‘RHONY’ Star Luann de Lesseps Talks Past Sobriety, Reveals If Sonja Morgan Was Paid For Cabaret Appearance

Luann de Lesseps opened up about her sobriety and her drama with Real Housewives of New York City co-star Sonja Morgan during an appearance on the August 6 episode of Watch What Happens Live.

Following the latest episode of Season 12, Luann appeared on the “At Home” version of Andy Cohen’s late-night talk program, where she was questioned about potentially claiming to be sober solely for the series. Later on, another fan wrote in and asked if Sonja was ever financially compensated for her cameo role in Luann’s cabaret show, Countess and Friends.

“No, I had to be sober because I was on probation and if I had a drink, I could go to jail,” Luann explained.

As she further noted, the idea that she was not allowed to drink — and would face major consequences if she did — weighed on her heavily throughout her probation term.

“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through and when I got through to the other side, I really had the choice myself to decide if I wanted to drink or not,” Luann recalled.

As fans have seen throughout the first half of the currently airing season of RHONY, Luann ultimately decided to return to drinking after feeling that she was back in the driver’s seat and in a good place in his life. She also said that she was thankful that she got through her probation and could return to being in control of her own decisions.

Luann then fought back against rumors suggesting that Sonja was never actually paid for her appearance in Countess and Friends by revealing that when it comes to paying talent, that was always left to her director.

“Sonja has always been paid to be in my cabaret show but I have to tell you that from the very beginning, it was a very small show and I wasn’t making any money and I had a director who was paying the talent. I wasn’t really involved in that,” she noted.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, Luann also opened up about Sonja’s complaints regarding her proposed payment of $225 during an interview with Us Weekly last month. At the time, Luann said Sonja’s claims against her “couldn’t be further from the truth.” She also assured the outlet that she “always paid” her co-star.

Luann also noted that she has had plenty of guests in her production and was not going to pay Sonja more than the other people she’s had on.