She’s back! For the first time in eight years, Vicki Gunvalson will be on The Real Housewives of Orange County in a main role when the show returns for its milestone 20th season on July 9.
Gunvalson is the OG Housewife in the franchise, having joined RHOC in Season 1 in 2006. She then stayed on as a main cast member for years longer than any of the other OGs before her Season 13 exit.
After returning as a “friend of” for Season 14, Gunvalson was absent from the show in Seasons 15 and 16, then only briefly popped up as a guest for Seasons 17 and 18. She took another hiatus in Season 19 and is now officially back.
Below, we’re breaking down everything to know about Gunvalson’s RHOC history before her return.
Why did Vicki Gunvalson leave RHOC?
Gunvalson didn’t leave RHOC on her own accord. In fact, she was actually fired by Bravo. It started in 2019 when she was demoted to “friend of,” and Andy Cohen explained to Us Weekly, “The truth is, we’re always looking to freshen up the show. She’s been on the show for 14 years. That is an unprecedented run on a scripted show, on a reality show, anything.”
He reiterated that Gunvalson’s demotion was just about “keeping everything fresh” with new faces, and Gunvalson was still very much prevalent in Season 14.
However, in 2020, she received a phone call learning that she was not being asked back for the 15th season. “I was gonna meet the producers and tell them what I’m gonna do, all these things, and then I get a phone call, ‘Sorry. We decided to go in another direction,’” she revealed on her podcast with Tamra Judge. “And you know what I said? ‘Go f**k yourself.’”
Gunvalson theorized that she and Judge, who was also fired, got too “expensive” for Bravo. “I think they said that viewers were ready for newer blood,” she admitted.
Cohen appeared on Brandi Glanville‘s podcast in September 2020 and added, “We just felt that the show needed some new air. We needed to air it out and see where it went. These two women [Gunvalson and Judge] were so identifiable with it and will always be. I hope they will someday be back in some capacity.”
Why is Vicki Gunvalson returning to RHOC?
Cohen asked Gunvalson to return as a full-time cast member at BravoCon in November 2025. He presented her with an orange and welcomed her back to the show.
Todd Williamson/Bravo
The 20th anniversary milestone was part of the reason Gunvalson was invited back. “I was so excited to give Vicki that orange back,” Cohen said at BravoCon. “We don’t take it lightly that The Real Housewives of Orange County is turning 20, and so we thought it would be a really fun thing to bring her back. And I really wanted to do it in front of all of you.”
Later, Gunvalson addressed an online rumor that she paid Bravo to get back on TV. “[I would] never take my retirement accounts and pay Bravo,” she said. “I don’t need to be on TV. I’ve been off for four yeras nad have been doing great.”
What is Vicki Gunvalson doing now?
In addition to returning for RHOC, Gunvalson is also a cast member on The Real Housewives: Ultimate Road Trip (a version of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip), which premieres on August 9. She was also on Season 2 of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in 2022.
She’s also the CEO of her company, Coto Insurance, and still hosts her podcast with Judge.
Since 2022, Gunvalson has been dating Michael Smith. “We are in a committed relationship,” she recently told E! “I’ve been married twice, he’s been married once, and I don’t really feel the urge or need to get married because I am so loyal to him and so committed.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County, Season 20 Premiere, Thursday, July 9, 8/7c, Bravo