to become The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s first transgender Housewife, declaring, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta ain’t going to be what it’s supposed to be until they cast the TS on.”
- Former RHOP star Candiace Dillard Bassett backed the idea, arguing that Madison could “redirect, reshift, restructure” RHOA during its current resurgence.
- Madison said she has spoken with Andy Cohen and unveiled a potential tagline months after Cohen said he would welcome an organically cast transgender Housewife with existing ties to the cast.
TS Madison isn’t waiting around for Bravo to decide whether The Real Housewives of Atlanta is ready for its first transgender Housewife. She’s campaigning for the peach herself.
During the latest episode of Outlaws with TS Madison, the media personality made her case directly while talking with former Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard Bassett. The conversation turned to how Dillard Bassett landed on RHOP, prompting Madison to declare exactly where she believes she belongs next: “The Real Housewives of Atlanta ain’t going to be what it’s supposed to be until they cast the TS on.”
Dillard Bassett didn’t exactly discourage her. “Why is that not a thing?” she asked, then wondered whether Madison had already talked to producers. Madison declined to get into those conversations on camera, saying they could discuss the “powers” behind the franchise offline.
Dillard Bassett argued that the timing made sense, calling the current moment a “true resurgence” for RHOA and saying Madison could “redirect, reshift, restructure” the show.
Madison also made clear that Andy Cohen isn’t some distant figure she’s never encountered. “I’ve spoken to Andy. I’ve talked to Andy,” she said, recalling that she once jumped into one of Cohen’s livestreams to make herself known.
She also pointed to her existing connections with people who work with Cohen, including World of Wonder, the production company behind The TS Madison Experience.
Then she addressed Cohen by his full name: “Andrew Jerome Cohen … can we have a pow-wow?” (For the record, Cohen’s full name is Andrew Joseph—not Jerome—Cohen.)
The pitch comes just months after Cohen publicly said he was open to a transgender Real Housewife. He said the casting should feel organic rather than engineered as a diversity stunt.
Cohen also said that the ideal transgender Housewife would already have relationships with women in the cast.
When the inevitable question of backlash came up, Madison wasn't interested in debating whether a transgender woman belonged on the franchise. She instead repeated a potential tagline: “I may not have a husband now, but I’ve already had one of yours.”
