“The Real Housewives of Orange County” OG Vicki Gunvalson is reminding people that she built the franchise from the ground up. In a new interview, the outspoken reality star commented on the franchise’s newest cast, “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” and accused them of being inauthentic and desperate for attention.
While chatting with Page Six, Gunvalson, who just returned to season 20 of “RHOC,” slammed the new cast of “RHORI” as “very aggressive.”
“I didn’t even know who they were,” she said. “I was like, ‘Hi, bye. You’re all fighting. I’m staying away from that.’”
Gunvalson recently crossed paths with the Ocean State women while filming scenes for the upcoming “Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th” special.
The cast, featuring Alicia Carmody, Rosie DiMare, Ashley Iaconetti, Liz McGraw, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Kelsey Swanson, and Jo-Ellen Tiberi, will appear in the finale episode, which was filmed at Dorinda Medley’s Massachusetts estate.
Vicki Gunvalson Has Choice Words For The ‘RHORI’ Cast
Based on the trailer, two of the women, Swanson and DiMare, bump heads, forcing Medley to tell them to get their acts together or be removed.
“It’s like, ‘The cameras aren’t here. What’re you guys doing? Shut up. This is my show. We are here for Season 20, ‘Ultimate Girls Trip,’” Gunvalson said. “It was just awkward.”
Gunvalson, who first appeared in season 1 of “RHOC” in 2006, finished by giving the women of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” a bit of advice.
“Be authentic,” she said. “Would you do this in real life? Because if you wouldn’t do it in real life, what are you doing it on camera for?”
Vicki Gunvalson Was Asked To Return To ‘RHOC’ During BravoCon 2025
Gunvalson’s return comes seven years after she departed the series in 2019. Host Andy Cohen asked her to make her comeback during BravoCon 2025, per the Daily Dish, and she gladly accepted.
While accepting the Wifetime Achievement award in 2023, Gunvalson reflected on her time on the series, thanking not only her co-stars but also the fans for their unwavering support over the years.
“None of this would be possible without all the fans who supported me and loved me through all the s—t that I had. It has not been easy,” she said.
According to a previous report from The Blast, Gunvalson said she was more than excited Cohen asked her to return because she had started to believe her time as a full-time cast member had come to an end.
“He’s sending me off into the wilderness by myself without an orange. And when he said that, I kind of lost all where I was. And he goes, ‘Please say yes.’ And I said, “I think I’m getting my orange.’ He goes, ‘We want you back full-time.’ And I just thought, ‘Thank you, Jesus.’ Because I miss filming. I missed my girls. I missed the joy of being an Orange County Housewife,” she said.
Bravo Is Celebrating 20 Years Of ‘The Real Housewives’
Another report from The Blast details the upcoming 20th-anniversary special, which will feature a group of seven All-Star housewives traveling across several states to hang out with beloved cast members from the past and present.
Throughout the upcoming batch of episodes, more than 80 “Real Housewives” alums will appear, including the iconic NeNe Leakes.
Leakes, who has been estranged from Bravo since 2022 after suing the network and Cohen, opened up about her return in an emotional video, thanking everybody who played a role in her comeback.
Leakes Gets Emotional Thinking About Her Return To Bravo
“This has been a really long, long journey, and gosh, I’m happy, overjoyed to say that I will be returning to Bravo,” the mother of two said in an Instagram video. “I almost can’t believe the words that are coming out of my mouth. I’m so happy. I’m excited to see all of you girls. It’s going to be a time. Yes! B-tches, I am back. Now pick your faces off the floor. OK!? See you on Bravo. Love you.”
“The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th” premieres on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at 9 PM ET on Bravo.