She’s the straw that stirs the drink – and she’s stirring up Nashville. When I heard Miss Sonja Morgan was in Nashville – I reached out to her to see if she could stop by and chat with me for Good Morning Nashville.
If you’re a Real Housewives franchise fan like me, you know Lady Morgan is ev-er-y-thing. She is one of the stars of the Real Housewives of New York, and she did not disappoint.
Sonja – with a sexy J – floated into WKRN studios with her assistant, named Jay, who she affectionately calls her ‘real sexy J,’ and we just had the best time. What I thought would be a quick, in-and-out 10 minute interview, turned into a half hour chat on camera and another hour just hanging out and soaking up all her Sonja-ness. We had coffee in the very un-glamorous breakroom at the station, we line-danced in the studio and she told me she is a southern girl at heart. I agree, this Manhattan-ite is just a southern belle waiting to break out.
Nikki: Tell me what you’re doing in Nashville!
Sonja Morgan: “I have family down here, it’s Thanksgiving and I couldn’t be in a better place right now. I will have Thanksgiving with the family. I’ll see my nephew tonight, as I said we will go to Hemingways. Friday night I have an appearance at Play the dance club with all the boys.”
NB: “You are an icon, to a lot of people, but especially at play, when you walk in it’s like the Queen of England is there!”
SM: “I will be wearing a tiara. I sell those on my website, SonjaMorganOnline.com.”
I have an affinity for the LGBTQ community, I grew up with them. Since my college days at FIT. I just want to make sure they are not homeless, not in the streets, being taken care of and nurturing their creative side and business side, whatever they dream to do.”
NB: “It’s clear it’s one of your passions, they just embrace you and love you, as most people do when they meet you.”
SM: “My charity is really to support children and animals and part of that is encompassed in the LGBTQ community.
NB: “Are you going to perform?”
SM: “I am going to sashay out in a blush sequin gown, I’ll have my tiara up and a gown.”
NB: “Any cabaret?”
SM: “I don’t have anything rehearsed. Very off the cuff. I’ll have a sing song performance in my head.”
SM: “My family down in Nashville, you know we are in the Bible belt, they’re like, you talk about sex a lot! And I’m like sex sells, I guess that’s why I’m popular!”
NB: “You’re candid and real and that’s why a lot of people love you.”
SM: “I think some of the moms say keep her away from my sons but I love her! They do hail Mary’s and they are OK!”
NB: “Are you single?”
SM: “I am dating now. my daughter is applying to college now, so I feel lighter. I do have something coming up on Season 11 that you will all be happy about, my living arrangements. I won’t say much more…So feeling real light, traveling.”
NB: “Any surprises on season 11?”
SM: “Each season has been so great. All my girls on the show, we do have our tiffs but we are all really good friends.”
NB: “I gotta say this past season, you were the best you’ve ever been. You were glowing, I couldn’t get enough of you and I feel like the viewers felt the same way. What was different this year about you?”
SM: “Well I went to Costa Rica and I started a really nice program, this vegan, and I say I am a hot dog-a-tarian, hamburger-a-tarian, whatever you want to call it, but it’s vegan based or vegetarian based to start. I know people are fanatic about it. It’s Sonja style! I pick and choose, but basically try to steer clear of meat and dairy and caffeine. Everything. but here I am in Smashville, living it up. I live in moderation!”
NB: “Skin care secrets you want to share with us?”
SM: “I always have a humidifier going. I take baths rather than showers, I use all the oils. I just believe in that. I like to use the oils and the spas.”
NB: “You have a big fan base in Nashville!”
SM: “I do! I can’t go to Walmarts without staying there for an hour! And now if you go to Woolworth’s you can still go to Woolworth’s here with the old coffee bar, I was telling Jay, he’s my assistant, he’s so young, he doesn’t know.”
NB: “You were an influencer before an influencer was a thing. Do you recognize that?”
SM: “I love to promote people! I love charity. My birthday s on the 25th. I am a Sagittarius. What are you?”
NB: “Gemini.”
SM: “I am a Gemini rising! no wonder you are on TV. You are a great communicator.”
SM: “My birthday I will be 55. I look great. Look at my skin. I feel so good! The boys I just have to beat them off with a stick. I’m like please! I just have to get my daughter off to college and then we can talk about it.”
NB: “Frenchie is out of the picture though right?”
SM: “Nope, Frenchie was here for the charity he is on the junior committee. He is going to be spending more time in NYC. We are not intimate we are just friends. We are just trying to see where we land with each other, but we care about each other a lot. There are other men who are courting me. It’s called courting when you are not dating. We are in Nashville! They are courting!”
NB: “Tell me more about your lifestyle brand.”
SM: “The lifestyle brand is so funny. I used to have a lifestyle, now I have a lifestyle brand. It’s so funny. I used to have 75 help and a yacht and a private island and properties combined with my ex husband, now I am just pairing myself down and focusing on my creative ventures. So I have my signature collection, which is $250 to $1200, it does very well online. But my other collection, is $25 to just under $200. And that is just flying off the internet! Really having fun with that. Wearing it. Squeezing myself into things that 25 to 40-year-olds wearing and I am 55. I wore it on WWHL and my appearances. I have my shoe collection that you probably heard about, with the deer motif, that I took from the the family ring. Just the deer.
This is the ring. Onward and upward. That’s the Morgan insignia. My daughter and I decided one of the shoes from the collection we would go with the deer. A lot of heritage brands have animals.”
“Leopard is your neutral! As is mine! We are sisters. Spirit animals. Soul sisters in Nashville. I love the shoes, but I have something up my sleeve, but as B would say don’t talk about it until it’s on the shelves. So it’s coming up this season. Something that will be unisex.”
NB: “What about the toaster oven can we buy the toaster oven?”
SM: “Not the toaster oven! It’s not time. Everyone saw on the show, Lady Morgan uses a toaster oven and so do I, I’m so related to this chick! She’ll take the brown spot off the tomato and so will I! She’s so fancy, well I am not. I will have a toaster oven eventually when I do appliances. But first I need to find a partner. I don’t know who that will be. But first and foremost I am an international fashion and lifestyle brand! But I had to start with fashion. But I am international. International in Nashville I like that. This one unisex product I am coming out with I think people will be very excited about and it’s definitely part of an international fashion and lifestyle brand. You can use it with your tiara no matter what sex you are.”
NB: “Any misconceptions about the show?”
SM: “No misconceptions. I mean it is what it is, it’s sliced and diced and it’s packaged nicely to entertain you. my daughter knows it’s pop culture and she’s happy and balanced and healthy and doing well in school. I am very happy to be a part of Bravo and NBC.”
NB: “What does Ramona smell like?”
SM: “She always smells good. She looks smoking. Unreal. She’s an inspiration to me. I always think of my mom. She is a young lady, my mom always says she was a child bride. But I don’t know that Ramona likes being compared to my mom, she’s a little bit older than me but a little bit younger than my mom. She has so much energy. My mom lives down here and she says I love Tennessee and I like to dance! She only dates guys 50 years and younger because she likes to go dancing. In New York we all dance until we are 90 years old.”
SM: “This season is going to be something else. Just when I think we can’t top last season, this season is just unreal. I just can’t believe it.”
NB: “Give us a tease or a nugget or something you think will surprise people.”
SM: “I’m very surprised how our friendships flip and change and how we change.”
NB: “What do you love most about Nashville?”
SM: “I love the people. the manners are just wonderful. I am more polite, I’m holding the door longer, I am just using all my… what is it, my P’s and Q’s.”
NB: “That’s a very sweet thing to say.”
SM: “I am so excited. They pack them in there, 300 people dancing. I love my parties. I love to play hard and work hard. I am going to blow off some steam here on Friday night for sure at play. It’s a great place, I’ve been dying to get down here to do that. Now it’s finally possible. And work off that Turkey Dinner. Well I have to work off that fried, what is it, chicken fried chicken? I have that everywhere I go! I had the fried green tomatoes, the okra and tomato at Pucketts, I love all the food down here. I feel good. If I have my tequila and soda, I feel fine! I’m clean I’m lean and I’m ready to go. So when they see me at Play come out in my blush gown, with my smoky eye and tiara, which you can get on my website, I am going to kill it. I am ready to be Smashvilled in Nashville!”
She told me about her lifestyle brand, SonjaMorganOnline.com, which is where you can buy her shoe line, jewelry and of course tiaras. Sonja says they are filming the next season of Real Housewives right now and she also has a big project in the works that we will hear about early next year. A girls trip to Nashville, possibly? 😉
Sonja will be appearing at PLAY in Nashville Friday night if you want to meet her!
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