Plus, Morgan dishes on all the 'Housewives' drama as the season comes to a close.
Sonja Morgan’s Big Apple home has practically been a character of its own this season on The Real Housewives of New York City. Castmate Luann de Lesseps stayed in it with Morgan for several episodes, and viewers delighted watching the two read about themselves in the New York Post after a night of partying.
Now, only ET takes you inside Morgan Manor! The ‘straw that stirs the drink’ herself showed us her stunning 4,500-square-foot home exclusively. It features five bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms and an outdoor garden. “[Outdoor space] is what I really need,” she says. “Living in New York and spending a lot of time here since my divorce, that's been a godsend.” (Morgan’s ex is John Adams Morgan, whose family is behind J.P. Morgan Chase. The two split in 2006 before Morgan joined the show.)
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Morgan herself sleeps on the third floor, and the entire level is a master suite. She keeps her pricey Birkin bags locked in closets for safety; though tells ET some of the most costly items in her home are her shoes, which cost “anywhere from $10-12,000.” Morgan says viewers haven’t even seen her priciest pieces on TV! “I don't wear lavish clothing on the show because I don't want to destroy my good things,” she says. “I've had Christian Dior shawls that I just put down for a second on the bar and then a housewife comes over and puts their purse on top of it! … Things go missing too. We have kleptomania on the show.”
One line of clothing she does wear for the cameras: her own Sonja Morgan New York, but according to Morgan those items get nabbed by house guests too! Morgan says de Lesseps has one of her red jumpsuits right now. Guests (including de Lesseps) stay on the fifth floor. Though, no need to lug bags up all the stairs: there’s a hidden elevator! The Tipsy Girl Prosecco entrepreneur has plenty of space for her beloved interns to stay too, and her daughter, Quincy, has friends over for sleepovers. It’s a lot to maintain – so would she ever sell the manor?
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“It's the best zip code in the universe,” she says. “So why would I sell right now with the markets the way it is? … But with my daughter away I'd really like to have less. A duplex with a garden would be manageable. … I'm very emotionally attached to the history I have here because I decorated everything myself and my daughter was born here. … So, it's a big decision at this age and a lot of moms go through this when kids go off to school. Do you want to scale down? It's hard. It's really hard.”
There are years of memories in the house, and it’s been filmed in plenty. One issue that came up on camera while de Lesseps was living there was how much the ladies partied. “Oh god, every night was crazy,” Morgan says. “With Luann, I can't keep up!” Morgan’s drinking became a hot topic on Housewives this season, with some of the other women saying her drinking was out of control and excluding her from girls’ trips as a result. Morgan laid off the alcohol and mended friendships, but tells ET the chatter was hurtful – especially when it came from Dorinda Medley and Ramona Singer.
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“I'm very hurt by Ramona, when I saw the filming after the fact,” she says. “I go back and watch the show, what they were saying when I wasn't with them, and Ramona was not supportive.”
Morgan also clarifies: “I was never 'sober' -- I just stopped partying! I gave up hard alcohol and partying. I didn't touch a drop of liquor for, probably, eight or nine months, but I'd have a cognac or a glass of red wine on a date. But that's not partying, and I'm certainly not touching a drop around [the housewives] or in public … because you can't have anything for them to talk about.”
It’s been a season of drama, lauded by many fans as one of the best Real Housewives of New York seasons ever, and it concludes Wednesday night with the finale of the three-part reunion special on Bravo.
ET also got exclusive tours of Singer and de Lesseps' homes in the Hamptons! Watch the video below to see inside, and tune into the Real Housewives of New York City reunion, part III, on Bravo Sept. 14.