Bravo Bombshell! Vicki Gunvalson Leaving ‘RHOC’ After 14 Years
Jan. 31 2020, Updated 6:26 p.m. ET
Bravo bombshell!
Vicki Gunvalson announced that she’s leaving the Real Housewives of Orange County after 14 years.
“I will always be the OG of the OC, but it’s time to say goodbye to The Real Housewives of Orange County,” the Bravolebrity wrote on her Instagram page on January 24.
“It’s been an incredible ride for 14 years and I want thank all of you for your support, for your love and for 'whooping it up' with me along the way,” she said.
“It’s the end of an era,” a source close to production exclusively told RadarOnline.com.
“She made it very clear at BravoCon that she would never come back to the show as a friend.”
Vicki described her future plans.
“I’ve been working on new projects that will be exciting, empowering and inspirational. 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,'" the 57-year-old reality star wrote.
“I hope you will join me with 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. #bravo #rhoc #whoopitipwithvicki @westwoodone @bravo @whoopitupwithvicki.”
RadarOnline.com broke the news that Vicki had only been offered a “friend” role for another season on the show.
She was devastated in 2019 when her full time housewife status was taken away for Season 14 and she didn’t appear in every episode of the season.
Her friendship with Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador, dubbed the "Tres Amigas," was a storyline on the show as was her engagement to Steve Lodge, but neither were enough to bring her back as a full time housewife.
She was furious during the reunion taping and complained about how insulted she was with her treatment after giving more than a decade of her life to the show.
“It was a rough day and there is a lot you the viewers didn’t see,” she wrote to a commenter on January 2. “I shouldn’t have gone on, as I was lied to that morning by them.”
Vicki threatened not to return to the show she started, telling a fan “unless they make some serious changes,” she wasn’t sure she would sign up again.
Scroll through the gallery for more details about Vicki leaving RHOC.
Long Goodbye
“Vicki has no leverage anymore. The execs are in charge and they don’t want the show to be the same. All of the fighting, the lawsuits, it was difficult,” a source previously told RadarOnline.com.
She’s Out
The producers didn’t want the show to become “redundant and stale,” with Vicki and her friends, including her fights with Kelly Dodd.
Cashed Out
Vicki took a whopping pay cut to stay on the show the previous season, going from $60,000 per episode to a meager $20,000, less than $500,000 for the season. Tamra and Shannon each earned about $900,000 for their salaries.
Spice It Up
"They don’t want the show to be boring," another source told RadarOnline.com during the decision making process.
Final Word
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“It’s my show,” Vicki screamed at Brauwyn Windham-Burke during the reunion, telling her she didn’t want her making out with women while filming, a move that ended up backfiring.
Passing The Torch
RadarOnline.com previously reported that Tamra, Shannon and Kelly were all returning as full time housewives for another season.
