As the “Housewife” with the most seasons under her belt, Vicki Gunvalson would like a role that reflects that status. The 57-year-old Bravo star spoke EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife to reveal how she really felt about transitioning into a “friend” role on The Real Housewives of Orange County for Season 14, which was uncharted territory for the longest-running “Housewife” in the franchise. “You know, who knows about who will be back. But, I do know this, I will never go back like that again,” Vicki declared during our interview at BravoCon in New York City on Nov. 16.
Vicki is basically the face of The Real Housewives, given that the franchise began with the premiere of its Orange County show in 2006. No other OG star has returned for every season like Vicki did — not even by a long shot! “I don’t think it’s fair for anybody to have been on the show 14 years and then say they still want you, but we’re going to reduce your role. It wasn’t right,” Vicki told us. Given her status as a founding “Housewife,” Vicki added, “All I know is, I created the franchise. I think, I have deserved [full-time status].”
However, the Coto Insurance founder knows that no one is forcing her to stay. “But, that was my choice, too. I decided that I wasn’t done with it, I wasn’t,” Vicki acknowledged. For now, the business woman hasn’t made any concrete plans for her future on the show. Season 14 is still underway after premiering in August, and the reunion — which Tamra Judge described as “brutal” — was just filmed the weekend prior to BravoCon.
Although Kelly didn’t get to hold an orange in the latest season of RHOC, she’s still in the thick of drama, per usual! Fans have witnessed Vicki and Kelly Dodd’s feud unfold throughout Season 14, and Vicki even told HollywoodLife that it would be “irresponsible” of her rival to marry Fox News correspondent Rick Leventhal, following an engagement that happened just three months of dating. You can learn Vicki’s full take on the quickie engagement in the other half of our interview!