‘RHOC’: Emily Simpson Talks About Season 15 Cast After Tamra Judge, Vicki Gunvalson Exit
Emily Simpson will be back to The Real Housewives of Orange County when season 15 returns to Bravo. The reality star is heading into her third season on the series along with Shannon Beador, Gina Kirschenheiter, Braunwyn Windham-Burke, and Kelly Dodd. Simpson will not be sharing the screen with Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson after they announced her exit. After a fan asked her about the cast for the new season, Simpson spilled the tea.
During the quarantine due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Simpson answered fan questions on Instagram. One of her followers asked if she was filming RHOC and if she was happy with the season 15 cast.
“I think this year’s cast is amazing because you have 6 diverse and completely different women with real relationships and histories with one another,” she answered.
When another fan asked about her relationship with Beador she advised to “stay tuned” to see what happens.
Vicki Gunvalson quits
It was at the end of January of this year that Gunvalson announced she was leaving RHOC after 14 years. The news didn’t come as a surprise to fans as she had already been downgraded to a “friend of” in season 14, demoted from a full-fledged Housewife.
“I will always be the OG of the OC, but it’s time to say goodbye to The Real Housewives of Orange County,” Gunvalson wrote on Instagram. “It’s been an incredible ride for 14 years and I want [to] thank all of you for your support, for your love and for ‘whooping it up’ with me along the way.”
At the time of her post, Gunvalson teased her followers that she was releasing her podcast soon.
“I’ve been working on new projects that will be exciting, empowering and inspirational,” she continued. “My podcast with Westwood One will be launching soon and I will have much more to say about this on Whoop it up with Vicki. I hope you will join me on my new journey, so please stay tuned. I love all my fans, and I want to thank Bravo and Evolution for this incredible experience which my family and I have will never forget.”
Vicki Gunvalson feuds with Shannon Beador
Simpson was not a big fan of Gunvalson or Beador last season and season 15 might see the former and the latter reconcile. However, now it’s Gunvalson that has seemed to distance herself from Beador. This occurred after Beador shared a photo with Dodd, who is Gunvalson’s nemesis.
“There is a lot going on in the world right now, as you all know,” Gunvalson told The Hollywood Gossip. “We have people dying of coronavirus, the stock market crashing, and me worrying about my insurance business at a critical point in this country.”
After Beador posted the pic, fans noted that Gunvalson had unfollowed her from social media.
“Worrying about whether Shannon Beador is mad if I unfollowed her or not is not even something on my radar,” the former RHOC star added. “There are more important things going on in the world than worrying about her or any of my other former costars.”
Is Tamra Judge returning?
Although Judge also quit RHOC and walked away from making an appearance in season 15, there are rumors she is in talks to return. This time she would have a bigger role, instead of the handful of episodes she was offered initially.
“Tamra is working out a deal that would bring her back for more than three episodes for between $20-25,000 each,” a source told Radar Online. “She didn’t like just being on three episodes. She was being phased out and she knew it and wanted to control the narrative.”
Judge has been allegedly talking to Andy Cohen to work things out.
“Tamra and Andy have been in communication non-stop since she announced she wasn’t coming back,” the source added. “He has been lobbying for her to come back.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County is expected to return later this year on Bravo.
