‘RHOD’: Stephanie Hollman Said She’s ‘Surprised’ Brandi Redmond Returned Following Controversy
RHOD stars Stephanie Hollman and Brandi Redmond had a strong friendship before joining the show. Therefore, Hollman heavily supported her friend when she went through a racism scandal last year. Knowing the tough time the former cheerleader experienced, Hollman admitted Redmond’s decision to return for season 5 “surprised” her.
Stephanie Hollman and Brandi Redmond are best friends
Several years before appearing on The Real Housewives of Dallas as OG housewives, Stephanie Hollman and Brandi Redmond became friends after meeting through their husbands.
The two are the closest in the franchise and almost always have each other’s backs, at times to a fault. Similar to most friends, the ladies had a falling out after Redmond didn’t appreciate comments Hollman made about her marriage in an interview.
However, they were able to overcome it and have since remained closer than ever. Following the Jan. 1, 2020 episode of RHOD, co-star LeeAnne Locken and her wedding planner released a 2017 video of Redmond seemingly mocking Asians.
After initially doubling down on the clip, even calling it a “good impression” at one point, she apologized. Hollman, of course, remained by her side during the controversy. A few days after the viral video, she appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and defended her friend, noting Redmond “made a horrible mistake.”
Redmond checked into wellness facility following racism scandal
As a result of the backlash, the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader admitted she didn’t want to live anymore. Therefore, she checked herself into a wellness center to work on herself.
After a little over a week, the OG housewife returned to social media and detailed her healing process in an 11-minute video. Redmond apologized for the controversial clip, noting she understood why it’s offensive, and admitted she poked fun at her eyes because she’s insecure about them.
She also acknowledged she made a wrong move by defending the video on Twitter but called out Locken for resurfacing the clip as a “deflection” from Locken’s derogatory comments.
A few months after returning from the wellness center, the OG housewife returned for a fifth season.
Hollman ‘surprised’ Redmond returned; Redmond announces leave
As RHOD introduced a new housewife, Tiffany Moon, who is of Asian descent, the former cheerleader immediately had to own up to her mistakes. Moon accepted her apology and informed her about why she found the video offensive, explaining her American peers made fun of her eyes growing up.
When the ladies began arguing during her birthday event, Redmond stopped everyone and encouraged them to support each other. Even though the OG housewife has remained positive throughout the season, Hollman admitted she’s “surprised” her friend came back in a Feb. 9 interview with Entertainment Tonight.
As she stood by Redmond’s side throughout the scandal, she knows the former cheerleader “struggled” with returning because it would “bring up a lot of things.” Although she knows her friend made a “tough decision” to come back, Hollman is happy she did and hopes Redmond can adequately apologize to those offended by the video.
A couple of weeks after the interview, the former cheerleader welcomed a fourth child. Shortly after the birth, she seemingly announced her exit from RHOD in an Instagram post, noting “sometimes things come to an end” and “I choose happiness.” The Real Housewives of Dallas airs Tuesdays at 9/8 Central on Bravo.
