Has RHOBH somehow become “too woke?”
One alum seems to think so … unless she’s just stirring the pot.
Camille Grammer loves to weigh in on current Housewives, even though it’s been years since she was one herself.
Acting as provocateur, Camille is asking fans if The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is “too woke.” Of course, she’s not explaining what she means … and keeps asking fans to define the word for her.
‘RHOBH’ is woke, according to Camilla Grammer, who also seems to think that this is a bad thing
Camille Grammer Meyer was a RHOBH star for the first couple of Seasons. Her role diminished to “Friend” for Seasons 3, 8, and 9. And she was a mere guest for Seasons 5, 6, 7, 10, and 13.
In that time, she went from being Kelsey Grammer’s (now-ex) wife to being a series villain. Albeit, a villain with a memorable, often-memed dance.
Sometimes, villainy doesn’t stop when the cameras stop rolling. Which is why, on Sunday, November 17, Camille tweeted about the upcoming season of RHOBH.
“Who’s excited for [the] upcoming season of #RHOBH?” Camille asked her fans and followers. “Second question. Does anyone thing that the franchise has become too woke?”
Complaints about “woke” and “DEI” have become alarmingly frequent in recent years. Often, they are euphemisms to thinly disguise outright bigotry. For example, internet trolls will complain about a show’s “woke cast” when they simply mean that an actor is Black.
It is possible that Camille was referring to an increase in women of color among the Real Housewives cast. However, someone voicing this complaint could be whining about LGBTQ+ Housewives, about inclusive discussions, or more. And Camille doesn’t seem willing to explain.
What does ‘woke’ mean to Camille Grammer?
Numerous replies asked Camille Grammer what she meant, exactly, by suggesting that RHOBH and other Real Housewives shows have become “too woke.”
She refused to define “woke,” repeatedly, asking commenters for their definitions. Camille also refused to explain how one could possibly be “too” woke.
Just for the record, woke is not a new term. It refers to an awareness of systemic inequalities, particularly in terms of racism, and a desire to amend the injustices in our society. Only in very recent years have right-wing grifters popularized the term as a derogatory one, but the actual meaning remains unchanged.
It’s unclear how someone could be “too” aware of systemic inequalities. Usually, claims that something is “too woke” are either misplaced or complaints about something else.
For example, if someone says that they’re “too woke” and think that certain subgenres of romantic fiction should be banned, they’re not being woke at all. Book bans and censorship of art, human sexuality, and human expression are the opposite of woke.
Sometimes, a show can feel like it’s doing too much hand-holding on sensitive topics, coming across as “preachy” in a way that feels inauthentic to some viewers. That’s not wokeness as a problem, per se. It could be that Camille Grammer is suggesting that RHOBH is giving off this vibe.
Wait, was this about Annemaire Wiley?
Earlier in 2024, Annemarie Wiley sounded the alarm when an artist drew a caricature of her. The Daily Beast reported on the art, which seemed to feature exaggerated features.
Annemarie Wiley felt that the caricature was racist. She expressed as much — on social media.
Was Camille talking about her when she asked if the show has “become too woke?” Probably not. But Annemarie chimed in anyway … with a nasty twist.
In her own reply, Annemarie Wiley referred to feeling “character assassinated and sabotaged with my edit and then fired.” Oh no! Why?
According to her, this was because of her “belief that biological males shouldn’t compete in women’s sports.”
If that line is confusing, transphobes often use “biological males” as a nonsensical label for transgender women. In this way, they pretend that they are not labeling trans women as “men.” Sometimes, people saying this sort of thing will loudly insist that they are not bigoted against transgender folks, which is a fascinating claim.
Can ‘RHOBH’ or any show about rich folks be ‘woke’ at all? Maybe
Economic injustice is definitely a form of systemic inequality. At the same time, rich people can educate themselves on racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and more.
Truth be told, most of the things that people label “too woke,” as a pejorative, are just common sense right-and-wrong topics. Discrimination and bigotry are bad. Sometimes it takes a little explaining if something’s outside of someone’s experience, but if a Real Housewives reuion can explain the toll of police violence and reach some people through the screen, that’s great. (Especially since fewer and fewer schools are allowed to teach on these topics)
We wouldn’t worry about RHOBH or any other show in the franchise becoming “too woke.” At the end of the day, these are shows about ill-behaved rich women being extremely messy and trying to monetize their fame.