Sonja Morgan Courtesy of Sonja Morgan/Instagram
The Real Housewives of New York City alum Sonja Morgan feels a “weight lifted off my shoulders” after selling her Manhattan townhouse.
“This cherished home has been the heart of memories for our family for decades,” Morgan, 60, said in a statement to Page Six on Thursday, May 30. “Now, as we move forward, it is time for someone else to build their own memories here, just as we did. I know now was the time for this beautiful townhouse on the Upper East Side to embark on its next chapter.”
She continued: “I’ll always be a New Yorker at heart, but to be able to travel with my Sonja In Your City Improv Comedy tour freely without having to rent out our home is a weight lifted off my shoulders. It facilitates my creativity towards my other important endeavors as well. Wherever I go I go. I’ve been a dedicated Mother providing stability and financial support at my daughter’s childhood home and now it’s time to do me like so many other empty nesters.”
The Upper East Side property — which fans caught glimpses of throughout Morgan’s time on RHONY — was put up for auction earlier this month, selling to the highest bidder for $4.45 million on Wednesday, May 29. Morgan subsequently shared a video of herself via Instagram that showed her packing her belongings.
The Real Housewives of New York City premiered in 2008, but not every Housewife has gone the distance. The season 1 cast of RHONY included Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Bethenny Frankel, Jill Zarin and Alex McCord. While Kelly Killoren Bensimon joined the cast during season 2, Sonja Morgan became a full-time cast member during […]
“Feeling lighter already,” she captioned the clip. “Protecting these beautiful chairs in storage. #freedom ✈️.”
Sonja and ex-husband John Morgan, who share daughter Quincy, 23, bought the 4,650-square-foot townhouse for $9.1 million in 1998.
The former couple eventually called it quits in 2006, and the divorce put Sonja in a difficult financial position. She previously tried to sell the home but struggled to find a buyer, listing for more than $7 million in 2015 and later attempting to rent the property for $32,000 per month.
The NYC home — which fans recently claimed was featured in the Joker: Folie à Deux trailer — includes five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a secret elevator, sauna and gym. Each bathroom and the dining room contain fireplaces.
“In addition to raising my daughter here, we entertained heads of state, royalty, luminaries and Fortune 500 CEOs,” Sonja said in an April statement, per the New York Post. “Many memories were made over the years, including hosting my daughter’s friends from boarding school and university, and so many noteworthy moments were filmed by NBC for Bravo and Peacock TV.”
Sonja concluded that she was “ready to share this turnkey, easy-to-manage jewel over to someone new to enjoy as we did.”
RHONY viewers were given a front-row seat to Sonja’s lengthy journey to selling her home, even seeing Luann de Lesseps temporarily move in with her friend on season 8 while searching for her own apartment.
“Cohabitation with the countess was very interesting,” Sonja told People in 2016. “We raided the wine cellar. We fell up the stairs, we fell down the stairs. … I put her in my daughter’s suite on the fourth floor. There were stuffed animals everywhere and a terrarium.”
