At the reunion special, when Vicki Gunvalson warned castmates that she was leaving … it might have been more than just drama.
A new report claims that Vicki may leave The Real Housewives of Orange County, which would be a real shock to the series.
What’s more is that Tamra Judge might also quit the series.
We’ve heard a lot about cast shakeups, and we’ll get to what we already know.
But first, let’s talk about why Vicki might disappear from our televisions.
Page Six reports that Vicki Gunvalson doesn’t like how the series is changing:
“The Real Housewives of Orange County reunion was extremely emotional because Vicki warned the girls that she is stepping down next season.”
Most people assumed that it was all, you know, typical reunion special theatrics.
What could have Vicki so bent out of shape that she’d turn down a hefty salary (something in the neighborhood of $ 750,000 a year, it’s said) and fame?
“There have been quiet castings for new women.”
Not public but not so quiet, actually.
A couple of women have been fired from The Real Housewives of Orange County, and reports always said that they were looking to hire several new castmembers.
“The Housewives franchise is thinking of new girls for the show and is asking around for new women for the next season.”
And it sounds like Vicki isn’t handling the proposed changes well.
“Vicki threatened to not come back at all if there’s a new cast.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County with some new faces would be different.
The Real Housewives of Orange County without Vicki Gunvalson would be virtually unrecognizable.
But what about Tamra Judge?
She wasn’t part of the series from the start, and though she has friends among her costars, it’s not like she’s the face of the franchise.
Still, what could drive her to leave The Real Housewives of Orange County?
Especially when she and Vicki just made peace with each other after years of feuding?
Page Six reports that their insiders says that Tamra Judge “is also thinking of not coming back.”
Why?
Well, because of Tamra Judge’s estrangement from her daughter, Sidney Barney.
Even at the reunion, Tamra Judge was still addressing Sidney’s post that slammed her after Tamra violated her wishes and privacy by posting photos of her graduation.
Sidney Barney has been estranged from her mother for years, and on top of accusing her mother of neglect and emotional abuse, Sidney laments that Tamra continues to mention her.
Sidney resents being used by her mother as a storyline.
If Tamra is really considering stepping down from the series, it may be that she’s decided to start respecting her daughter’s wishes.
Vicki Gunvalson is the OG Housewife, folks.
While no one will miss the unlikable Peggy Sulahian, Vicki has been a mainstay on The Real Housewives of Orange County since the series debuted at what now feels like the dawn of time.
Vicki just settled things with longstanding friend-turned-enemy Tamra Judge, even after things seemed to worsen this season as she continued to bring up rumors that Tamra’s husband is gay.
(Both women got flack for that — Vicki for spreading a rumor with homophobic undertones, and Tamra for responding so negatively)
And Vicki even made nice with Shannon Beador, realizing that she might have played some role in Shannon Beador’s impending divorce.
Will Vicki decide that this is a good place to leave things? That would be a disappointment to many fans.
Tamra Judge’s feud with Vicki Gunvalson is over.
It was a storyline that spanned years. In fact, Tamra Judge screaming at Vicki became a meme.
(There are people in this world who have never watched a minute of The Real Housewives of Orange County who are very familiar with the gif of Tamra Judge yelling “that’s my OPINION!”)
And it’s not like Tamra is now out of storylines.
Gretchen Rossi may be returning to ruin Tamra’s life. If the price is right.
Finally, though we would of course encourage Tamra to never mention Sidney on the series or social media, we don’t know that quitting the series would help.
When you screw up as a parent, sometimes there’s nothing that you can do. You can stop doing bad things, but you can’t undo the past. You can’t give somebody the happy childhood that you stole from them.
