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One of these ladies is a legendary Academy Award nominee
Signing on to join the cast of "Real Housewives" almost guarantees stardom, though some cast members were already celebrities when they joined the franchise. While Bravo executive Andy Cohen didn't originally want well known "Housewives," he eventually warmed up to the idea and stars like Lisa Rinna and Denise Richards joined in on the fun. Since then, plenty of celebs have been approached for spots on the show and although it didn't work out for them, some of the names would have made for good TV!
Read on to see which celebrities were almost cast on "Real Housewives" ...
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View Story1. Julia Fox
Julia Fox recently revealed that she was once approached by a producer to appear on "Real Housewives of New York City." While the timing wasn't right back then, Julia says she's open to appearing on the show in the future once she gets to know the new cast.
"It's a tough question because I don't know what the new girls are giving. So I'd kind of have to just feel it out a little bit and if I think we can vibe than yeah, totally, why not? Never say never!" Julia said on "Watch What Happens Live."
"Real Housewives" producers were extremely interested in the late Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa joining the cast. Before Kobe's passing, she was asked to join several times but she always said no.
"Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa Bryant? We pursued her every year and she was a no. She passed," "Real Housewives of Orange County" casting director Jennifer Redinger said in the book "Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of the Real Housewives From the People Who Lived It."
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View StoryHeather Locklear, a friend and former co-star of Lisa Rinna, has been brought up in conversations by the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast. In fact, in 2018, Andy Cohen told Lisa she should talk to Heather about joining the cast.
"Now that I know that you have a real friendship with her ... I never considered that one of you know her," he said on Radio Andy. "Lisa, start checking in with her."
Sources later told Us Weekly that producers contacted Heather, although it's unclear if anything ever came of it. "I'm not interesting enough and I don't drink," Locklear told Kelly Clarkson of joining the show in 2021, "it's not quite what I want to do."
4. Jana Kramer
In 2020, Jana Kramer claimed that she and ex-husband Mike Caussin had auditioned for "Real Housewives." She explained that they had been stuck at home during the pandemic and thought it would be a fun thing to try. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it worked out.
"I'm like, 'All right, well, we're not doing anything else. We might as well entertain it.' But we haven't heard anything. So I'm like, 'Maybe we were just boring people.' I don't know. I'd be so afraid we'd be just be eaten alive, spit out and then canceled the next day," Jana said on the former couple's Whine Down podcast.
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View Story5. Ali Landry
Ali Landry has been in consideration for RHOBH on several occasions, which makes sense considering her friendship with Kyle Richards and Garcelle Beauvais. In 2020, Ali said she had talked to producers on a few occasions but nothing had come of it yet.
"I talked to them, like, three or four different times, the executive producers. They said, of course they would let [me] know…We'll see. I'm surrendering to the whole experience, no plans no expectations," Ali told Jeff Lewis on his Radio Andy SiriusXM show, Jeff Lewis Live.
6. Jennie Garth
During a 2019 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live," Jennie Garth shared that she had been approached about a role on RHOBH two years earlier. It sounds as though she was the one to turn it down because she later shared that she had no interest in the show.
"That’s one thing I know for sure I would never do just because, no offense to anybody that does it, it’s just not me. It's not, I'm not comfortable in that environment. And why would I put myself in that environment?" Jennie said on the Behind the Velvet Rope With David Yontef podcast.
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View StoryKristy Swanson, who starred in the original "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" movie was once in the running to join RHOC but she almost didn't make it to the interview. After tweeting that she had been approached by the show, producers demanded she delete her post because it was confidential information. When she was interviewed, it was ultimately decided that she wasn't the right fit.
"When we came to do the interview, she was wearing a puffy vest and a sweater and jeans. She just didn't look like the glam they wanted for 'Housewives.' And what we learned when talking to her is that her ex, Alan Thicke, had just died the day before and she was very upset. And ultimately, she didn't get cast,” casting director Dawn Stroupe said.
Actress Mariel Hemingway was approached to become a Real Housewife and while she made it through the early stages of discussions, it ultimately didn't work out.
"I thought she'd be a great fit, I mean she's an Academy Award nominee, after all. I passed her on and she went up to Evolution and the network and it didn't work out for one reason or another," producer Scott Dunlop said.
