The Real Friends of WeHo

The Real Friends of WeHo is an American reality television series that premiered on January 20, 2023, on MTV.[1]

The Real Friends of WeHo
GenreReality television
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Camilo Valdes
  • Glen Gottlieb
  • Glenda Hersh
  • Jessica Zalkind
  • Julie "Bob" Lombardi
  • Kenny Loeliger-Myers
  • Lauren Eskelin
  • Michelle Schiefen
  • Steven Weinstock
  • Todd Radnitz
Production companyTruly Original
Release
Original networkMTV
Original releaseJanuary 20, 2023 (2023-01-20) –
present (present)

Background

A small teaser of the series was released by MTV, on January 5, 2023, showcasing six costars living in West Hollywood, California.[2] The series features Brad Goreski, a current judge from Canada's Drag Race; Todrick Hall, a choreographer and internet personality; Dorion Renaud, founder and current CEO of Buttah Skin; Curtis Hamilton, known from television series Insecure; Joey Zauzig, a social media influencer; and Jaymes Vaughan, a television host.[3][4][5]

Cast

Episodes
No.TitleOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Six Degrees of West Hollywood"January 20, 2023 (2023-01-20)0.186[6]
2"Thank You for Being a Friend"January 27, 2023 (2023-01-27)0.169[7]
3"Wigging Out"February 3, 2023 (2023-02-03)0.150[8]
4"Palm Springs Shade"February 10, 2023 (2023-02-10)0.130[9]
5"Family Matters"February 17, 2023 (2023-02-17)0.189[10]
6"He Said, He Said"February 24, 2023 (2023-02-24)0.185[11]

Reception

The reception of the show following the release of the first episode has been overwhelmingly negative.[12]

The show has been criticized for its stereotypical and unrealistic representation of the gay community. Critic Coleman Spide of The Daily Beast called the show "a colossal gay nightmare" and described it as a "sad amalgamation of six arrogant gay men who would rather spend time talking about themselves than try to make good TV."[13] Lawrence Yee of TheWrap called The Real Friends of Weho a "show we don't need about people we don't need to see more of" and pointed out its lack of diversity.[14] While ensuring "equal parity between white and Black castmates," Yee notes "there's nary a Latin or Asian person (...) or trans person."[14]

Further criticism of the series came from the viewers of RuPaul's Drag Race who argued that the recent season's runtime had been shortened from "60 minutes to 40 (without ads) in order to make room" for the reality series.[15]

Shortly after the show began airing, cast mate Dorion Renaud was critical of the series in an interview. "They promoted the show as 6 gay men living in West Hollywood who are friends, first I don't live in West Hollywood, I live in the valley, I love the valley. I never go to West Hollywood, I'm not in that scene. Aside from Curtis I wasn't friends with any of the cast. I also have never confirmed or talked about my sexuality. I felt betrayed because they have me identifying as something I'm not. I'm Dorion Renaud." Renaud claimed he was told that the series would be a reboot of The A-List: New York titled The A-List: LA, and that it would be a Paramount+ exclusive which would focus primarily on his business. Renaud said that he would not have agreed to appear on the show had he known it would be on MTV.[16]

References
  1. Tinoco, Armando (January 5, 2023). "'The Real Friends Of WeHo': MTV Sets Premiere Date For Show Starring Brad Goreski & Todrick Hall". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  2. Perkins, Njera (January 13, 2023). "MTV's New "The Real Friends of WeHo" Trailer Promises It'll Be a "F*cking Crazy Ride"". PopSugar. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  3. Manfredi, Lucas (January 5, 2023). "'The Real Friends of WeHo' Follows Brad Goreski and Todrick Hall in an Unfiltered Look at West Hollywood Life". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  4. Rude, Mey (January 5, 2023). "Meet the Cast of MTV's New Gay Reality Show 'The Real Friends of WeHo'". Out. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  5. Lavietes, Matt (5 January 2023). "'Real Housewives,' but make it gay(er): MTV introduces 'Real Friends of WeHo'". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  6. Metcalf, Mitch (January 23, 2023). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 1.20.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  7. Salem, Mitch (January 31, 2023). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 1.27.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  8. Salem, Mitch (February 3, 2023). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 2.03.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  9. Salem, Mitch (February 10, 2023). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 2.10.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  10. Salem, Mitch (February 10, 2023). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 2.17.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  11. Salem, Mitch (February 27, 2023). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 2.24.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  12. Stillman, Andrew J. (2023-01-19). "'The Real Friends of WeHo' Respond to All the Negative Backlash". www.out.com. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  13. Spilde, Coleman (2023-01-19). "'The Real Friends of WeHo' Is a Colossal, Gay Nightmare". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  14. Yee, Lawrence (2023-01-20). "Real Friends of Weho Review: A Show We Don't Need About People We Don't Need to See More Of". TheWrap. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  15. Damshenas, Sam (January 20, 2023). "The Real Friends of WeHo cast respond to Drag Race runtime backlash". Gay Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  16. Walker (2023-01-27). "Exclusive: The Real 'Fake' Friends of WeHo, Dorión Renaud Spills About the Show, and What's Next for Buttah". Love B Scott. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
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