Real Housewives of Orange County just doesn’t feel quite the same without OGs Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson. Why aren’t they on the show anymore and what are they doing now?
Was Tamra fired from Real Housewives of Orange County
Tamra came on the OC scene for Season 3 and lasted until Season 15. At the time she was married to Simon Barney, who was recently diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer.
Tamra had found out about Simon Barney’s throat cancer right before the Season 14 reunion. “You can tell my behavior at the reunion was very subdued,” Tamra told Bravo’s The Dish in 2020. “I didn’t want to fight with anybody. My mind was not there at all. I hadn’t told production about Simon, so they didn’t fully understand what was wrong with me. But I told [costar Shannon Beador], ‘I feel like this is my last season.’ In my gut, I knew I wouldn’t come back.”
Her current husband Eddie Judge also has health battles with a heart condition. These brushes with mortality convinced Tamra to reevaluate her life. This makes it sound like it was her decision to not come back on the show.
However, in an Instagram live exchange with boss Andy Cohen Tamra claimed she had been fired for “not being cheap.” Tamra had unfollowed Andy at the time, and then hopped on a live to confront him about her emotional turmoil over being fired.
“It’s kind of like a death. I’ve been in the Bravo family for 12 years. I’m a red-headed stepchild now. It is what it is. It’s a very long run,” she explained. “I’ve been crying for three days. I haven’t slept or eaten. But I’ll be alright.”
She later revealed that she was offered to come back to the show with limited terms, but she preferred leaving on her own terms.
Tamra eventually followed Andy back so she could keep up with his son, Ben.
When Season 15 started airing, Tamra expressed on Danny Pellegrino’s podcast that she had ambivalence about not being on the show and admitted that it was hard for her to accept that the Real Housewives was no longer a part of her identity. Her name was being brought up, which she said: “messed with her head.” She said in order to come back, she’d have to be asked. This still could be a possibility, as Heather Dubrow has recently returned to the show after a five-year hiatus.
Right now Tamra still runs Cut Fitness with her husband Eddie Judge and hosts a podcast with Teddi Mellencamp called Two Ts in a Pod.
Was Vicki Gunvalson fired from Real Housewives of Orange County
Vicki, who has been with the entire franchise from the start, was fired the same week as Tamra. She also has issues adjusting to her new life outside of the Housewives. Vicki told Jill Zarin she thought she had been fired because they wanted “younger blood,” but she believed that the franchise could exist without her.
Vicki behaved in an explosive manner on the Season 14 reunion, mostly because she had been demoted to a “friend” status instead of a full-time cast member for that season. At the reunion, she was only allowed on the stage for a limited time, and during that time she lashed out at the other women for things like drinking heavily, kissing other women, and being naked, which are all things Vicki has done or talked about on the show. Producers made sure to splice in evidence of Vicki’s behavior to contradict the statements she was making.
She also claimed that she made everyone there, including Andy Cohen, and that she didn’t audition for the show, although she did make an audition tape for a potential reality show before the concept of Real Housewives of Orange County was solidified.
Vicki and Tamra still remain close, and Tamra helped her get over the recent breakup with her fiancé Steve Lodge. Both Steve and Vicki have accused each other of using one another for fame.
Around the time Vicki and Tamra were filming their final season in 2019, Vicki was actually diagnosed with uterine cancer. She kept the diagnosis and treatment a secret to the public until November 2021, when she opened up about it on Jeff Lewis’ podcast. Tamra Judge was also on that particular podcast.
She later shared that they had caught the cancer early through regular screening, and she had a full hysterectomy.
Vicki has also used this time to repair her friendship with fellow former Bravo celeb Jeff Lewis.
