Over the course of the past almost two decades, several Housewives -- including Lisa Vanderpump, Jacqueline Laurita, and Kim Richards -- were noticeably absent from season reunions.
For Bravo fans, Real Housewives reunion specials are one of the most anticipated parts of any given season. When filming wraps, the ladies are given the chance to hash out their drama and answer all the hard-hitting questions from host Andy Cohen. And while it’s contractually obligated for the Housewives to show up to the taping, not all of the women have followed through. Over the course of the past almost two decades, several cast members have decided not to show -- which has only ended up causing more drama in the long run!
Find out why these Housewives skipped the reunion…
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View Story1. Kim Richards
After Season 2 of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills wrapped up, Kim Richards decided not to attend the reunion. She opted to take part in a one-on-one special with Andy Cohen because she was opening up about a very sensitive topic. Shortly before the reunion, Kim had entered rehab and during the interview, she publicly admitted for the first time that she was an alcoholic.
2. Jacqueline Laurita
Following the conclusion of Season 3 of Real Housewives of New Jersey, Jacqueline Laurita sat out from the reunion. While it wasn’t explained at the time, the cast had been in the middle of filming season 4 and things had gotten pretty dramatic. In the midst of filming, Jacqueline admits she had a bit of a breakdown after an argument with Teresa Giudice that would become known as “Strippergate.” Going into the reunion, it would have been hard for her to avoid accidentally sharing spoilers.
“It was too difficult for me to go to the Season 3 reunion, because I was very drained emotionally and overtired from crying all night out of frustration and sadness. It would have been very difficult to look at Teresa and not be able to express what I was actually feeling. Even if I had attended, none of your questions would have been answered,” Jacqueline wrote in a Bravo blog.
She continued, “As you should know, we were filming Season 4 as Season 3 was airing, and I could not have discussed anything that was going on in my head or anything that we had been filming. My animosity would have been unexplainable. As you remember, Teresa and I were fine in Season 3…I was just tired, fed up, angry, stressed out, depressed, and as it turned out extremely low on testosterone to top it off. LOL!”
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View Story3. Lisa Vanderpump
During Season 9 of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Lisa Vanderpump found herself at the center of “Puppygate.” Over the course of the season, it was alleged that Lisa had leaked a story about Dorit Kemsley to the media, sharing that Dorit had given away a puppy from Vanderpump Dogs that was, in turn, brought to a shelter. The story completely blew up and halfway through the season, Lisa quit the show. While she was given the opportunity, she didn’t show up to the reunion.
“The objective of the reunion is to reunite, right? And I have no inclination to reunite with the women who’ve been harassing me for 10 months now,” she told DailyMailTV.
4. Adrienne Maloof
The third season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was full of drama for Adrienne Maloof. During filming, Brandi Glanville happened to spill some private information about Adrienne’s family and chaos ensued. While Bravo chose to remove the detail from the show, it was later revealed that Brandi had spilled that Adrienne had used a surrogate to welcome her twin sons.
At the end of the season, Adrienne chose not to attend the reunion, which effectively got her fired from the show. Looking back, Adrienne says that she believes Lisa Vanderpump was the one who encouraged Brandi to spill the secret -- and she now wishes that she would have gone to the reunion.
“There was so much going on at the time,” she said on Life After Bravo. “When I think back, I think it would’ve been better to just plow through it, get it over with…I’m going through a divorce, the whole Brandi and Lisa situation, bringing the things out about my family. I felt like it was almost too much to handle at the time. But in reality, I should’ve plowed through it.”
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View Story5. Mary Cosby
Mary Cosby didn’t show up to the reunion after Season 2 of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City finished filming. After a drama-filled season where she made racist comments about Jennie Nguyen and was accused of running a cult, Mary opted not to show. Mary later said that she didn’t attend because she didn’t want to get involved in the other women’s lies and didn’t want to discuss her friend Cameron Williams who had recently passed away.
“The only thing I have to say about the reunion is I didn't go because it was one-sided,” Mary said in a Twitter Spaces conversation. “Everyone heard one side of what they felt. I mean, they told lies, one side of my story. And I was not going to get on the reunion for a four-part reunion and talk about this guy who has passed.”
6. Luann de Lesseps
Luann de Lesseps was given a pass from attending the Real Housewives of New York City’s Season 10 reunion because she was in rehab. Although Luann later shared that she loves doing the reunion show, she admitted that couldn’t bring herself to watch the one she missed.
“I watched five minutes of it, and it was so dark. I was like, ‘Jesus…’” Luann said during a #CountessAndFriends Cabaret show.
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View Story7. Jen Shah
Jen Shah missed the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 3 reunion amid the legal drama surrounding her wire fraud charges. In an Instagram post, Jen claimed that she was told by Bravo executives that she was not invited to the reunion -- much to her disappointment because she would have “no venue to confront inaccuracies” and address her storyline with other cast members. But two weeks later, Jen alleged that the executives changed their minds but in the end, she opted not to attend.
“I was elated to learn I would now have a voice at reunion. I was clear with Bravo that out of respect for the courts and a standing judicial order, I would not be in a position to discuss anything related to my legal case or sentencing,” Jen wrote. “Bravo found this unsatisfactory and said they expected to discuss this ‘storyline.’ That expectation has no regard for me or my family’s well-being; so under legal advice, I will not be attending reunion. I need to focus on the most important thing in my life - my family.”