Some Housewives are fired from the Bravo show over numerous scandals, while some ladies lose their spot on the show simply because the network deems them 'boring.'
- Oct 11, 2020
AceShowbiz - With its endless drama and controversy, "Real Housewives" franchise unsurprisingly sees its cast members come and go. While some exited the Bravo reality show amicably, most of them departed the TV series in dramatic circumstances.
Some of the ladies exited the reality TV show after being embroiled in a long feud with fellow Housewives which made them decide that it'd be better to just leave the toxic environment. Some others were fired over numerous scandals, while some ladies lost their spot on the show simply because the network deemed them "boring."
There are some of the most dramatic exits in "Real Housewives" franchise history.
1. Lisa Vanderpump
Lisa Vanderpump was one of the OG cast members of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" before she decided to leave the show prior to season 10. The British restaurateur's decision arrived following infamous PuppyGate. The scandal saw her being accused of leaking information about a dog that Dorit Kemsley, who later gave the pooch away to a new family, adopted from Vanderpump Dogs to make herself look good.
Of her departure, Lisa, who skipped season 9 reunion, said at the 7th annual "Real to Reel: Portrayals and Perceptions of LGBTs in Hollywood" event, where she was honored with the Legacy Award, on June 6, 2019, "It's a poignant moment for me, having been through the demise of 'Housewives.' Just to be here tonight is a feel-good factor." She added, "The last year was a very negative year for me. ... I just had a horrible time with the show and the women. It was a very sad time in my life and it wasn't made any better. I just decided to walk away."
2. NeNe Leakes
NeNe Leakes is among the latest Housewives to announce their exit from the franchise. Although rumors of her exit from "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" ahead of season 13. have been circulating around before she actually confirmed it, it doesn't make her departure any less shocking given the fact that she's an OG cast member. NeNe shared that her surprising exit came after "an extremely, extremely long, exhausting, tiring, emotional negotiation" with Bravo.
In an October interview, the 52-year-old, who previously exited season 7 before making a grand return in season 10, claimed that she "did not think the offer was a fair offer." She also accused Bravo of forcing her out of the series. Of her exit, a spokesperson for Bravo said, "We wish NeNe all the best in her future endeavours and thank her for sharing her journey for over a decade with the fans of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'. She's been instrumental since the start and will truly be missed."
3. Jill Zarin
Jill Zarin's exit from "The Real Housewives of New York City" wasn't only a huge shock for fans but also for herself. Just weeks before season 5 of the show was set to begin filming back in 2011, Bravo decided to fire her alongside fellow Housewives Kelly Bensimon, Alex McCord and Cindy Barshop. Calling the call "jolting," the Zarin Fabrics owner told "Good Morning America", "It didn't feel good. Nobody likes to not be asked back to the party."
Jill, however, claimed during her appearance on Vicki Gunvalson's "Whoop it Up With Vicki" podcast that she sent "an email out to all the people I was friends with and the producers" and that she had "buyer's remorse" and regretted not retracting it as soon as possible. "I figured, you know what? They're not gonna listen to me anyway, they're gonna do what they wanna do. [And then] three weeks later I got fired. Even though I quit, I didn't like getting fired at all," she explained.
4. LeeAnne Locken
LeeAnne Locken shocking announced her departure from "The Real Housewives of Dallas" in February after starring for four seasons on the show. The 52-year-old's decision arrived following a particularly rough season which featured her drama-filled wedding and racism controversy. She landed in hot water after making offensive comments about co-star Kary Brittingham, who she repeatedly called "Mexican" and "chirpy Mexican" during nasty verbal tirades.
During reunion, LeeAnne admitted that it was a mistake but she argued that everyone in Texas said that, a claim which other ladies denied. She also said that the reason why she never personally apologized to Kary was because the producers told her not to reach out to Kary, but EP Andy Cohen said that it wasn't true. While LeeAnne's statement about her exit made it seem like she walked away voluntarily, fans believed that she was actually fired from the show.
5. Teddi Mellencamp
Joining the list of Housewives who exit "Real Housewives" franchise this year is Teddi Mellencamp. Fans appeared to see her departure from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" coming as they had been calling for her departure after she rubbed them the wrong way with her involvement in Lisa Vanderpump's infamous PuppyGate. She continued to be in the bad side of the viewers as she appeared to be pressing the drama between Denise Richards and Brandi Glanville.
Additionally, she received a huge backlash as she was accused of running a "scam starvation company," All In By Teddi. A number of clients claimed that Teddi's weight loss strategies were harmful and even might inadvertently promote disordered eating. Meanwhile, a source claimed that Bravo axed her from "RHOBH" because she was "boring and stale." Confirming her exit, Teddi said in an Instagram video in September, "That being said, I'm really looking forward to the future and being able to focus on my family, my friends, all in. I really feel like I have some exciting things ahead."
6. Camille Grammer
Camille Grammer confirmed her exit from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" in August 2019 and put the blame on former co-star Kyle Richards. In a Twitter post, the 50-year-old shared with her followers that she "wasn't asked back" to the show after season 9 because "it was up to Kyle." Camille then claimed that she didn't plan to come back to the show due to "awful experience."
Kyle, however, denied Camille's allegations, saying, "I never even had an issue with Camille, I don't know where that came from." Fellow Housewife Tamra Judge also weighed in on their drama, calling Camille's claims "bulls**t." She wrote in a now-deleted Instagram comment, "It doesn't work like that. We have [the] same production company and that’s not that story I heard. When you're not friends with any of the cast they have no other choice but to let you go. No cast member has the power to fire someone."
7. Denise Richards
Following Lisa Vanderpump's exit from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills", the show heavily centered on Denise Richards in season 10. However, it wasn't really giving her a good spotlight as Brandi Glanville claimed that they hooked up although Denise is still married to Aaron Phypers. Brandi also accused Denise of talking about other Housewives behind their back.
She vehemently denied the allegations, though her co-stars didn't seem to buy her words. Prior to the announcement of her exit, Denise argued with and was collectively attacked by other cast members in season 10 reunion. She also accused Andy Cohen of trying to portray her as a villain, prompting her to abruptly walk out of the virtual event.
8. Kim Zolciak-Biermann
Kim Zolciak's 2012 exit from "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" was far from graceful. Fans would still remember when Kim, who was pregnant at the time, left the show halfway through season 5. In addition to the dramatic timing, she decided to exit the show after getting into a fight with Bravo the cast and producers midseason.
The spat started after co-star Cynthia Bailey invited the women to Anguilla to witness her vow, but because she was seven months pregnant, Kim couldn't go. She felt the ladies attacked her for that which led her to have a "total blowout" with both cast and producers. "I felt like the whole table was coming at me and I was feeling so upset and stressed that I just got up and said 'I'm done,' " she said in an interview at the time.
9. Adrienne Maloof
Adrienne Maloof surprised everyone when she was a no-show at season 3 reunion. She insisted that she left the Bravo show willingly, but rumors said that she was fired by the network. She then took to her Twitter account to address the matter.
"To my loyal fans . . . It was time to exit RHOBH. The show served as a wonderful platform, stay tuned! xoxoA' she wrote. "The show served as a wonderful platform for all the amazing projects that I have in the works.I am forever grateful to my fans, thank you for your support, and stay tuned! xoxo."
10. Phaedra Parks
Phaedra Parks probaby has the most dramatic exit in the show's history. Back in 2017, the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star was fired after season 6 for spreading horrible false rumors about Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker. She accused Kandi and her then-husband tried to date rape cast member Porsha Williams. She admitted the mistake during season reunion finale which saw Porsha and Kandi both breaking down in tears and storming out of the studio.
"She and I, it had escalated over the years, but to repeat and say I would drug somebody, it's just a multiple level to that," Kandi said. "'She, as someone who knows me, knows I don't do drugs… but then as an attorney, why would you repeat that someone drugged somebody? You should understand that drugging somebody while they're drinking and taking them home is rape. Y'all accused me of being a f***ing rapist."
