In a lengthy statement posted to her Instagram account on Jan. 24, Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson told her fans, “I will always be the OG of the OC, but it’s time to say goodbye to The Real Housewives of Orange County.” She continued, “It’s been an incredible ride for 14 years and I want thank all of you for your support, for your love and for “whooping it up” with me along the way. I’ve been working on new projects that will be exciting, empowering and inspirational. My podcast with Westwood One will be launching soon and I will have much more to say about this on “Whoop it up with Vicki” . I hope you will join me with my new journey so please stay tuned. I love all my fans, and I want to thank Bravo and Evolution for this incredible experience which my family and I have will never forget. #bravo #rhoc #whoopitipwithvicki @westwoodone @bravo @whoopitupwithvicki”.
Vicki’s surprising admission comes on the heels of recent rumors that suggested she’d be let go from the series after being demoted to just a “friend” status last season. Just a few weeks ago, she told her fans that she didn’t know if she’d be coming back for another season with Bravo. When a fan asked her if she definitely wasn’t come back — based on the rumors — she said, ” I don’t know yet”. Over the past few days, she also revealed that she’d like to retire soon and star in a spinoff revolving around her family and business. At this time, it’s not yet clear if she’ll get her wish, but we can only guess that fans would love to see the rest of her story unfold — even if it’s not on RHOC.
We definitely expected big casting news after Andy Cohen revealed on Jeff Lewis‘ Sirius XM radio show that changes were coming to The Real Housewives of Orange County. “Andy’s comments made them all nervous and they were told awhile ago a cast shake-up was coming,” a source close to production previously shared EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife on December 29.
Vicki was the last remaining original cast member left on RHOC before she announced her exit. She starred on the show since it debuted in 2006, and remained an official housewife for the first 13 seasons. It wasn’t until Season 14 that she got demoted to a “friend” status. As for the rest of the ladies — Emily Simpson, Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, Kelly Dodd, Braunwyn Windham-Burke and Gina Kirschenheiter — Bravo has not yet announced who will be returning for Season 15. HollywoodLife has reached out to the network for a comment on this startling news.