Lydia McLaughlin: I Quit The Real Housewives of Orange County! Again!

Lydia McLaughlin has an announcement to make.

And it’s an announcement you may have heard her make before.

The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member took to her official blog on Friday and confirmed that she will no longer be a Real Housewives of Orange County cast member

“RHOC has given me a great platform and I’m grateful for that. However, I feel like I can only handle this show one season at a time,” McLaughlin wrote online, adding:

“I need a break! There is a lot of good that comes from the show, but also a lot of negativity.

“After a family vote, it was unanimous that I should take a break. Sometimes the people who love us the most see things even we don’t see.

“I trust my path and I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Indeed, McLaughlin initially joined this Bravo franchise in season 8.

She departed the cable network hit just before season 9, yet returned last year as a full-time cast member for season 12.

Earlier this year, it was also reported that Meghan King Edmonds would not return to Orange County for next season.

She swears this was her decision.

And McLaughlin insists the same.

“Bravo and Evolution have been amazing to me and I have made great friendships,” she continued on her blog, expounding:

“I treasure all my fans and appreciate all the love and support.

“I’ve been honored to be a source of entertainment and inspiration to all of you and I hope to continue spreading light and love.

“Being a full time mom to THREE little boys, publisher of NOBLEMAN Magazine, blogger, jewelry designer, author, and wife, I have a lot going on!

“I will continue to share my life and faith and use this platform to be a lightworker.”

In other words: we haven’t heard the last from Lydia McLaughlin.

We’ve just seen the last of her on Bravo.

McLaughlin and her husband, Doug, have three kids:

1. Stirling, 8.


2. Maverick, 6.


3. Roman, 2.

These children, Doug and even McLaughlin’s mother have been featured on The Real Housewives of Orange County at various points.

We don’t know just when when season 13 will air, but it’s clear the cast will look a bit different whenever that date arrives.

Any suggestions for women who should fill these two open slots?

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Lydia McLaughlin FIRED from The Real Housewives of Orange County!

Last month, we told you that it was reported that three stars were getting fired from The Real Housewives of Orange County.

We have some heartwarming news: the production had a last-minute change of heart about one of those stars.

But the other two were not so lucky. …

Without them knowing about any reports, if you had to ask anyone who their pick to get fired from The Real Housewives of Orange County this season would be, the surest bet would be Peggy Sulahian.

Like, if you and your friends were doing a Real Housewives castmember turnaround league or whatever, she would be your pick.

Why?

Because she doesn’t make for good television. She doesn’t feud, she just starts pointless fights — or jumps into other people’s. And her “clueless foreigner” act wasn’t doing her any favors.

Also, she’s a notorious homophobe who banned her own brother from their father’s funeral for being gay.

So, yeah. Nobody likes a bigot.

We already told you on Friday that Peggy Sulahian has been fired.

Bye, girl, bye.

But Peggy Sulahian isn’t leaving alone.

RadarOnline reports that Lydia McLaughlin has also been fired.

She left the series in 2013 to raise her kids — filming reality television can take up a lot of your time, and most Real Housewives who aren’t Tamra Judge care about their children and don’t want to neglect them.

Lydia’s big stink this season was mostly her conflict with Meghan King Edmonds.

See, Meghan had invited a psychic to her party. Lydia refused to participate, which is fine, even though it reminds us a little of the “God Warrior” episode of Wife Swap.

And then, at the reunion, Lydia suggested that Meghan couldn’t understand Lydia’s hesitation because Meghan isn’t a Christian.

(Which … is not true, incidentally, though even if it were, the accusatory manner in which Lydia said it would not have been okay)

Also, Lydia McLaughlin was too close to Peggy Sulahian, and Peggy was a toxic mess who dragged people down with her.

As RadarOnline‘s insider puts it:

“Lydia came back, but she wasn’t interesting. Producers mainly wanted her to bring Tamra and Vicki back together, and it was mission accomplished.”

Bye, Lydia!

Well, that’s two stars who are parting ways with the Real Housewives franchise.

But we’d been hearing that Meghan King Edmonds was going to get the axe, too. So … what happened?

Well … Meghan King Edmonds is pregnant, you guys.

She’s expecting a boy (she and her husband did IVF, and she went into it at length on her blog).

RadarOnline reports that this is what saved her:

“They were not planning on bringing Meghan back.”

That’s a shame. She might not be the most entertaining, but she doesn’t seem terrible. And, not for nothing, but she’s definitely the prettiest castmate. (Television’s a visual medium, folks!)

“But she sprung the pregnancy news on them at the reunion,” their insider says. “So she’s kind of forcing them to bring her back even though they didn’t want to.”

To be clear, we don’t think that anyone is suggesting that Meghan King Edmonds got pregnant just to stay on TV.

(Which is funny, because the world is full of actresses who have been fired from scripted shows or had their roles minimized because they became pregnant)

But she may have realized exactly what she was doing when she told producers about it.

One, nobody wants to be accused of firing a woman for getting pregnant (do they, Joss Whedon?), even when, in this case, it would merely have been a coincidence.

Two, and more to the point, Meghan’s pregnancy could make for good television. Cameras can follow Meghan on her journey, through all of her ups and downs (hormones can be unpleasant, folks, particularly if you did IVF).

And childbirth is the sort of drama that appeals to humanity’s social instincts.

No matter how it happened, though, we’re glad that she’s getting a second chance and we hope that we’ll see her for more seasons than simply this next one.

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The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 12 Episode 2 Recap: Lydia Stirs The Pot

The ladies were ready to party, but that did not mean they were putting their drama on the backburner. 

Tamra planned a birthday bash on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 12 Episode 2, and she was stressing about who to invite. 

Watch The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 12 Episode 2 Online

When the episode got underway, Shannon had her longtime feng shui consultant inspect her new house. Yes, we’re jealous because the consultant was a hoot. 

She wanted to make sure Shannon’s home was up to scratch, and part of that was firing out crazy phrases, and all Shannon could do was look on. 

Elsewhere, Vicki’s office manager, Linda was introduced to viewers and much like Shannon’s consultant, she brought some much-needed laughs onto the show. 

Because Vicki’s business was apparently doing solid business, she was upgrading offices this season, and she was worried about it. Vicki was being her usual petulant self and stressing the eff out. 

Linda, however, knows Vicki all too well and managed to calm her down without a big blowout confrontation. Vicki then noted that Shannon had used the same feng shui consultant she was planning on using. 

Yes, it’s frowned upon to use the same one, so let’s just say Vicki is not even going there and will need to find an alternative.

After another throwaway scene of Meghan being the doting mother, we switched gears to Lydia who had started a new magazine with her husband. 

It’s called Nobleman, and it’s about “what it’s like to be a gentleman in the world today.”

Um, alright then. 

Lydia’s husband then told her not to hug Peggy because she recently had a double mastectomy. However, upon meeting Peggy, Lydia went straight for the jugular. 

“They told me not to hug you,” she revealed to Peggy. Considering Lydia was the one who instigated the conversation, it was disheartening to find her being annoyed with Peggy for speaking about her illness. 

We then moved to Tamra’s birthday party for her granddaughter. Vicki did not make the cut for the guest list, but her daughter Breanna did. Tamra had unfollowed Breanna on social media after her fight with Vicki.

So, things were pretty darn awkward. Breanna made an early exit because she felt like all of the drama was unnecessary.

Things got tense when Lydia sat Tamra and Shannon down to let them know that she chatted with Vicki over lunch and felt they could still be friends.

On top of that, Lydia said they were “acting the same way almost [Vicki] acted.”

Shannon flipped out, and Lydia accused her of being hostile, and it did not go down well. Shannon was upset because of the party being ruined at the expense of her relationship with Vicki. 

That’s a wrap on all the drama, and something tells us it’s just getting started. 

What do you think of it all?

Sound off below!

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Lydia Hearst and Chris Hardwick: Engaged!

They do! Actually, correct: They will!

According to a very sweet Instagram message, model and actress Lydia Hearst has agreed to marry Nerdist CEO Chris Hardwick.

“I said YES!!!!!!” the 30-year-old heiress (her grandfather is the late publishing titan William Randolph Hearst) wrote as a caption to this romantic photo.

“Every love story is beautiful, but ours is my favorite.

“You completely swept me off my feet. You have shown me what it feels like to be loved and I love you with all my heart. My life is better because you are in it @nerdist.”

It’s unclear just where Hearst and Hardwick are in this image, but they are atop some kind of tower and they are engaged in a serious lip lock.

Hardwick, meanwhile, Instagrammed a close-up of a massive diamond as a means of announcing this same exciting news.

“This ring belonged to her grandmother Catherine Hearst and @patriciahearst has graciously and wonderfully passed it down to me to give to Lydia,” he wrote.

“IT’S OFFICIAL!!! What an absolutely perfect and amazing night!! I love this woman with all my heart.”

Awww, how beautiful! We send our best wishes to Lydia, Chris and all the famous people who have gotten engaged in 2015:

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Got Engaged in 2015