Jonesin' for Jesus! Scandalous sister wives! And flying legs? From Snakegate to Munchausen,
these Housewives pull off a wig and a fake storyline like nobody else — until they don't!
"You're a viper, you make up stories, and I feel very bad for you."
"Real Housewives of New
Jersey" star Melissa Gorga has been accused of fakery so many times that we could make
a list of just her reality TV crimes. But none of her storylines irritated
fans more than the one where she claimed to possibly have a long-lost half-sister.
"She's like, 'No, your dad wants you to know you have another sister.'"
Gorga has been open about her late father's infidelities,
so a secret love child wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Still,
given that no sister was ever found, and the storyline was dropped by the end of Season 9,
some viewers suspect this so-called sister never existed. On the "Daily Dish" podcast in 2019,
Gorga claimed to have created a 23andMe profile in hopes of finding her sibling.
Supposedly, she was waiting to see if her sister would also do the ancestry search, adding,
"If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."
Well, it wasn't. Gorga had claimed a year prior that she was trying to
be more authentic to herself. And she says her sister search was as real as could be.
She also alleged that people don't respond as well to more "normal" storylines — like
secret sisters. She told Entertainment Tonight that as far as the fans are concerned:
"Unless your husband's cheating on you, or you're Erika Jayne…"
"Then you shouldn't be on the 'Housewives.'"
Claiming that viewers just want the drama stirred up at every turn,
and that the stars should be the ones to do it, Gorga joked,
"It's 'Housewives,' it's not, like, 'Mob Wives!'"
Though she left the show in 2021, Cynthia Bailey spent a whopping 11 seasons on "The
Real Housewives of Atlanta," starting with her debut on Season 3. Over the course of her tenure,
Bailey often rose above the petty drama. And her storylines — from her family's disapproval
of her marriage to Peter, to her daughter Noelle's coming out — were typically grounded in reality.
"I'm Cynthia Bailey. Now what else is goin' on."
Bailey's lighter moments have been fun, including her "50 Cynt" costume
and her failed attempts at twerking. And even though she has gotten into the occasional fight,
Bailey has frequently come across as the bigger person. That is why it was so
shocking when she found herself embroiled in scandal with Season 12's "Snakegate."
"There is some sort of audio of Cynthia saying really horrible things about me."
The whole thing started when it was revealed that someone had secretly recorded Bailey in
a trash-talking tirade against former friend Nene Leakes. Longtime fans will remember the
pair had an infamous "friendship contract." But as Leakes recalled to Kandi Burruss,
"She spoke to someone else that we both know in common, and have talked about me like a dog,
and unfortunately for her, they recorded everything you said."
The snake in question was later exposed — it was none other than "guest" Yovanna Momplaisir — but
no recording ever surfaced. According to Radar, Yovanna may have fabricated the existence of audio
so that she could stick around on the show. But as far as we're concerned? No receipts, no recording.
Many "Real Housewives"
friendships are volatile. But the ladies coming onto the show as besties can usually navigate
the waters better together, compared to those whose friendships are crafted for the cameras.
The core cast of "The Real Housewives of New York City" appear to have genuine connections.
And it's not uncommon to see former stars like Dorinda Medley and Jill Zarin pop up on each
other's social media. Other long-term friendships that predate filming include "Potomac" dream team
Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon, and "New Jersey" buddies Teresa Giudice and Dolores Catania.
Of course, a number of these friendships fall apart on-screen.
But fans have come to expect that when two people are introduced as "friends,"
they're legitimately close. So, when we first met Nene Leakes and Kim Zolciak-Biermann on
Season 1 of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," they appeared to be tight.
"A lot of people look at me and Kim and figure out, how did we get together?
But Kim is so fun and she would do anything for you."
Still, according to co-star Shereé Whitfield, this was nothing more than
a setup. As Whitfield claimed in the tell-all "Not All Diamonds and Rosé,"
"They hadn't talked in years. […] They weren't friends! They fell out because NeNe,
being the shady person she was, went behind Kim's back and tried to befriend her ex."
Back to Melissa Gorga!
Amongst other things, she has been accused of lying about marital issues on Season 11,
owning an Italian family restaurant on Season 8, and fabricating her singing career,
which seems to have culminated with her song "On Display" back in 2011. In 2020,
she was even called out by a fan on the "New Jersey" Season 10 reunion.
As you might remember, that season revolved mostly around Gorga maybe having another baby.
Both viewers and the other Housewives were skeptical about the pregnancy storyline.
But Jennifer Aydin ultimately claimed there was no way Gorga was adding to her family.
"She's way too self-absorbed."
"I feel like you're making a mockery of people who are really going through it,
and people who really do in vitro."
The following season, The Sun even gathered up a bunch of social media posts where fans
had accused Gorga of acting out her imaginary storylines. Nevertheless,
Margaret Josephs has jumped in to defend Gorga against the allegations, according to Reality Tea.
And sister-in-law Teresa Giudice has stayed predictably quiet on the matter.
Former Miss USA, Kenya Moore,
has been livening up our screens ever since she first appeared on "The Real Housewives
of Atlanta" in 2012. With the exception of one season, Moore has appeared consistently since,
and she is often Ground Zero for drama. We're all in for her shady comments, memorable and
fabulous twirls, as well as her heartbreaking family storylines. But like a lot of people,
we've had trouble connecting to Moore's love life as it's presented on screen. And for years,
the star has been accused of manipulating her relationships to appear more intriguing.
"If I had to address every false rumor that the blogs print about me,
it would take just as much time for some of these girls to grow their edges back."
Moore's first boyfriend on the show was Walter Jackson, who appeared on Season 5.
While her castmates questioned the validity of the relationship,
we always gave her the benefit of the doubt. That is, until Jackson himself burst the bubble.
In a 2012 interview with Atlanta's V-103, Jackson claimed that Moore had asked him,
"'What if you play my boyfriend on the show?' […] I'm laid back. They
did a great job. I'm not here to bash the show. It was our secret."
"It just seems like our relationship is just getting weirder by the moment."
Moore, on the other hand, has clung to her claim that everything was real,
telling TooFab at the time,
"Walter's recent statements are completely false."
Ok, Kenya.
The "African Prince" Maybe we would be less skeptical of Kenya
Moore's dating history if there wasn't a pattern of rumors about the men she brings on the show.
She has consistently faced charges of fakery when it comes to her love life.
Her marriage and divorce from Marc Daly aside,
her other boyfriends have either been elusive or have come out against her in the press.
"I never thought Matt would drive three and a half hours and 200 miles to force me to talk to him."
According to Reality Tea, her one-time boyfriend Matt allegedly claimed that he was used for a
storyline. And a man named James Freeman has made similar claims. Freeman's wife even told
Radar that Moore made up an engagement after meeting Freeman on "Millionaire Matchmaker."
But the star's most peculiar romance revolved around a mysterious "African
Prince" that she may or may not have dated. As Walter Jackson told the Daily Mail,
"She talks about an African boyfriend, but nobody on the set or in the cast says
they have ever seen him. I am still close friends with a lot of the stars on the show
and it has become a bit of a joke, no one believes he is actually real."
Moore sticks by her story that she did date an African man. And the blog Tamara Tattles guessed
it could have been Nigerian singer D'banj … Except for the fact that D'banj is not an actual prince,
and he denies any romantic involvement with Moore.
It's rare for a cast member
to admit to falsifying a storyline without anyone already pointing a finger their way.
But that's what "New York" star Carole Radziwill did when she discussed her
friendship with Tinsley Mortimer on Jenny McCarthy's radio show in 2019.
Radziwill had previously alluded to her friendship with Mortimer being enhanced for the cameras.
And she brushed off their relationship during her final reunion. But the McCarthy interview
was the first time she went into depth about the inner workings of production.
"Tinsley and I weren't really clicking."
Claiming that none of the cast wanted to get too friendly with Mortimer,
she explained that she defaulted to being the only one who would willingly shoot scenes with her.
"I had fixed her up with this guy I knew, so it was like a — considered
like an easy way to do scenes together."
Radziwill claims that producers encouraged them to film together,
and were the reason she stayed with Mortimer in the Hamptons.
"After filming, I never spoke with Tinsley."
Mortimer then claimed on "Watch What Happens Live" that the pair had talked on the phone
and that she was hurt by the allegations. But that didn't stop Radziwill from dishing
on the non-friendship once again when she stopped by the "Juicy Scoop" podcast in 2020.
Aviva Drescher won't go
down in history as a top-tier "Real Housewife." But the two-season "New York" star will always
be remembered for the iconic moment where she threw her prosthetic leg across the room. Still,
even a rogue leg couldn't keep Drescher on the show for another season.
"The only thing that's artificial or fake about me is this."
It was an ironic statement, given the subsequent reveal that the whole thing was artfully planned…
and artificial. At the time, Drescher claimed that the leg toss was a spur-of-the-moment decision,
revealing at the reunion that she didn't know she was going to do it.
But her cast members didn't buy it. And in 2015,
Bustle reported that Drescher even warned a producer she may unhook her prosthetic leg.
Then, in 2020, Drescher's ex-husband Harry Dubin told the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast,
"I'm sitting at the bar and she's sitting there in the lounge, where they're filming.
She comes out and says, 'Harry, you gotta help me! I'm gonna throw my leg on national television,
and you pick me up and carry me out of the scene and tell them what kinda people are these.'"
Well, it sounds like this storyline no longer has, um, legs.
"All I know is that it's gonna take time. A lot of time."
Drescher isn't the only "Real Housewife of New York City" with ties to Harry Dubin. In fact,
Dubin has reportedly dated or slept with at least four of the cast.
In addition to his marriage to Drescher, Dubin has been linked with Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan,
and Ramona Singer. Morgan, at one point, even seemed to be head over heels for Harry.
But in 2014, Us Weekly reported that a "promise ring" scene between Dubin and
Morgan had been staged for the cameras. Though Dubin clearly said the ring was not the ring,
he still suggested a real engagement wasn't far off. Sources told the outlet that the
entire scenario was actually orchestrated by Morgan and Ramona Singer, dishing,
"When Ramona got to the party, she got the ring from (ex-husband) Mario and gave it to Sonja,
who gave it to Harry so they could stage the proposal.
After they shot it, Sonja gave the ring back to Ramona. It was only for the scene."
Morgan denied the allegations to Radar. But they resurfaced in 2021 when former "New York" star
Heather Thompson opened up about the ring scene, telling the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast,
"We were spending all this time on this, you know, thing that I thought was kind of just a joke."
From drunkenly stomping on
a glass tray at Ramona's birthday party to (also drunkenly) knocking out a tooth while ripping off
a strange man's shirt, Sonja Morgan is nothing if not entertaining. Much of what she does on
"The Real Housewives of New York City" appears to be real and genuine, and her big heart and
zest for life are ever-apparent. But nothing has been sadder to watch than Morgan's attempts at
business. And this is where fans have had trouble connecting with the lovable star.
Like many who have come before her, Morgan has made numerous attempts at launching products to
capitalize on her fame. She was even able to get her clothing line into Century 21 before
the store shuttered amidst the pandemic, according to People. But — Sonja by Sonja
Morgan fashion aside — Morgan's other businesses appear to have been nothing more than a joke.
She launched Tipsy Girl Sparking Rosé, a line that went nowhere but created a big storyline
after Skinnygirl creator Bethenny Frankel labeled it a "cheater brand," per The Daily Dish.
Andy Cohen once told People that Tipsy Girl was "the most absurd business" to be featured on the
franchise — but even Tipsy Girl was more legit than Morgan's toaster line that never happened.
As Carole Radziwill told the podcast "In My Heart with Heather Thomson,"
"She had no intention of making a toaster oven; it was just a funny storyline for the show."
"The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" was
on fire for Season 2. And it's likely that Jennie Nguyen would have played a large role in Season 3,
had her hateful social media behavior not been exposed. According to Page Six, Bravo fired Nguyen
in January 2022, before the second season had even wrapped. To her credit, Nguyen gave us some good
moments, like when she cooked with her kids, or when she reacted to Jen Shah's shocking arrest
by eating Shah's snacks. But even so, she will likely be remembered for her problematic social
media posts, her beef with Mary M. Cosby, and her supremely questionable "sister wife" storyline.
"What if we get a sister wife?"
"Are you serious right now?"
Fans weren't exactly buying it when Nguyen's husband Duy casually proposed adding another
wife to their marriage while the couple were on a date. Things got even more suspect when it was
connected to Duy's desire for another child. The couple experienced a multitude of miscarriages,
but barely considered other options like surrogacy or adoption.
The fakery was then called out by Nguyen's alleged niece, who posted on TikTok,
"These people are so disgusting, they're willing to do anything for money. […] Second,
she's milking this whole crazy 'I came from nothing' storyline, which is not true at all."
Consistently at the
bottom of the barrel, "The Real Housewives of Dallas" was put on ice after ratings nosedived
to their lowest during Season 5, according to The Sun. But, despite all of the struggles,
the series still managed to gift us some stellar storylines over the years.
Even so, one polarizing cast member, Cary Deuber, has spoken out about the artificial
nature of the show and the lengths she went to in order to land some airtime.
Deuber — who was a main cast member for the first three seasons — and her husband Mark,
stopped by "Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino" in 2020. There, Mark admitted,
"The laser center kinda started as a goof to have a storyline for Season 2. And I'm like,
'The only way that I'm gonna let you play that storyline is if you really get your ass
in there and run something and then I'm gonna go with it.'"
"I'll just do all the work myself."
The doctor-nurse team now head the Lemmon Avenue Plastic Surgery and Laser Center in Dallas, Texas.
So file this one under something that started out as totally fake and then actually turned real.
While we don't doubt anyone's spirituality,
it was still hard to buy into things when Tamra Judge suddenly found religion on
Season 10 of "The Real Housewives of Orange County." Her journey never felt completely
genuine — not even when she was baptized in front of the rest of the cast and cameras.
"And now, I love Jesus!"
After that, her Christian faith seemed to disappear into thin air. The reality star
made hardly any reference to religion or God for the subsequent four seasons before
she was fired at the end of Season 14. So it was hardly a surprise when
Radar reported that the storyline was made up for TV. As one insider dished,
"She says she's found religion, but her 'new leaf' story line is completely fake."
Judge has made passing references to faith in the years since — most often in response
to haters' critiques. But her spirituality sure hasn't stopped her from attacking the
other women on a regular basis. Judge denies ever fabricating a storyline,
claiming that other stars have been less genuine. As she posted on Instagram,
"It always shows and those type of cast members don't last very long on the show."
With its debut in 2010,
"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" served up all the glitzy glam,
with seriously compelling drama. But the series hit a slump around Season 4,
when Taylor Armstrong and Adrienne Maloof were replaced by Joyce Giraud and Carlton Gebbia.
And Season 6 falls into the nearly unwatchable category, thanks to the Munchausen storyline.
"They like to prey on the weak. 'You're sick,' so let's go after you."
Tongues were wagging when the women started to question Yolanda Hadid's battle with Lyme disease,
with Lisa Rinna wondering if Hadid was suffering from Munchausen syndrome.
That would have meant Hadid was faking her illness just to get attention.
Much of the season was about this accusation,
but Rinna has gone on record saying that it was all fabricated. She told Jenny McCarthy's podcast,
"To be honest with you, I knew that we were gonna tell the story this season about Yolanda.
I just had a sense. I said to Harry [Hamlin], 'This is gonna be the story of the season,
and I don't want to do it, and I don't feel good about it.'"
"That's a vicious, mean narcissist that does that."
But Rinna clearly didn't care too much, since she got the ball rolling. Still,
she made sure to call out Lisa Vanderpump as the true mastermind on the Season 6 reunion.