Vicki Gunvalson’s Latest Move May Just Be the Nail in Her ‘RHOC’ Coffin
Vicki Gunvalson will always be “the OG of the OC.” But, the world has changed dramatically since the former Real Housewives of Orange County star helped launch the Housewives franchise. And the political divide in the country has caused a rift among the Housewives stars and the fandom. It’s starting to look like Gunvalson and Bravo will be going their separate ways for good.
Vicki Gunvalson says she was ‘too expensive’ for Bravo
As most fans know by now, Gunvalson has been part of the Housewives franchise since day one. She was in the original cast of the original series — Real Housewives of Orange County — that debuted back in 2006.
She remained in the main cast until season 14, when she was demoted to a “friend” of the show. That was the last time she showed up on RHOC, but she was part of the season 2 cast of the spinoff Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip. According to Gunvalson, Bravo fired her from RHOC because of her salary demands, citing she was “too expensive.”
“I’m worth it. The ratings were the best they’ve ever been when we were on,” Gunvalson said, per Reality Tea. “You get what you pay for.”
Kelly Dodd says she was ‘blindsided’ when she got fired from ‘RHOC’
Kelly Dodd joined the RHOC cast in season 11 back in 2016, and remained through season 15. Kelly was always in the middle of the drama, and was no stranger to controversy. But when the country split politically amid the pandemic, Kelly found herself on the opposite side of the argument compared to the company line at Bravo, as well as the majority of Housewives fans.
She had doubts about the lockdowns, as well as the vaccine and mask mandates. And she made some comments on social media that didn’t sit well with fans who had different political views. Despite her differing views, Kelly says she didn’t expect getting the pink slip from Bravo.
“I had no idea. …I was blindsided,” Kelly said during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live with her husband, Rick Leventhal.
Kelly says she asked Bravo if her political views were the reason she got the ax, but they told her they wanted “to take a different direction.”
“Listen, ultimately, I got fired because of myself, I’m the one who got myself fired,” Kelly admitted. “I was causing them a lot of grief. I was causing them a lot of trouble. And you know, I’m sorry about that. Like, I feel bad.”
Vicki Gunvalson’s latest move might be the nail in her ‘RHOC’ coffin
Like Kelly, Vicki has also shared her political views that don’t line up with Bravo and the Housewives fanbase. Most notably, she’s voiced her concerns over the COVID vaccine because of a friend who had died after getting a shot.
During her week at Dorinda Medley’s Blue Stone Manor for season 2 of RHUGT, Vicki and Dorinda got into a heated argument about this topic. She says her views are a bit different now than they were when she filmed in September 2021, and insists she’s not anti-vax.
“I told [Dorinda] it’s political and she didn’t agree, and if it’s not political then why is the government mandating it?” Vicki told Page Six. “So, you can believe what you wanna believe, but the facts are the facts. So, she has her opinions and I respect it. I just didn’t think she respected my opinion.”
Now that she is no longer appearing on RHOC, Vicki is going to be expressing her opinion alongside Kelly Dodd in episodes of the new podcast they are hosting together. And some fans are convinced this move might just be the final nail in Vicki’s RHOC coffin.
Some ‘RHOC’ fans aren’t thrilled about Kelly Dodd and Vicki Gunvalson’s new podcast
With Vicki and Kelly seemingly having similar conservative/libertarian views, they are joining forces outside of the Housewives world and expanding their audience. It’s clear at this point that Bravo fans really shouldn’t be their target audience.
When Kelly asked fans on Twitter what she and Vicki should name the podcast, there were some harsh responses.
“Get a Real Job or how about Let it Go,” one person replied. Another said, “Two Trumpers..no thanks.” A third joked, “Call it January 6 Girls lol.”
Kelly claims that her haters are a small, yet vocal minority. And she believes that she has a fanbase that will follow her to this new project with Vicki.
“I have a million followers and they are diehard fans, and they love me. And then I have, then I have this little group of people that are the cancel culture that hates me. And so they’re the loud ones. They’re the, actually the ones that can’t afford to. The woke, broke people. They love to hate me,” Kelly said.
Will Vicki Gunvalson show up in ‘RHOC’ Season 17 with bestie Tamra Judge?
Gunvalson has admitted that she misses being part of the RHOC cast, and she was happy to get the opportunity to film again with her bestie Tamra Judge on RHUGT. When she found out that Tamra was returning as a full-time RHOC cast member for season 17, Vicki confessed t it “stings a little bit.”
“She called and told me she was going back on and the immediate thing I did was cry. I mean, I didn’t get the call and I felt, ‘what does she have that I don’t have?’” Vicki told E!’s Daily Pop.
Even though Vicki won’t be part of the cast, there is a strong possibility she will pop up as a “friend” of the show in season 17.
Tamra says that she will be inviting Vicki to a number of events that are being filmed throughout the season. The question is: will this be the last time Bravo fans will see her in the Housewives franchise? That remains to be seen.
Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip Season 2 is now playing on Peacock. Real Housewives of Orange County will return to Bravo in 2023.
