The McCord van Kempens Want Gay Marriage

Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen are adamantly in favor of same-sex marriage, which will come up in the new season of Real Housewives of New York, particularly at a marital equality rally they appeared at along with other notables.

On the phone yesterday, the duo filled me in on their viewpoints.

Simon van Kempen: On a show like Real Housewives, we have a broad audience. We tend to stay away from issues because they're interested in us because we're crazy and wear red leather pants.

Alex McCord: They don't want us to be Sean Penn. But this is civil rights! This is a cause that we feel passionate about. The number one thing is it's not fair! My best friend from college shot a playdate with us on the show. I've been with him as his life was changed when got married in Vermont, and then again in Massachusetts when they moved there. One of the things that broke my heart is he'd gotten a dream job offer, but it was in a state he couldn't move to because his husband wouldn't have gotten health benefits and so on!

Simon: I came to the states almost 10 years ago for a three-week business trip. I met Alex. Fortunately for me, the Alex I met was Alexandra, not Alexander. I moved to the states and eventually got my U.S. citizenship. But if it was Alexander, our love would have been screwed. It's ridiculous that in 2011, there are people split up who can't live their lives because of the government!

Credit: The Village Voice (Michael Musto)

The McCord van Kempens At "Inbox Full" Party

Alex McCord and Simon Van Kempen of the Real Housewives of New York attended Cat Ommanney's 'Inbox Full' book party at Ted Gibson Salon on March 3, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Getty Images

The McCord Van Kempens: Bailey House Auction

Real Housewives of New York stars Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen attended the 23rd Annual Bailey House Auction at Lexington Avenue Armory on February 23, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images North America

The McCord van Kempens Talk Show Delay

Alex McCord and Simon Van Kempen deny that a lack of drama was the reason Bravo pushed back the start of the Real Housewives of New York’s fourth season from February to April. Instead, the couple say it was a matter of timing. “We were done filming when they made the decision,” Alex told us at the Bailey House auction last night. “We finished filming February 1, we were supposed to premiere February 15. Do the math: You can’t finish a show in two weeks in post.” The couple said that in past seasons the show always aired two to three months after filming wrapped, and the new season’s timeline will now follow suit. “With these shows, no one ever has [gotten] 100 percent through post when it starts, but you’ve got to be at least two-thirds of the way through, otherwise you can’t send screeners."

The couple went one step further in heading off the rumors that the season was bedeviled by a lack of drama, maintaining that this is the best season yet. Simon pointed out that with four of the housewives having been with the show for four seasons, “The relationships are that much deeper. And it also means they know where the buttons are, and those buttons, I think you’ll see, get pressed and pushed and prodded several times." Alex agreed: “Absolutely. I mean, the longer you do a show like that the more you get to know each other. We’ve all seen each other naked.”

Credit: New York Magazine (Bennett Marcus)

Alex & Simon: WTB Nikki Lund & Richie Sambora

Real Housewives of New York stars Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen attend the WTB By Nikki Lund & Richie Sambora Fall 2011 fashion show at Style360 during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on February 17, 2011 in New York City. Simon was wearing a SKULLebrities "Applehead" t-shirt ($30.00)

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Marc Stamas/Getty Images North America

McCord van Kempens: Cynthia Steffe Fall 2011

Simon van Kempen and Alex McCord of the Real Housewives of New York attended the Cynthia Steffe Fall 2011 fashion show with TRESemme during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Studio at Lincoln Center on February 13, 2011 in New York City. Also pictured, Reshma Shetty.

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images North America

Alex McCord: "We Go to the Brink of Insanity!"

The Real Housewives are about to get real ugly.

Real Housewives of New York City star Alex McCord says this season viewers will see some extreme craziness go down—even with Bethenny Frankel and Jill Zarin's fighting done—because all is not rosy between the seasoned Housewives and new castmember Cindy Barshop.

"Oh, it's not one epic fight, it is 100 fights," McCord told us. "We're comfortable enough with each other now that it's no holds barred. I did not know Cindy before. You'll have to see what happens with her and everyone."

And where does her husband, Simon, fit in to all of this?

Simon says he's still pressing buttons, annoying the other wives—including Barshop—and, as usual, tagging along with his wife for this season.

"On Cindy all I can say it's really hard to come into a mature cast that has been around each other for four years," he told us today at the Cynthia Steffe show at Lincoln Center. "It takes a while to work out how to avoid the drama."

Alex says one incident reaches such madness that "you can't make up what happens."

"People go all the way to the brink of insanity and back and there and back again," she told us.

Bravo honcho and Watch What Happens host Andy Cohen also weighed in on the Housewives rumors from the front row at the Diane Von Fürstenberg show today. He assures us rumors of the show being pushed back because of problems with a boring plot are not true.

"It's great, it's an amazing season, we just wrapped three weeks ago, we really wanted to get it perfect and we had Miami sitting on the shelf," he told E! News. "It's great, we all love it. Bethenny and Jill had their own drama. What's interesting about the premiere is the dust is still settling on that feud so it's interesting to see how these women are picking it back up."

Credit: Marianne Garvey for E! Online

The McCord van Kempens: Venexiana Fall 2011

Simon van Kempen and Alex McCord attend the Venexiana Fall 2011 presentation during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Studio at Lincoln Center on February 11, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images North America