‘I don’t recall shots or kissing’: Hugh Grant responds after ‘Real Housewives of New York’ star claims they ‘heavily’ made out years ago

In perhaps the most bizarre celebrity crossover Hollywood has ever seen, Hugh Grant has addressed claims that he once made out with a star of The Real Housewives of New York.

Luann de Lesseps — who was a castmate on the reality TV series for thirteen seasons — recalled an alleged romantic interaction she had with the British heartthrob in a recent interview with Too Fab. According to de Lesseps, known simply as ‘The Countess’ among fans, the meet-cute occurred when, years ago, she decided to dine at a Hamptons restaurant called Pierre’s, after hearing from a friend that Grant was there. 

“I called [the restaurant] and said, ‘Get the table right next to Hugh Grant,’” de Lesseps recalled, “I said, ‘Let’s go.'” Once at the restaurant, de Lesseps initiated what she called a “flirting 101” ploy that involved her ‘accidently’ bumping into Grant while pushing out her chair (you know, classic romcom stuff). Feigning regret, de Lesseps said she then apologized to the Notting Hill star and offered to buy him a shot as compensation. 

“I go, ‘I’m so sorry, can I buy you a shot? I feel terrible,'” the reality star claimed. “He goes, ‘Okay, but I’ll come have a shot with you if you do one with me.'” By de Lesseps’ account, the manufactured meet-cute actually worked, and the night progressed to the point where the pair were “taking shots and making out … heavily at the table,” she claimed. Just hours after airing the details of the supposed story, Grant responded… though he recalls the tale a little differently. 

In a post shared on X, the Heretic actor admitted that he does “remember meeting a charming RHNY in a restaurant,” but took time to stress that the encounter “was about 15 years ago.” Since it happened so long ago, Grant’s memory of the interaction is understandably hazy, but he did say that he does not “recall shots or kissing.” While that dashes our hopes of a strange new power couple, Grant did leave the door somewhat open in terms of the validity of de Lesseps’ account, saying “her memory might be better than mine.” 

Grant choosing not to outright deny the interaction gives us hope that perhaps something titillating happened between the pair, but Grant isn’t the only A-lister that de Lesseps’ sought to get frisky with. In the same Too Fab interview, the RHONY castmate revealed that she was once hell-bent on having a romantic encounter with Gerard Butler, and almost had the chance when the pair shared an elevator many years ago. However, as de Lesseps recalled, Butler was in a relationship at the time, so her mission could not be completed (there’s still time, girl!). 

Interestingly, the broader Housewives and Bravo universe is filled with castmates who have likewise claimed to be involved with major A-listers. Vanderpump Rules’ Jax Taylor previously claimed he’d slept with Lindsay Lohan (though she shot down the rumor), while Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Brandi Glanville once dated both Butler and Ben Stiller. Elsewhere, Teddi Mellencamp, also of RHOBH, said she slept with Matt Damon, and de Lesseps’ RHONY co-star Carole Radziwill was once linked to George Clooney.

The reality TV stan in me hopes that one day all those names will make cameos on The Real Housewives franchise, and sit in awe like the rest of us as they inevitably throw wine glasses at each other. Talk about an Oscar-worthy performance!