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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John McLaughlin Dies; Politcal Commentator Was 89

John McLaughlin, a widely respected political commentator who hosted The McLaughlin Group since 1982, died on Tuesday at his home in Virginia.

He was 89 years old.

The sad news came just days after McLaughlin missed his first hosting of his eponymous syndicated public affairs program in over 34 years.

In his place on Sunday, veteran panelist Pat Buchanan took over hosting duties.

“I am under the weather,” McLaughlin explained in a message that prefaced this past weekend’s broadcast.

McLaughlin acknowledged at the time that his distinct, typically-bellowing voice heard in pre-taped intros, was “weaker than usual… yet my spirit is strong and my dedication to the show remains absolute!”

Of that, no viewer ever had any doubt.

The official Facebook account for The McLaughlin Group confirmed its leader’s passing with the following note:

“Earlier this morning, a beloved friend and mentor, Dr. John McLaughlin, passed away peacefully at the age of 89.

“As a former jesuit priest, teacher, pundit and news host, John touched many lives. For 34 years, The McLaughlin Group informed millions of Americans.

“Now he has said bye bye for the last time, to rejoin his beloved dog, Oliver, in heaven. He will always be remembered.”

McLaughlin held a Ph.D from Columbia University and created his popular syndicated political commentary program in 1982.

Airing on PBS, it featured McLaughlin leading a panel discussion of serious political and social issues.

“John McLaughlin was one of the most original and appealing television commentators of our time,” said Mortimer B. Zuckerman, Chairman and Publisher of The Daily News, who served as a regular panelist on the show.

Zuckerman added:

“The liveliness of The McLaughlin Group was a reflection of his unique personality as well as his keen intellect, which helped to cover and uncover the numerous landscapes of opinions that steered his listeners to make qualified decisions.

“I was privileged to spend many hours talking with John, on and off his show; his friendship and intelligence will be sorely missed, not only by me, but also by his many listeners, colleagues, family and friends.”

McLaughlin  worked as a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon and was parodied by Saturday Night Live (the highest form of a compliment, really) on multiple occasions for his serious and brash on-air personality.

We send our condolences to those who knew him well.

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