Who Is RHONY's Newest Cast Member Racquel Chevremont?

Season 15 of The Real Housewives of New York City welcomes a new cast member, Racquel Chevremont. Racquel joins the previous season's cast, all of whom are returning to the Bravo reality TV show.

As a native New Yorker, Racquel brings her extensive modeling and art background with her to RHONY. As an influential and successful art collector and curator, Rachel is also a staunch advocate for women, artists, individuals of color, and the queer community.

Fans of RHONY are excited by the prospect of Racquel becoming a Housewife and how that can add to the intrigue and drama of the show. To learn more about the latest addition to the show, here's more about Racquel's life and career.

Racquel Chevremont Is A Former Model With A Lot Of Influence In The Art World

Racquel Chevremont started modeling during the early 1990s. She appeared in ad campaigns for noted skincare and cosmetics lines for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, L'Oréal, and Nivea. Racquel was also in advertisements for Fila and Benetton.

The transition from modeling to art collection and curation wasn't a big shift for Racquel. She told Document Journal in 2023:

"When I first began modeling, I prepared myself for the fact that my career wouldn’t last a lifetime; yet, oddly, it hasn’t actually come to an end. Over time, it’s evolved to entail being on both sides of the camera, and through that, having more control over the creative process and over my own image."

There are additional connections to Racquel. While modeling overseas, she visited numerous museums and, when she returned to New York, discovered her mother had an affinity and talent for art as well. As a result, Racquel was driven to support artists and collect art from individuals "who weren't considered part of the art world."

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In 2003, Racquel received an invitation that helped further develop her love of art:

"I was fortunate enough to be asked to join the acquisitions committees at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Guggenheim. After that, I took time to learn more about the art and nuance of collecting, and focused my collection around women and artists of color."

Racquel's passion continued to grow, as did her desire to back artists in their efforts.

Racquel Chevremont's Influence Goes Far Beyond The World Of Art

Racquel Chevremont and her former romantic partner Mickalene Thomas founded The Josie Club together to help queer women of color "acknowledge one another, wholly, without shame, censure, or criticism about who and how we love." Since 2019, The Josie Club has served as:

A Black Queer Femme and Woman supported and operated social impact group that organizes community around collaborative event productions. We produce spaces and atmospheres that are safe, welcoming, and luxurious.

In addition to The Josie Club, Racquel and Mickalene continue to work together to support other artists through Deux Femmes Noires, a platform designed to increase artist visibility. Rachel explained how Deux Femmes Noires took shape:

We came across a lot of artists who were having a tough time negotiating with galleries and companies, and that’s part of the business of art that they've never been taught really because that’s not what you learn when you go for your MFA.

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Racquel and Mickalene strive to focus on female artists, queer artists, and artists of color, but generally want to open opportunities to artists in need of support. For Racquel, this ties specifically to her path to queerness. She told GLAAD in July 2024,

"I’m what you’d call a later-in-life lesbian and when I first came out I lost a lot of people... I believe that because of my age and my accomplishments I didn’t care what anyone had to say, I didn’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone. I had spent my entire adult life in the fashion and art worlds so while my personal life might have suffered my professional life didn’t really skip a beat due to my queerness. I was lucky to be a part of two industries where queerness is embraced."

Racquel Chevremont Did Not Expect To Be Asked To Join RHONY

When she was invited to become a Housewife on RHONY, Racquel Chevremont had to catch up on the show since she wasn't much of a fan. After watching several episodes and discussing the decision with her family, Racquel and those close to her decided "it made sense."

Racquel was surprised that she was on the show's radar because, as she put it in an interview with GLAAD, "they already had a queer woman." She continued,

I wasn’t sure if they were going to want two queer women on a franchise that has historically been about married heterosexual women. I think it was a bold decision and honestly a more authentic representation of NYC.

Racquel was referring to the first openly queer Housewife on RHONY, Jenna Lyons. Jenna, a fashion designer and businesswoman, was only the second queer Housewife in the series.

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Racquel was excited by the prospect of bringing "more queer reality into the world" and applauded Bravo for allowing her to "share a glimpse into queer life in NYC" with viewers.

Season 15 of Real Housewives of New York premiers on Bravo on Tuesday, October 1, at 9 p.m. ET.