A very familiar face is on her way back to Bravo.
According to Us Weekly, producers have reached a deal with a former cast member to reprise her role on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 12.
So… who will it be? And will fans be happy to have her return to the mix?
That depends on how you feel about… Lydia McLaughlin!
Indeed, the Season 8 regular is apparently “excited” and prepared to hurl a bunch of insults and to mix things up once again with her fellow spoiled residents of Orange County.
McLaughlin was series regular way back on Season 8, which aired its finale in September of 2013. She did not return afterward.
Gretchen Rossi and Alexis Bellino also left the series following this season, whose cast included Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge and Heather Dubrow.
“It’s bittersweet,” McLaughlin told Us Weekly upon her departure, adding:
“I compare it to breaking up with a boyfriend you know you’re not going to end up with – it’s hard, but overall you know you’re doing the right thing.”
And sometimes you end up getting back together with that boyfriend.
McLaughlin has kept pretty busy since leaving Bravo, especially in her personal life.
In November of 2014, she and husband Doug welcomed their third child into the world, a son named Roman.
The couple then renewed its wedding vows in April of 2016 after a decade of marriage.
As for The Real Housewives of Orange County itself, the series is getting closer to finalizing its Season 12 roster.
We know that Meghan King Edmonds will not return after two seasons as a cast member, while Judge will be back for her tenth season.
“#yes #stillahousewife,” the latter wrote on Instagram a few weeks ago as confirmation of her status.
Dubrow, meanwhile, announced last month that she’s done with the show, saying via statement:
“These past five years have been an incredible journey, and I’m so proud to have been a part of such an iconic piece of pop culture.”
Bravo has not yet commented on any of these cast changes.
Heck, the network has not even officially picked up the program for another season just yet.
But we’re pretty darn confident it will be back.
How will executives possibly explain its cancelation to the following celebrities, all of whom are on record as legitimate Real Housewives fans?
It’s worth noting, by the way, that you can watch The Real Housewives of Orange County online by visiting our friends at TV Fanatic.
Go all the way back to Season 8 and see what sort of impression McLaughlin left on viewers at the time.
Are you psyched to see her in scandal-filled action again on new episodes?