Luann was on Megyn Kelly this morning to update us on her sobriety. This seems like a terrible idea. She will be thirty days sober tomorrow. I’m thrilled to hear that come out of her mouth. You never heard Kim Richards mention how many days she was sober and that to me indicated she wasn’t really in a program. In my experience in the real world, people in recovery would… in the middle of idle chit chat… say something like, “I am 98 days sober. Would you like more coffee?” So this is a good sign.
Another good sign is that she is going to AA meetings and has a “whole new family.” Megyn stupidly interrupts her to talk about Palm Beach. That’s old news, Megyn. We’ve all heard this script on other shows. Ask about the court cases. As about her children. As what led up to the relapse. We know what happened in Palm Beach.
Luann says that part of her probation is not being allowed to drink. She sees that as a good thing. Luann seems “uncomfortable in her skin” in this interview in a way I’ve never seen her.
Finally she is asked about the relapse. She says she wanted to chance her life. They tell you to change people,places and friends so she wanted to move to upstate New York. She found a beautiful home, and wanted to move but her children, who apparently live in the Hamptons house weren’t happy about it. The Count came for a visit and decided to sue her and block the sale of the house. She said he was staying at her house in the Hamptons at the time. She pretends she is not furious about it. She says that she was “going big” on the new house and it had a lot of property. Now she agrees with the Count that she needs to go with something smaller and let the kids keep the house in the Hamptons. It sounds like she has agreed to sign the house over to the kids. With the renovations it would be approximately the $4 million she owes them. She says that she decided to “keep her home for the children because she loves them.”
Apparently, finding out about the lawsuit in the press led to her relapse. She keeps talking about “getting sued by the Count” and never mentions her children were also suing her. She says she felt betrayed and really hurt by the lawsuit. She really just wanted to flip the Hamptons house and get to a fresh start. She was really set on the new house. She was already picking out the piano for the house with Billy from her cabaret show. She was planning were to put the tennis court. She was picking out gates. In her head, it was already a done deal. She was devastated. She was with a girlfriend that day who said, “I love making watermelon martinis” and Luann said, “I’m in!” She had two or three of those and two bottles of rosé and a six-pack of beer all by herself. The audience is gasping. Luann says she was dancing in her kitchen in a bikini.
Luann and Megyn talked through and entire commercial break and I wish I could have heard that. We move on to the reunion. Luann says she loves the reunion because you can say what you want to say without getting edited. Oh they still edit it a lot, Lu. She says you can air your grievances about the season. Luann says she had to take care of herself first so she went to rehab. Megyn asked if Luann has any grievances she wants to air now, since she could not be at the reunion. Maybe about Dorinda? Luann says, “I can’t give that up!” There is a major fight with Dorinda and Luann on the finale this week. Luann says they are still not cool, unfortunately. Luann says she loves Dorinda but there are some issues that need to be addressed and she hopes they are going to be able to turn things around because she loves Dorinda and she’s known her for a long time.
Luann says the reunion is coming up and she is excited to see it. Megyn mentions that the RHONY environment might not be a good place for a recovering alcoholic. Luann says that she went to Cartagena with the ladies and she had a great time and she was sober. She really had a good time dressed up like Sophia Vergara. She said that she had mocktails when the ladies drink and she discovered you can have a good time going out to dinner without cocktails.
Megyn gives a shout out to Bethenny, for taking care of Luann. Bethenny took care of the Bravo side of things for her letting them know she had gone to rehab again. Luann says her girlfriends Anne and Barbara were also there to help her get the help she needed. Luann says that cabaret is saving her life and encourages everyone to buy tickets.
That was a good interview. We eventually found out everything we wanted to know.
Wow still blaming others for her actions. There wouldn’t have been a lawsuit if she wasn’t trying to cheat her children out of their money.
She blames her relapse on being sued, but there were reports of her being drunk and causing a scene at a party in the Hamptons before the lawsuit happened. And she says she found out about the lawsuit in the press, so it’s not like she found out privately one day and then relapsed at the party and then it hit the press many days later.
And just the whole way she went on about the baby grand piano and where to put the tennis court–at the property she was blocked from buying–made it seem like she feels like “Poor me! They were so unfair to me.”
This interview definitely lowered my opinion of Luann.
A quick google search showed me the dates. She made a scene at a party on July 3. The lawsuit made the news on July 12, and she said she learned about it in the press. So it is not true for her to blame her relapse on the lawsuit. It’s just a way to blame someone else. And I have to think for the Count and her kids to sue her, it was a last resort. Surely they tried to talk to her about it first. I can’t imagine they are enjoying the publicity of a lawsuit.
Did you not catch the date of the photo with Lu and the count?
That looks to me like a photo where she is happy with him and not expecting to be sued by him, and she specifically told Megyn Kelly she found out about the suit from the press–making it sound like being blind-sided by a lawsuit is what caused her relapse. She did NOT say her ex-husband’s visit instigated her relapse; on the contrary, she bragged regarding that photo about how well they got on.
Love Luann….but can’t help but feel the news about the kids & Count suing her and the reunion came about at the same time – it seems going back in to rehab was the best escape.
She’s so uppity and clueless sometimes but I love her.
She’s in a tough position. First, she doesn’t have an allergy to alcohol and it’s childish to claim so like she did in this interview. But when you don’t want to admit you are an alcoholic, there’s not much else to say.
AA teaches about it being an allergy and that because of this you must make the decision to stay away from alcohol. This is a big part of the program .. plus the 12 steps.
Oh I know that.
I also usually here I an alcoholic first. The allergy talk is usually saved for the rooms
She just doesn’t seem ready to say the “A” word. Which she might not be. That’s for her to answer.
I have a different view of this. I stopped drinking 5 years ago after I realised it was out of control. I did not go the AA route, I checked into an intensive psychiatric and mindfulness program woth world renowned experts. They taught that labelling oneself an alcoholic in perpetuity is demeaning and self sabotaging.
I know I have to avoid drugs and alcohol and have been 100% successful without declaring myself an alcoholic to all and sundry.
I do see that thousands of people can credit their sobriety to AA, so they must be doing something right, however labelling myself has always seemed an unhealthy choice for me personally. I guess what I am trying to say is that you can be in a good place without the need to flagellate yourself forever with an unhealthy title. Just my experience.
Why didn’t Megyn ask “Did you set up a trust for the children like you were supposed to as per your divorce settlement or did you transfer title of the Sag Harbor house to the children”?
WTF does she mean “I kept the Sag Harbor house because I love them”- total deflection!
She was so upset because she couldn’t spent the kids money on new tennis courts and gates, shut up Lu!
Do you think AC is pissed because he didn’t get this interview?
I was under the impression that LuAnne only went to rehab the first time because she had to and didn’t think she had a problem.She even stated that she wasn’t done drinking.
You are correct, I work with a lot of people in recovery and they always lead with their time sober.
Huh. I can drink a grown man under that table, but that’s impressive.
I thought what she said sounded pretty reasonable. I don’t get seeing one take on a situation like this and making it the gospel.
The ONLY reason she went to rehab the first time is because her attorney advised her to. That is what all celebs do when they get busted. They have to prove to the judge they have made positive changes in their lifestyle. I am sure sure was drinking behind closed doors shortly after she left. She really has no story line anymore but being a drunk. Really none of them do. I have only watched bits and pieces this year. Not enough to hold my interest for more than a hot minute.
I’m in recovery-almost 26 yrs. That’s what almost everybody does. They either go to a 21/28 day program or IOP. Hitting up one of those programs after a DUI or getting busted is smart and is not relegated to celebrities. That thinking is about 20 yrs out-dated.
It’s sad that you’re speculating on here that LuAnne was drinking behind closed doors after she left. You aren’t privy to any inside info and barely even watch the show. Your comments make you sound incredibly judgmental.
“Almost Everyone” … Id beg to differ with you on that one. Almost everyone goes into rehab after a drunken arrest. NOT. Just to put you in the loop from 26 years ago… Rehab is very expensive and most private insurances do not cover it. The average person can not afford a rehab stint. I am very familiar with the rehab process, and no, that is not what “Almost Everyone” enters after being arrest for drugs or alcohol. The ordinary person just takes what the judge hands down to them because a “Rehab” is not an option unless you have 30k of disposable cash.
What did you idiots want? Her to throw her children under the bus for being in the lawsuit too? I’m sure she’s trying to repair that relationship. Don’t drag someone down when they are trying to build their life back up. At least she’s making an effort.
& Megyn Kelly is a terrible interviewer.
Lu sounded very materialist like what grand things she was going to buy not like someone trying to change her priorities and really work on herself. It all seemed like smoke and mirrors.
We didn’t want her to” throw her children under the bus.” It would have been nice if she had thought of them instead of going on about tennis courts and grand pianos and gates.
Thank you! As a longtime fan of Luann, I found myself disgusted by her interview this morning. Cavalierly bemoaning the loss of her grand new estate for the sake of her kids was a joke! She glossed over the truth to make herself look better, but it didn’t work. Laughing at inappropriate things/times wasn’t a good look either. She was so scattered, I fear for her mental stability. As Tamara said, she didn’t appear comfortable in her own skin!
Idiots???
Yeah I didn’t like that too much either.
I love Luanne but I am surprised that at 2 times in rehab she hasn’t learned that there will ALWAYS be a reason to drink….yes, I agree hers was pretty big but again there it is….but good for her talking about it…2 steps forward one step back is still making progress….and yeah Mikey…I don’t like Megyn Kelly much either…
And many reasons NOT to drink. I say this: if you want your current problems to be 1000x worse in an instant, take a drink (those who have a problem).
BAM, great way to put it, Warrior. There are so many wonderful reasons not to take that first drink once you are clean.
I know she will do it at some point. She is, and always will be, in my eyes the Countess who could. There is NO shame in falling, only in giving up.
????For LuAnn. She has truly made progress, but she has a lot to learn along her journey. Why is everybody ganging up on someone so new to recovery? I can guarantee if she works the program, a year from now her interviews will be way different- and 2 years from now again her interviews will show amazing growth and self awareness. So she made poor choices and missteps and is still making some excuses, what do you people expect to happen in a short period of time? I hope it sticks and I look forward to the best LuAnn to come!
Right Carol. She’s not going to make any major changes in just a few weeks or even months. I always think about what her manager or PR team tells her. Isn’t she romantically involved with her manager?? Do they really care about her well being? What about the execs at Bravo? Well, we know they just want the ratings at any expense. I love the housewives franchise and always liked Lu. It seems like she’s dealing with so many issues and doesn’t know what to do but everyone is telling her do this not that, do this interview or start a cabaret act and make light of this situation. Plus, why do an interview with MK? The interview of MK with Erika, Kyle and Lvp was terrible! Guess they couldn’t find anyone better.
I wonder what Lu got as a settlement in the divorce? She had to sell the NYC townhouse, which I thought was odd considering it was Lu’s and the kids main residence. So did all she get as a divorce settlement was half of the original Hamptons house? If so, that’s pretty crappy and she should of owned that house outright. I bet she thinks so too.
They never owned the townhouse. It was always a rental.
She got the Hamptons home free and clear and sold it for close to ten million. At the time of the divorce, The Wall Street Journal estimated the Count’s net worth at $100 million.
She did not get the house free and clear. It was split between her and the children. Half the money from the $8 million sale, $4 million was supposed to go into a trust for the two children as per the divorce decree. She did not do that. She spent $3 mil on a smaller home which she massively renovated. It’s worth about $4 million now. I predict the children’s names will be on the deed as sole owners very soon.
Wasn’t the sale of the first Hamptons home the point of contention? With that sale half of the profit should of been put in trust for the kids and it wasn’t done.
I heard the Manhattan townhouse was rented.
I think the comments on this page are correct. TT commentators are not fools. What I especially liked was TT’s Freudian Slip: ” She says she wanted to chance her life”. So funny, I did a little pee.
Luann will always be the star. At some point The Count realized she was pulling another Tom by buying an over the top estate. She is still close with her children and I totally understand why she opted out of the Reunion. At some point Slurinda needs to listen to the tapes and realize she was putting her spin on a fairly innocuous comment, “how is the Margarita?”. How that translated into a Slurinda’s meltdown is on her not Luann.
I get why Luann decided to go big or go home with her binge and now she has her own reality which is not drinking. Bravo to Luann for going to outside media to explain her lapse and the situation regarding her children.
I feel bad Luann had to enter into a divorce settlement that left half her assets to the children. WHat did The Count do for the kids?
Valley,
From what I understand the settlement agreement to be was Lu got half and the children got the other half in trust from the original hamptons house , so she did get her half.
Lu said to Dorinda “how’s the margarita.” Dorinda said fine trying to easedrop on Bethenny/Carole. Lu then said LAUGHING “she’s turning.” Since Lu has no storyline and wants to deflect from her own mess, she is projecting on Dorinda on the guise of being helpful and concerned. Look, I know Dorinda has problems but a skanky thing for Lu to do to a good friend. You will see tomorrow night when Lu continues her crusade to help Dorinda ON CAMERA.
I felt Lu was trying to make conversation re drink too. Dorinda doth protest too much.
I love Lu, but looks like the Count was there on the 4th, when she posted how much he adores her, and he got the info that he then sued for with the kids. Great she’s wanting to stay sober, and I wish her the best. Dorinda is wrong and definitely says what she really thinks when she’s trashed. Hard for a friendship to get through those nasty comments she makes. I think everyone is going to be a lot sunnier and friendlier next season. Ramona has basically said that and Lu sounds like she will reconcile with Dorinda. I think perhaps feedback was viewers thought there was too much bad blood with everyone.
And what is the ridiculous thing about no one being allowed to mention Dennis like it never happened and like he was never on the show. It’s bizarre.
Lu needs to apologize too. You don’t embarrass a real friend on camera that way when Dorinda was just sitting there.
I read that Lu’s manager…boyfriend….broke it off before she left for rehab. He is still her manager.
I have no idea if Luann did the right thing or wrong thing. Did she try and sell the house without the four mil for the kids? Probably but pretty sad that the Count only wants to gift his 2x kids 2 mil each of his estimated 50 mil worth. So being married to him for what 18 years, raising his 2 kids etc etc I got the impression she didn’t really like the overseas life on that behind the housewife special where she discussed the car accident that proudly affected her. DOn’t get me wrong, and agreement is an agreement is an agreement. $4mil to most of the world’s population is HUGE and I guess being worth 46 mil doesn’t sound as good as being worth 50 mil??? He did cheat on her right?
I stand corrected by the comment above.. 100mil. Yeah, sux to only have 96 I guess.
whoops *profoundly not proudly.
It amazes me that you guys believe those sites that claim to know everyone’s “net worth.” Like totally boggles my mind.
They always show Carole as having twice as much money as Bethenny. Bethenny sold Skinny Girl for $100 million and kept the brand name. She hasn’t stopped working since that sale. Whatever Carole had, and I don’t think it’s as much as those sites say, she’s barely worked since her marriage. I know she wrote those 2 books but she had to complete both under duress from her publisher.
Carole in her first book related that she and her husband had Sotheby’s or Christie’s sell a rocker President Kennedy used and was given to Anthony to pay for the renovations on their co-op. It was sold when Caroline Kennedy was also auctioning off items belonging to her mother. Carole and her husband cleared about $500,000 which is about $750,000 in todays dollars.
Carole also stated on the very first reunion that she would like to know where all this “Kennedy wealth” that she supposedly was left is hiding or something similar. She supposedly got a high six figure advance for What Remains and the book was a bestseller, but she is not Danielle Steele or John Grisham. She probably did well when she sold the apartment she lived in while married and bought her current place. Her late husband was left income from a
$500,000 trust fund set up by Jackie Kennedy and I believe was entitled to the $500,000 at some point thereafter.
So if there was any inheritance from Anthony Radziwill it would be the trust fund, the apartment, and any other money he had saved. His father the prince, was broke when he died. The books written on Lee Radziwill note that by the time Anthony Radziwill died, Lee’s money belonged to third husband, Herbert Ross. When they divorced after Anthony’s death, Lee supposed did very well in that divorce settlement. Again that was not money coming to Carole.
What I do think is that The Count is not poor.
The preview of the Reunion clearly shows what many have been saying: Carole formed an alliance with others to all go after Bethenny!!!
She walks in saying “The dream team!!” and then quietly tells Dorinda and Ramona “I got your back. I got your back.”
That smug princess was so confident that numbers were on her side; that multiple people against one would win. Nope. Not when that one is Bethenny. She can hold her own!!
How delusional for Carole to expect to dethrone the queen. And did she think SHE would then be the queen? She doesn’t yet seem to understand reality tv and reality tv starts. Bethenny’s skill set in this realm is supreme.
It’s not a journalism competition. It’s a battle of wits and as good as Dorinda is, B is better! (and Carole is smart but not witty, so call her witless. Ramona is a dimwit which somehow keeps her floating above the turmoils year after year.)
Am I the only person who thinks Lu went to rehab the 2nd time to escape the reunion? I think that’s exactly what she did. Y’all have convinced me that she completely runs from responsibility and that’s why she didn’t attend the reunion this year or admit last year that she and Tom were divorcing.
This was very uncomfortable for me to read. I love Luann and want her to win. The situation with her kids and the Count suing her. Omg I couldn’t imagine how hurt I would be, but she needs to be accountable. I’m still a bit unclear on that situation. I’m gonna re read your original story.
It does sound like she’s taking REAL steps towards getting better, and that’s all you can really do.
How hurt would you be if your mother spent the money your dad made arrangements for you to have?
The Hamptons house was split 50’50. In the divorce Lu got her half, and the Count gave HIS half to the kids.
Lu was supposed to put the kids’ share in trust for them when she sold the Hamptons house. We don’t know the facts yet, but there’s no trust. It’s possible Lu spent their money. and if that’s the case, she will have to give it back.
I was a fan of Lu until this — what kind of mother fails to put her kids money away for them like she knew she was supposed to?