The Real Housewives Of Orange County’s OG star, Vicki Gunvalson, 58, has been open about her decision to not return to the show for Season 15, and now, she’s setting the record straight on why she recently told a fan to boycott the show. “I love Bravo, but they don’t love me, so when somebody said something about the show is going to go down without you I’m like, ‘Just boycott it!'” the RHOC alum told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY during the latest episode of her Whoop It Up With Vicki podcast, which drops on May 14. “I don’t really mean for them to be boycotted. I meant for — The truth is, I don’t really believe that the show is going to be strong without us. If the ratings are down — This was my comeback on it. It was 10 or 11 or 12 o’clock at night after I got done working and somebody said, ‘The show is not going to be the show without you and Tamra [Judge] on it,’ and I said, ‘Just boycott it then.’ And it came out.”
Vicki and BFF Tamra, 52, decided not return to the series in February, after producers asked them to return in limited “friend” roles. Although the decision belonged to Vicki, she thinks the network didn’t think twice about not offering her a full-time orange. “It was a one sentence in the fact that if the ratings are down, then they’re going to realize that they made a mistake,” Vicki revealed. “I don’t really mean for them to be boycotted. I meant for — The truth is, I don’t really believe that the show is going to be strong without us.”
After carrying the show on her back for fourteen amazing seasons, Vicki said she’s still swinging on a pendulum of emotions. “My feelings have been all over the map and some days I’m like, ‘OK, good,’ Vicki added. “This is the first year in 15 years I don’t have to cry every day. When it’s either airing or filming or my feelings are hurt about something and then I thought, ‘I’m not ready not to cry anymore.’ It was part of the blood in my veins. It was like a natural high, filming and being a part of the cast and doing all of the press afterwards and it was just part of my DNA. I loved doing it, so then I got back to being bitter and being fortunate that I had that opportunity and now I’m kind of in the middle of the road. I’m not sad and I’m not happy.”
And like any bad breakup in life, Vicki is trying her best to move on by focusing on her Coto Insurance company and building a successful podcast for her fans to still check in with her often. Still, the smart business woman seems curious about what her new life will look like. “What are they going to think, that I just poof died? That I’m gone?” Vicki questioned. “So for me, first time in fifteen years not having anybody in my home every day for 4 months, it’s going to be hard for me to watch it. I have a sense of ownership on it and it’s crazy that I do, but I do.”