Vicki Gunvalson Recalls ‘Horrible’ Feeling After Getting Fired From ‘RHOC’

Vicki Gunvalson He may return to Bravo for the 20th season of “The Real Housewives of Orange County“, “But that doesn’t mean she’s completely shaken by her firing from the show in 2020. In a new interview, the OG of The OC recalled the moment she received the shocking news from producers who informed her that she wouldn’t be filming scenes for the foreseeable future. “It was terrible,” she told her co-star. Tamra Judgein an episode of her program “My Friend, My Soulmate, My Podcast.”

The veteran reality TV star, who joined the series in 2006, said she received a disturbing phone call from “RHOC” producers while she was at a conference in Las Vegas with her former partner Steve Lodge.

“I’ll never forget I was in Las Vegas on the balcony and Steve was in the room and he was like, ‘What’s going on?’ Why are you crying?” “I think I just got fired, but I think they have the wrong number,” she said.

Gunvalson announced her departure from the series in January 2020 with a sad social media post. “It’s been an amazing 14 year journey and I want to thank you all for your support, your love, and for sticking with me along the way,” she wrote.

Elsewhere in the podcast episode, Judge, Gunvalson’s co-star and close friend, discussed her firing after Season 14. During their conversation, Judge recalled feeling confused by the producers’ decision, as she was supposed to meet with them about her role on the show before they let her go.

“I was going to meet the producers and tell them what I was going to do, all this stuff and then I got a phone call, ‘Sorry. We decided to go in another direction.’ And you know what I said? ‘Go into yourself,’ she said.

Like Gunvalson, the judge also announced her departure on Instagram, calling her time on the show a “wild” ride. “But it’s time for me to move on. I’m sad to leave but I’m very excited about my future,” she added.

During her years away from Bravo, Gunvalson aired some of her grievances with the network, such as criticizing actors and criticizing producers for how they handled sensitive moments.

During an appearance on Vice’s The Dark Side of Reality TV, Gunvalson described feeling devastated by producers’ decision to film the moment she learned of her mother’s death.

“[My daughter] Brianna would call, and call, and call, and they kept telling her, “Okay, she’s filming now, blah, blah, blah.” “She’s like, ‘I need to talk to my mom now,'” Gunvalson recalled.

She explained that after some time had passed, producers pulled her into a separate room with “lights and photographers” to film the heartbreaking moment. “I was really upset because production knew about it for an hour, and they didn’t tell me,” she said. “They were out of line, and I think they should have taken me aside and said, ‘Your mother has died. Talk to your daughter off camera.’ If I were a producer, this is what I would do.”

She stated that she should have been able to process her feelings on her own. “It was very hurtful. I will never forgive Bravo for that,” she continued.

While he was away from the series in a full-time role, Gunvalson made various guest appearances.

However, those things are officially coming to an end, as the outspoken reality star has learned that she will be returning to the series as a full-time housewife for season 20.

At BravoCon 2025, Real Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen presented the 63-year-old with an orange and asked her to reclaim her rightful place on the RHOC cast.