Ashley Iaconetti Hints at Upcoming Real Housewives of Rhode Island Reunion
For Ashley Iaconetti, the tension of rose ceremonies pales in comparison to the reunion taping of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.
“It’s fantastic television, let me tell you. It’s going to be amazing,” Ashley, 38, shared exclusively with Us Weekly on Friday, June 5. “Some really wild exchanges took place.”
Ahead of Andy Cohen bringing the cast together—including Alicia Carmody, Rosie DiMare, Liz McGraw, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Kelsey Swanson, and Jo-Ellen Tiberi—Ashley mentioned that most of the women were eager yet nervous for their first reunion experience.
“In the days leading up to it and on the day itself, I hadn’t felt that anxious in a long time,” Ashley recalled. “I could feel my throat tightening and my mouth drying out, just this palpable tension. It felt like we were all united in our nerves; we were all just so anxious.”
However, once the cameras started rolling, this dynamic group of women confidently tackled the season’s major storylines.
“Once we warmed up, everything changed,” Ashley teased. “I felt much more at ease once we got into it.”
Although the first season of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island is still airing, it may not surprise viewers which cast members ended up in heated exchanges during the reunion.
“The peak of the tension was definitely between Jo-Ellen and Rulla,” Ashley hinted. “There’s another duo that also had their fair share of disagreements, but I’ll leave it at that.”
Earlier this season, Jo-Ellen, 38, was presented with allegations that Rulla’s husband, Brian Pontarelli, had been unfaithful.
During the April 26 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Brian expressed his frustrations about revisiting past issues, saying, “I hate seeing the past resurface because that was a long time ago.”
“I was a different person back then,” he explained. “I’ve come to realize how incredible my wife is, and the only thing that matters to me now is my family.”
As viewers wait to see how things develop among the cast, Ashley worries that some relationships may have “irreconcilable differences.”
Ashley Iaconetti Haibon shared that transitioning between reality franchises isn’t always smooth. Ashley, 37, found herself in a challenging environment while filming Real Housewives of Rhode Island, especially due to the presence of stronger personalities.
If anyone can ease the tension, Ashley believes it could be the reunion host.
“Andy was fantastic. I appreciated having a mediator,” she noted. “It was helpful to have someone in the middle asking, ‘Would you like to speak with them?’ It added a level of formality, and he managed it all so well.”
The Real Housewives of Rhode Island airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on Bravo. Stream new episodes the following day on Peacock.
