A Look at Your Favorite Real Housewives Back in the Day

Kyle Richards is the only cast member who has been on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills since the very beginning. This show became a huge part of her career, and even her sister, Kim Richards, was a part of it.

Although RHOBH was what catapulted her into stardom, Kyle has always been involved in showbiz, being a child star on shows like Little House on the Prairie and in movies like Halloween.

You can’t spell drama without Ramona Singer. She’s one of the OG housewives on The Real Housewives of New York, and she has a charm of her own, to say the least. In 2014, she separated from her husband, Mario, post some rumors between her husband and Kasey Dexter.

Before RHONY came into her life, the businesswoman had launched a jewelry company by the name of True Faith Jewelry. Conveniently, she’s also written a book, Life on the Ramona Coaster.

A part of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills since 2014, Lisa Rinna is another housewife who got a taste of famousness after appearing on the show. She went on to take on leading roles on popular TV shows like Melrose Palace and Days of Our Lives and also dipped her toes in the world of broadway, talk show hosting, designing, and much more.

Her family is equally famous. She’s married to actor Harry Hamlin, and their daughters, Delilah and Amelia, are both models.

Vicki Gunvalson’s struggle to keep her marriage to Donn Gunvalson was one of the highlights of The Real Housewives of Orange County. She did file for legal separation in 2010, but the financial terms got messy and weren’t resolved until 2014.

Vicki got remarried to a retired police officer, Steve Lodge, in 2019. After spending 14 years as a main cast, Vicki was demoted to “friend of” in season 14, and the audience wasn’t shocked when she announced her departure from the franchise.

Erika Girardi is a current member on the sets of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and has been a part since the sixth season. She’s professionally known as Erika Jayne. Erika is a singer; her debut single “Roller Coast” was a huge hit on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs in 2007.

She’s also an actress, appearing in shows like The Young and the Restless and Law & Order. She’s married to Tom Girardi, who’s recently found himself in knee-deep controversies.

Bethenny Frankel began as one of the very few unmarried ladies on the first season of RHONY in 2008, but matters changed quite swiftly after that. She left a while later to put her own little twist on a Bravo-spinoff where she’d be taking the audience through a journey to her wedding.

However, things got sour with her beau afterward. In 2015, she rejoined RHONY in 2015. She was there for a whole season before quitting the show again in 2019.

Dorit Kemsley joined the RHOBH cast during the seventh season. She founded Dorit International in 2009 which brought out high-fashion, comfortable swimwear for women.

Some of her highlights on the show would include displaying Beverly Beach by Dorit (her swimwear line), spending quality time with her family, clarifying which are the appropriate glasses for beverages, and her rise as an entrepreneur. This wouldn’t be the only controversy surrounding the celeb, as Dorit is constantly finding herself in the middle of drama.

Although not an OG cast member, Tamra Judge joined The Real Housewives of Orange County on the third season in the early episodes. Back then, she was still wedded to Simon Barney and had the job of a full-time stay-at-home mom.

Tamra’s failing marriage became another hot topic from the show. After feuding with castmate Vicki for years, they calmed things down in the tenth season. In January of 2020, she announced she too would be leaving the show, just like Vicki.

In 2010, Lisa Vanderpump entered the first season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills along with her adorable dog Giggy. She has been a happily married woman for more than 30 years. The audience got a clear view of her daughter Pandora Sabo’s wedding in 2011.

In 2013, Lisa came out with her very own spin-off show titled Vanderpump Rules. Sadly, this is the only place you can catch a glimpse of her these days. She left the show after the ninth season in 2019.

Kim Zolciak-Biermann might have had a bumpy ride during her five-season run in The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but she’s come a long way since then. Who could forget her dating the rich and elusive “Big Papa,” or her friendship with NeNe Leakes?

In 2012, she got hitched to NFL player Kroy Biermann and has become much more grounded with time. The couple scooped up a Bravo spinoff too. When Kim returned to RHOA for season 10, drama arose viciously.

Who could forget Brandi Glanville? Appearing in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Brandi’s roles changed among a friend, a guest, and a cast member. For some reason, there’s always some extra drama when this star is on the screen.

When it comes to stardom, audiences have seen her in multiple roles. She’s designed, modeled, initiated a podcast called Brandi Glanville Unfiltered, designed clothes, and written a New York Times Best Sellers’ book.

Heather Dubrow was a part of the Real Housewives of Orange County from the seventh season in 2012 and all the way until the eleventh. After leaving the show, the former actress spent the majority of her time designing and planning her family’s new 22,000 sq.ft home, which has been aptly titled the Dubrow Chateau.

Partnering up with her plastic surgeon husband, Heather came out with the book The Dubrow Diet, which became wildly popular for the interval meal plans.

Denise Richards was known as quite a beauty back in the days. Her blonde locks and gorgeous smile had made her the center of attention in the ’80s. She joined RHOBH in 2010. Previously a fashion model, Denise has done her fair share of work in the film and TV industry.

For example, she had roles in movies like Scary Movie 3, The World Is Not Enough, and The Bold and the Beautiful.

Although she was a part of the original lineup of The Real Housewives of New York City, Alex McCord wasn’t invited by Bravo after the fourth season. She is primarily known for her roles in movies such as Kate and Leopold and The Great New Wonderful.

In 2014, she and her husband announced that they were moving back to their native land, Australia. They felt that their kids needed to be in touch with their grandparents and other family members more.

Garcelle Beauvais joined the fun-filled franchise of RHOBH in the tenth season. She’s a Haitian-American model turned actress who has starred in NYPD Blue and The Jamie Foxx Show, the latter having a major role in making her a celebrity.

Right now, she’s also acting as a host on the daytime talk show The Real. In her personal life, she has three kids. The older one, Oliver, recently made her a grandma! Aside from that, she has twins named Jaid and Jax.

For four seasons, Gretchen Rossi was a part of the Real Housewives of Orange County. It’s nice how she’s still engaged to Slade Smiley, who made quite the reputation for himself by dating cast members from the show, including Lauri Peterson and Jo De La Rosa.

The couple isn’t planning on settling down anytime soon, which gives Gretchen plenty of time to focus on her Gretchen Christine Collection, which features makeup, cosmetics, and more. She occasionally reappears on the show to stir up some trouble.

When it comes to sticking to one position, Camille Grammar may be a foreigner, especially in RHOBH. She went from being a main cast member to a friend, to a guest, and the second and third roles interchanged all the time.

Camille began her career as a dancer, actress, and model. She tied the knot with Kelsey Grammer in 2007, and the couple went their separate ways in 2011. On a RHOBH episode aired on January 13, 2011, she revealed her then husband wanted to end things.

Things were going pretty steady for this brunette beauty on The Real Housewives of New York City. However, after a major meltdown while on a girl’s trip on her second season, she left the show in 2011.

She spends a very busy time looking after her family and pursuing her writing career. In 2012, Kelly released her fourth book I Can Make You Hot! The Supermodel Diet and another one named A Dangerous Age in 2016. Additionally, she launched a jewelry collection.

Alongside sister Kyle, Kim Richards joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on the first season. For five seasons, she was an original castmate before being demoted to a guest role for the sixth and seventh season.

She didn’t appear in Season 8 but had cameos in the next two. Kim faces some setbacks during 2019 due to her drinking problem. A proud grandmother now, the actress-socialites has released her memoir The Whole Truth this year.

There’s way too much to say about Sonja Morgan. For the most part, she was the toast of New York social life back in 2007. She joined RHONY and dazzled everyone with her glamorous lifestyle. She was married to J.P. Morgan heir, John Morgan.

In 2005, her Swim and Sportswear collection was launched, and it made its way into the New York Fashion Week. However, things took a turn for the worse for Sonja. She filed for bankruptcy in 2010, and her former lawyer sued her for unpaid legal fees.

NeNe Leakes was one of the OG cast members of The Real Housewives of Atlanta during 2008 – the first season. She appeared in the series for seven seasons before leaving the show on the eight. Reason? She was demotivated to guest.

Her personal life has been a whole whirlwind. Her first marriage fell apart but was revived a while later. This whole incident ended up giving her a spinoff called I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding where she would chronicle her second wedding.

If there was one housewife who had mastered the game of verbal confrontations, it was Teresa Guidice. She joined The Real Housewives of New Jersey in 2009 and had some pretty major (and interesting) feuds throughout her journey; memorable ones being with Danielle Staub and Melissa Gorga, her own sister-in-law.

She has since made up with her brother and his girlfriend after they took care of his daughters when she was locked away for 15 months for fraud.

2017 marked the entry of the new housewife Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave to the sets of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She’s the daughter of rock legend John Mellencamp. From a young age, she established her name as a competitive equestrian and is currently an accountability coach and fitness influencer.

Her brand, ALL IN by Teddi, has a net worth of over a million, having changed more than 10,000 lives. She’s married to Edwin Arroyave and they have three children together.

Former Xscape groupmate, business owner, and music producer, Kandi Buruss joined The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2009 in the second season. At that time, she was concentrating on raising her only daughter, Riley Burruss.

Sadly, her fiance passed away in 2009 after getting into a brawl. She got involved with Todd Tucker next, and this became a huge point for the series. Her mother didn’t approve, but she got married to him anyway.

After her relationship with then-fiance Slade Smiley ended, Jo De La Rosa left The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2007. Subsequently, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a singer.

Sadly for her, the plans didn’t come through, but it wasn’t that bad because she found a career in consultation for media, marketing, and advertising companies, and she seems pretty satisfied with her choices. She’s also hosting a podcast named Popcandy, and there’s a “Life After Housewives” segment that deals with former housewives.

Hands down, Danielle Staub has got to be the most drama-inciting housewife the franchise has ever seen. On The Real Housewives of New Jersey, she was at the core of numerous tumultuous arguments and fights and was called out for her less-than-pretty past, including one arrest.

Shortly after her exit from the show in 2010, she released her autobiography The Naked Truth where she tried to elaborate on her criminal past. After much needed psychological help and bankruptcy, Danielle is in a much better spot now.

From 2010 to 2013, Adrienne Maloof was a part of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but she exited the show after she separated from her plastic surgeon ex-hubby, Paul Nassif. Following the separation, Adrienne has been dating younger men – people like Jacob Busch and Sean Stewart.

She continues to look after her three sons while nurturing her “Adrienne Maloof by Charles Jourdan” shoe line. Occasionally, she pops up into RHOBH.

Reality TV can be harsh, and a good example of that is Jeana Keough. She appeared on The Real Housewives of Orange County until 2010. Contrary to what you’d think from reading this, she’s doing great!

She’s also had a humble persona, which made her a likable character in general. She’s an estate agent in Orange County now. Jeana joined former cast member Jo De La Rosa on an episode of the Popcandy podcast.

Taylor Armstrong probably had one of the most painful runs on the entire franchise, not just The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. After her ex-husband Russell Armstrong passed away under tragic circumstances in 2011, she left the series.

The TV personality had just filed for legal separation, stating how they had a number of domestic issues. Fortunately, she was able to move away from all that and eventually found love again. Now, she’s happily married to John Bluher, and they share a daughter, Kennedy, from Taylor’s first marriage.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was blessed with the entry of the former Miss Universe Puerto Rico, Joyce Giraud. She was only there for one season, as she got fired after that. Apparently, feuding with Brandi Glanville wasn’t the safest thing someone could do.

Joyce Giraud and Michael Ohoven are still married. The couple also renewed their vows in 2017. After the show, she jumped into the world of skincare, much like most other housewives on the show. She created the Joyce Miracle Elixir Collection.

Jill Zarin was one of the original cast members on The Real Housewives of New York City, and she was pretty popular. However, Bravo didn’t call her back after the fourth season. Her feud with former bestie Bethenny Frankel gathered a ton of attention, but in a 2015 interview, Jill said that they had put things past them.

That year, she also stated that she doesn’t feel like returning to reality TV. In 2018, her family went through a trying time as her husband, Bobby, passed away.

If there’s one thing we understood from the franchise, it’s that one should never lock horns with the OG cast members who hold great power over the show. Carlton Gebbia only lasted for a season on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

She went head to head with Kyle Richards and never got a callback after the fifth season. Post Bravo, Carlton didn’t have it any easier. She separated from her husband, David Gebbia, and was accused of being violent with her housekeeper.

During the debut season of The Real Housewives of Miami, Larsa Pippen was a part of the cast. She split from her retired NBA player husband, Scottie Pippen, in 2016, but they got back together in 2017. The couple shares four children together.

However, trouble in paradise wasn’t far behind, and they pulled the final thread by filing for legal separation in 2018. Larsa is friends with American mega-TV star Kim Kardashian and does cameos on Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Popular soap opera star, Eileen Davidson joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in the fifth season and remained for three seasons. She had a guest appearance with Erika Jayne and Lisa Rinna in a deleted scene for Season 8.

At that time, they filmed one more scene for Season 10. She returned to Days of Our Lives for some episodes in 2017, and continues playing Ashely Abbott on The Young.

Dorinda hasn’t been on the show for long, but she has surely made a lasting impression. Before her appearance into reality TV, Dorinda worked in fashion. She moved to London to introduce her new cashmere line, DCL Cashmere.

The RHONY housewife faced some major trauma when her husband of six years, John Medley, passed away. She decided to stay on the Upper East Side and continued networking her way through the “posh” society. Her current boyfriend, John Medhessian, is definitely not a winner with the crowd.

It’s high-key hilarious how Luann assumed that she was going to be the “classy” housewife. Back in the days, she was married to an actual count, Count Alexandre de Lesseps. She titled herself as the housewife who was going to rise above the rest.

Her time in RHONY saw her become a pop-singer, get married, break off said marriage, get hitched once more, and she was recently charged for trespassing. Currently, Luann is a cabaret singer in her self-titled show, Luann de Lesseps: #The Countess and Friends.

The Real Housewives of New York wasn’t her start in the television industry, as Carole Radziwill had already worked as a reporter for ABC and then a producer.

After the demise of her husband in 1999, Carole left the ABC channel and penned her memoir titled What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love, and guess what! It was an NYT bestseller. Another novel was released later titled “The Widow’s Guide to Sex & Dating.”

A truly dedicated Gossip Girl fan would know how Tinsley Mortimer was the early 2000s IT girl. She was possibly everywhere; Teen Vogue, galas, art openings. “The Girl With Curl” joined RHONY in 2008, but her life started crumbling in 2010 after her separation from now-ex-husband Topper Mortimer.

Tinsley was almost banished from the New York socialite society, so she left for Florida. In 2016, Tinsley faced legal proceedings after being caught trespassing on her ex’s property.

Manzo was a part of The Real Housewives of New Jersey where she was an original cast member. However, Caroline Manzo left the show after five seasons. Her family is extremely close-knit, and in 2014, she and hubby, Albert Manzo, landed the Brazo spinoff Manzo’d with Children.

After that was done with, Carolien started selling her homemade Friendly Monkey Soap line on Etsy. She also has a YouTube channel now, dedicated to cooking.

Before Bella and Gigi Hadid were household names in the modeling industry, their mother, Yolanda Hadid had earned quite a name for herself. She appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on the third season and lasted for three seasons.

Post-exit from the show, she focused on recuperating from Lyme disease. She even published a book titled Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease explaining her struggles. Yolanda separated from David Foster in 2017 and moved on with businessman Joey Jingoli.