A stinger for Singer! RHONY veteran Ramona Singer has been demoted on The Real Housewives of New York City for the upcoming seventh season, Us Weekly can exclusively reveal.

Singer, 57, has been a main cast member of RHONY since the premiere of the show's first season in March 2008. A source tells Us, however, that for the upcoming seventh season, Singer will be limited to a recurring role.

Her demotion follows a similar situation handed to former core castmember LuAnn de Lesseps, who became a recurring friend of RHONY for the show's sixth season. Other Real Housewives who have been demoted to recurring roles include The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Kathy Wakile, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Camille Grammer, and The Real Housewives of Orange County's Jeana Keough.

"Bravo is casting the show around Heather Thomson and Kristen Taekman and Carole Radziwill," the insider tells Us. "[When] Ramona carried the show, that is why ratings plummeted, they think." The source adds that Singer's soaring paycheck (totaling close to $600,000 per season) was also a factor in her demotion.

The move comes after a tumultuous year for Singer, who announced the end of her 22-year marriage to husband Mario Singer following his affair. Shortly before that revelation, a stone-faced Singer refused to discuss her marital woes with Andy Cohen during the season six reunion. (Mario's affairs and their subsequent brief reconciliation was not documented on the show.)

Us Weekly also learned this week that RHONY's Aviva Drescher, who appeared on the fifth and sixth seasons, has been fired from the Bravo program.

The second Housewives franchise to be launched, RHONY premiered with a lineup of Singer, de Lesseps, Jill Zarin, Alex McCord, and Bethenny Frankel. Singer was the last remaining cast member from the first season, with de Lesseps making appearances in recent episodes.