RHONY’s Erin Responded To Claims She Donated To Trump’s Stop The Steal Campaign

After a Reddit thread from around November 2022 resurfaced, Real Housewives of NY star Erin Lichy’s Trump donations have caused a stir, forcing her to respond to claims she sent money to the former president’s Stop the Steal campaign.

According to her official bio for the show, Lichy was born and raised in Manhattan. “She’s a social butterfly who tends to find herself floating amidst the drama and isn’t afraid to stir the pot,” Bravo states. “Her naturally keen eye for spotting the next trend and die-hard work ethic has led to a prominent reputation in the New York real estate scene, in addition to running an interior design firm. With the only things more important than her career being her three children and husband Abe, this cosmopolitan is the definition of an overachiever who loves nothing more than to prove she can do it all.”

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Erin Lichy’s Trump donations

A TikTok creator claimed Erin Lichy donated to Donald Trump’s Stop the Steal campaign and a Reddit thread featuring the original TikTok video by @stulrichardson has resurfaced and gone viral. The user speculated the political leanings of the RHONY and “while I can’t tell you who they voted for I can tell you who they’ve donated to,” he said.

It’s worth pointing out that these political donations are public record. You can easily go onto the Federal Election Commission and search someone’s name. When you do, you can see those four $100 donations made by Erin Lichy, self-employed, and four $100 donations to WinRed, the Republican Party’s Political Action Committee for fundraising. Two particular donations, made on November 7 and 9, were specifically earmarked for the “Trump Make America Great Again Committee.”

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“It shouldn’t surprise any RHONY fan that Carole Radziwill is a pretty prolific Democrat donor, after all, she was married to a Kennedy. Since 2004, she’s given over $11,000 all to Democrats including this election cycle. Up next, we have Jill Zarin, one of my favorite RHONY housewives. You know, in many ways, Jill represents the transformation that many women voters have undergone over the past 15 years. In 2008, she gave to [Republican] John McCain’s campaign and more recently, she’s given to Democrats. Here she is with Gloria Allred, a very famous feminist lawyer,” he said.

“This information shouldn’t surprise many fans of the show, but Ramona Singer supports Republicans, a fact that she’s alluded to many times over many seasons. Just this election cycle she’s given $500 to Republican candidates. Now, Bethany Frankel’s contributions actually did shock me. It’s not necessarily who she’s given money to—she’s a Democrat—but it’s how much money she’s given. She’s given over $116,000 since 2012, mostly to Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton. Another housewives’ giving that actually shocked me was Dorinda Medley, who’s given over $29,000 since 2006 mostly to Hilary Clinton but most recently to Kamala Harris during her short run for the presidency.”

The video concluded: “But I have to say my most shocking revelation during this research has to do with contributions from [Erin Lichy], one of the newest additions to the RHONY family. She joins the cast next season and she’s only given $400, but it’s not necessarily how much she’s given that’s shocking, it’s to whom and at what time. This $400 went to Donald Trump in the days after he lost the 2020 election and when he was beginning to contest the results of that election. See? Not everyone in New York’s liberal.”

The backlash against Lichy, most notably in the comments section of her Instagram page, resulted in her issuing a statement to Variety, which read: “Regarding the hateful and misinformed social commentary going on about me, I’d like to dispel these false narratives before they continue any further. I do not deny the election and have never supported stop the steal. I unequivocally believe that the 2020 Presidential election was fair and the President was rightfully elected.” The industry publication noted that Lichy’s representatives did not respond to further queries asking for context for her donations.

The Real Housewives franchise started back in 2006 with the premiere of The Real Housewives of Orange County. The original series—which starred OG of the OC Vicki Gunvalson and four other Housewives—led to the creation of Housewives shows in nine other cities across the United States: New York City, Atlanta, New Jersey, D.C., Beverly Hills, Miami, Potomac, Dallas and Salt Lake City. 

On March 23, 2022, it was announced that the showrunners had made the decision to recast the show’s 14th season from scratch, which brings us to the announcement of its new group of dynamic women on October 16, 2023. From fashion and real estate to philanthropy and social influence, these women have made their mark in NYC and will now share their lives as they juggle careers, family life and jam-packed social calendars in the city that never sleeps.

“It’s a totally different show,” Andy Cohen told The Daily Beast. “We all love the original RHONY so much. I think you have to really do a trust fall and understand this is different. This is a different group of women. …  They’re formidable, and they’re interesting, and they’re fashionable and viable, and funny, and outspoken, and everything we love about New York.” They’re also more diverse—with the show’s first Indian woman and the show’s first Puerto Rican woman—and younger across the board, “We haven’t seen husbands in New York in a long time,” Cohen continued. “We haven’t seen children in New York in a long time. I think they’re in a different phase of their lives, which presents different stories.”

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