A History of Real Housewives Skipping the Reunion — and the Consequences
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Adrienne Maloof was one of the first Housewives to be a no-show at a reunion taping, but she hasn’t been the last.
Adrienne opted not to film the sit-down special with her costars in 2013 after Brandi Glanville revealed during season 3 that she used a surrogate to carry her three sons. During the season, Bravo bleeped the word “surrogate” and more details of the situation as Adrienne threatened legal action.
After her former costar Lisa Vanderpump pulled the same move during season 9 of RHOBH, Adrienne admitted that she regretted not filming the season 3 reunion.
“There was so much going on at the time,” she said on Bravo’s “Daily Dish” podcast in 2020. “When I think back, I think it would’ve been better to just plow through it, get it over with. And I know Lisa may think differently. It’s a little condescending and holier-than-thou. When I look at what I was going through and what she was going through, there’s no comparison. I’m going through a divorce, the whole Brandi and Lisa situation, bringing the things out about my family. I felt like it was almost too much to handle at the time. But in reality, I should’ve plowed through it. I don’t think Lisa would ever say that.”
Lisa, for her part, skipped the 2019 reunion amid season 9’s Puppygate after she was accused of leaking stories to the press about Dorit Kemsley’s dog. The Vanderpump Rules star also stopped filming midseason and quit the series altogether, telling Us Weekly at the time: “I made the decision to leave. It was a very difficult year for me, personally and professionally. The Housewives, it’s just, it’s emotionally too difficult to deal with.”
Sources told Us at the time that Lisa “forfeited a big part of her paycheck” with the decision.
“Lisa only gets half of her pay for the season if she doesn’t go to the reunion, but she still chose not to go,” a source told Us at the time. “The women get half of their pay before shooting starts and the other half after the reunion. So Lisa lost money.”
A second insider then added, “Housewives don’t get fully paid for the season until it’s over and the reunion has been filmed.”
The SUR owner subsequently confirmed via Twitter that she lost “a lot” of money, adding, “But it wasn’t worth it to me [to go].”
Beverly Hills isn’t the only city with a history of women bailing before the reunion. Scroll through for more no-shows:
Jen confirmed she wouldn’t be in attendance at the RHOSLC season 3 reunion taping in December 2022 as she awaited her sentencing for wire fraud charges. (In January 2023, she was ordered to 78 months in prison.) “On September 14, 2022, I was informed by Bravo executives that I was not invited to attend the Season 3 reunion. I was disappointed because I would have no venue to confront inaccuracies and address my storyline with cast members,” she claimed in an Instagram statement at the time. . “Out of nowhere, on November 29, two and a half weeks ago, I was invited to attend. I was elated to learn I would now have a voice at reunion. I was clear with Bravo that out of respect for the courts and a standing judicial order, I would not be in a position to discuss anything related to my legal case or sentencing.” Jen alleged that the network “found this unsatisfactory and said they expected to discuss this ‘storyline.’ That expectation has no regard for me or my family’s well-being; so under legal advice, I will not be attending reunion. I need to focus on the most important thing in my life — my family.” Chris Haston/Bravo
After being accused of racism during season 2 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Mary didn’t go to the January 2022 reunion taping. Chad Kirkland/Bravo
The Real Housewives of New Jersey personality was a no-show at the season 3 reunion. For the first time in Housewives history, production on one season began without a break. So, while season 3 was still airing, Jacqueline was mad over season 4 events. “The night before the reunion, there was a huge right revolving around Strippergate, and Jacqueline refused to leave her house,” Andy Cohen recalled in the book Not All Diamonds and Rosé. “I was so pissed at her! Furious. … It was so confusing to the audience that we were in the middle of production on season 4 during the season 3 reunion and something happened the night before that was so bad that all of their allegiances shifted. Everyone was so mad at Teresa [Giudice] but they couldn’t explain why because it was a spoiler.” Startraks
The RHOBH alum did a separate interview with Cohen for the season 2 reunion amid struggles with substance abuse in 2012. “When it was clear that it was a real problem, we wanted to be responsible and we didn’t want to put her in a situation where anything could be exacerbated,” Cohen explained in Not All Diamonds and Rosé. “We considered her family and wanted to work with her to get her better. Bravo paid for her rehab.” She returned for season 3. Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
The Real Housewives of New York City star wasn’t present for the season 10 reunion in 2018 to check into treatment for alcoholism. “Bravo supports Luann’s decision to focus on her health,” the network said in a statement at the time. “She is part of the Bravo family and we continue to stand by her as she copes with this challenging situation. At this time, we hope everyone will respect her privacy.” She returned for season 11. Photo Image Press/Shutterstock
“Adrienne Maloof's final act as a Housewife is not showing up tonight,” Cohen infamously said during the season 3 taping. In Not All Diamonds and Rosé, the producer admitted he regretted being “bitchy on air about her not showing up.” While Adrienne was fired ahead of season 4, producer Alex Baskin noted in the book, “The truth is, had she shown up to the reunion, we would have kept going with her.” Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
“We knew that if she didn’t come, that meant for sure she was off the show,” Cohen said in Not All Diamonds and Rosé. “That she was deciding to leave the show. I thought — and hoped — that she would come and she’d figure out a way forward with Kyle [Richards].” While she was done with RHOBH, Lisa continued to work with Bravo on Vanderpump Rules and Peacock on Vanderpump Dogs. Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
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