The Real Reason Sonja Morgan Got Divorced

Resident "Real Housewives of New York" funny woman Sonja Morgan has kept fans entertained since she joined the franchise in Season 3. The "Sonja by Sonja Morgan" fashion entrepreneur and self-described "modern Lucille Ball" has tried her hand at burlesque, toaster ovens, and now, OnlyFans. Yet the socialite has shared plenty of her less-than-cheery moments on screen, notably her painful divorce from her ex-husband and J.P. Morgan heir, John Adams Morgan. 

Fans everywhere know how much Sonja enjoys a handsome fellow, and her love of love even led to a brief turn on reality dating series "Millionaire Matchmaker." While Sonja has dated her fair share of international businessmen, actors, and royalty, as reported by Bravo, she famously still reminisces about her marriage to John. So why did the former model get divorced from the love of her life? Keep scrolling to find out what ended their eight-year union, and why Sonja is still so passionate about keeping those vintage Morgan letters pristine! 

Always a class act, Sonja Morgan has never spoken poorly of her ex-husband and father of her daughter, Quincy. Sonja met John Adams Morgan in 1998 while hostessing at the famous Madison Avenue hotspot, San Pietro. Per Distractify, John was married three times before proposing to Sonja. After their 2006 divorce, Olympic medalist John — who is related to former Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams — remarried in 2010. 

Her RHONY castmates have previously pushed Sonja to admit why they split. A famed fight with costar Dorinda Medley led to implications of Sonja's infidelity or an open marriage agreement, similar to fellow Housewife Luann De Lesseps. However, fans have speculated on Reddit that Sonja wasn't there for her husband following an accident, and she opted to travel the South of France and socialize as opposed to being by his bedside. 

Regardless, Sonja has always maintained that her ex was a great husband and father to their daughter. In a 2019 interview with The Daily Beast, Songa promised there was nothing exciting about her split. "My breakup was pretty boring. We were in love and then we broke up. There was no drama," she stated. "We still love each other and it was painful for both of us." Sonja did clarify on-camera that she was the one who ultimately left her husband. While she may no longer have the yacht parties or private jets, Sonja Morgan is just as happy on her own. 

In Season 11 of "Real Housewives of New York," Sonja Morgan famously flipped out over her costars touching antique Morgan family letters from her former in-laws...you know, like 100 years before she actually married into the family! Sonja confided in Bravo's The Daily Dish about why she specifically got emotional during the trip to the Berkshires Museum. "I think going to the Morgan house upstate was a good release for me to say, 'OK, my house in New York was a lot of responsibility. I have a lot of family antiques I have to care for, for my daughter,'" Sonja explained. "But when I drank that night with the girls, I let it go."

Per Daily Mail UK, the episode followed the cast members visiting "Ventfort Hall Mansion in Lenox, Massachusetts that was built in the 1890s for George and Sarah Morgan, sister of banking giant J.P. Morgan." Sonja's anxiety around the notes stemmed from her fears of the historical documents not surviving over the years. "If every person that comes in for the next 50 years or 100 years or 200 years touches those letters with the acid on your skin, they're not gonna make it," Sonja stated. "They should be under Plexi, like the Guggenheim Bible. I'm sorry, that's how I feel." 

It's obvious even after her divorce, Sonja still thinks of herself as part of the Morgan legacy.

Sonja Morgan isn't apologizing for her eccentric party girl status. The single mother stands by her portrayal on "RHONY," especially when it comes to her former in-laws. "As long as I help raise millions of dollars for the family charity — and I am family — it's all appropriate," Sonja said on "Watch What Happens Live." She added, "I've always been a girl to dance on tables...They know who I am." 

Sonja has also worked hard to keep daughter Quincy Morgan out of the "RHONY" spotlight. Sonja gushed to Bravo's The Daily Dish about the Ivy League grad. "The finance side, she definitely got from [her father]. She is a math wizard. She got that from the J.P. Morgan side...but she got the humility from the John Adams side, you know, from John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and I like to think my side of the family has humility and religion," Sonja stated in 2016. Sonja seemingly relies on her in-laws' family name in comparing her daughter to the American royalty lineage. 

As Sonja's past costar Carole Radziwill hinted in a The Daily Dish post, it is rumored that both Sonja and husband John were unfaithful ahead of their divorce. "Their eyes, once gazed longingly at each other, start to wander. Their marriage is marked by infidelities on both sides until one files for divorce," Carole noted. Affairs or not, it's clear Sonja and John's marriage had an expiration date.

Sonja Morgan may be single and ready to mingle, but that doesn't mean she's totally carefree. The entrepreneur has a new look and plenty of new men, yet she sometimes regrets divorcing her husband. "I lost my best friend and a wonderful marriage. Is he dead? No. But for all intents and purposes, for me, he's gone," Sonja said in the Season 12 of "Real Housewives of New York." She continued, "I had to make a choice for my daughter and I feel so bad. Maybe I should have stayed with him and made sure she had everything she needed and got more time with me."

According to People, Sonja sought out a "healer" to cleanse the energy of her old townhouse during the COVID-19 quarantine. "Did I make the right decision?" Sonja questioned in the episode, before admitting she can't be vulnerable about her past regrets over her divorce. "I couldn't even call my mom with things like this, or my daughter. I don't like to dump anything on my daughter." 

Sonja's ex-husband John Adams Morgan remarried for the fifth time in 2010 to Connie Adams Morgan. Now, we only hope Sonja similarly finds happiness in her next chapter.