The Biggest Scandals To Ever Hit Bravo
Bravo sure has a knack for setting the stage for drama in front of the camera and behind the scenes. From Teresa Giudice's first table flip, "The Real Housewives" franchise has shown us that the network knows no bounds when it comes to explosive scandals. How could it with all the secret past lives, prison time, stints in rehab, and high-profile divorces?
While "The Real Housewives" might be responsible for the vast amount of Bravo-related scandals (if only because of the sheer number of them), they're hardly the only Bravo stars embroiled in controversy. From the waitstaff on "Vanderpump Rules" to the descendants of politicians on "Southern Charm," there's not one single Bravo show that escapes without some mega-drama. From sexual assault and abuse claims to the poor choices that have gotten people kicked off their respective series, these are just some of the biggest scandals to ever hit Bravo.
A Millionaire Matchmaker 'house of horrors'
"The Millionaire Matchmaker" didn't get nearly the same attention as Bravo's revolving cast of Real Housewives, but it's not without its own scandals. In March 2018, the show came under fire after a California businessman who appeared on the series in 2011 was accused of sexual assault. According to People, Michael Leslie Bernback was arrested in 2015 "in connection with the alleged rape of two women" at his home.
KTLA 5 reported that at least eight women had come forward with allegations against Bernback. LAPD Lt. Jim Gavin accused the businessman of running a "house of horrors" where women were allegedly drugged and raped. In one instance, Bernback allegedly made a woman sign a waiver stating that their interaction was consensual, but she felt like it was not. "Most of these girls were going there with the idea they were having sex with him," Gavin told People. "There is no argument there. The problem is he went over the line."
According to the New York Daily News, Bernback was charged with eight felonies, but his case was dropped in May 2018.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Joe Giudice's juicy fraud case
Teresa Giudice went from being a star on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" to a Real Housewife of the penitentiary. The Bravo starlet and her first husband, Joe Giudice, were both slapped with prison time after an utterly scandalous scheme. According to the AP, they were "charged in a 39-count indictment with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications and bankruptcy fraud" in 2013. Per People, Joe also was accused of not filing his taxes for several years in a row. Initially, they maintained their innocence, but by 2014, the two pleaded guilty to the fraud charges.
Teresa spent nearly a year behind bars, and Joe was sentenced to 41 months in the slammer. As per E! News, Joe was deported to Italy, and he and Teresa ended their marriage. Teresa walked down the aisle a second time in 2022, marrying businessman Luis Ruelas.
Thomas Ravenel's not so charming charges
Bravo once allowed a Housewife to threaten her co-star with a shard of broken glass and still appear in a reunion special, so you know something really bad must've happened for Thomas Ravenel to allegedly get banned from the "Southern Charm" Season 5 reunion.
According to People, Ravenel was "charged with assault and battery in the second degree" after being accused of sexually assaulting his children's nanny, who asked to be identified as "Nanny Dawn" in order to keep her identity relatively under wraps. That accusation emerged after real estate agent Ashley Perkins accused the "Southern Charm" star of assaulting her mother, Debbie Holloway Perkins, following an October 2015 Tinder date. Ashley claimed her mom signed a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for $200,000.
Ravenel ended up quitting the show in 2018 and railing on Bravo for having "the right to fictionalize" his story. People reported that the charges could potentially be used against him in his ongoing custody battle with his ex, Kathryn Dennis, who also starred on the show. According to People, Ravenel and Nanny Dawn reached a settlement of $125,000 in 2019 after he pleaded guilty to assault in the third degree.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Countess Luann de Lesspes encounters legal woes
Luann de Lesseps shocked fans of "The Real Housewives of New York" when a string of unfortunate events led the star back to rehab and forced her to miss the Season 10 reunion. In August 2017, she announced that she'd be divorcing Tom D'Agostino after seven months of marriage. That December, the former countess was arrested after reportedly threatening to kill a police officer who tried to remove her and a man from a hotel room that wasn't hers, according to Page Six. She was charged with "disorderly intoxication, battery on an officer/firefighter/EMT, resisting arrest with violence and threatening a public servant," according to People. De Lesseps apologized for her behavior, claiming she was emotional because it was her first time in Palm Beach since her wedding.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the "RHONY" star received treatment following her arrest but relapsed after her ex-husband and children sued her over selling their $8 million home. Costar Bethenny Frankel staged an intervention, and de Lesseps then entered treatment for the second time in a year. "I had two or three of those [watermelon martinis], then I had, I think two bottles of rosé by myself and then I had probably a six pack of beer or something," de Lesseps told Megyn Kelly (via THR). "I can't have just one drink."
Pack your buzzer and go
For a show that doesn't have much drama beyond undercooked chicken and burned sauce, "Top Chef" certainly had one doozy of a scandal in 2007, when a Season 2 contestant was assaulted during an impromptu haircut after judging hours. Marcel Vigneron's hair grew rather shaggy during filming, and he asked production if he could chop his locks. Producers repeatedly denied his request because they didn't want any continuity errors, but they eventually told him that he could get a trim as long as one of the other contestants did it. Vigneron declined, and then wound up almost getting that haircut against his will.
What transpired started as a joke and quickly turned obscene when a group of contestants, who had been drinking that night, pinned him down while he was asleep and tried to shave his head. Vigneron reportedly called out for help. "In a flash I understood how frat pranks can morph into ugly acts of hazing, or how a rowdy bachelor party can become the scene of a crime," wrote principal judge Tom Colicchio in a Bravo blog post. Colicchio admitted he wanted to send the entire group home after the harrowing event and let Vigneron win by default. However, producers vetoed that option; only one contestant was given the ax because he allegedly threatened Vigneron, which is against the "Top Chef" rules.
The RHOA dungeon debacle
Leave it to a Real Housewife to conjure up a rumor so bad it actually gets her fired and causes a full-on scandal. According to TMZ, Phaedra Parks got herself booted from "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" in 2017 for lying about a cast member conspiring to rape another cast member. Excuse us?
Parks reportedly sparked the rumor during filming when she told Porsha Williams that Kandi Burruss and husband Todd Tucker planned to drug and kidnap Williams, bring her back to their home, and sexually assault her. According to BET, Parks alleged the couple had a "sex dungeon" where they take victims. Williams, who was probably horrified if she believed this to be true, kept repeating the rumor throughout Season 9 like it was an actual fact. Burruss denied the allegations up and down, and according to TMZ, she supposedly told Bravo she'd take legal action if they released the footage where Parks recounted the false story to Williams.
Honestly, the whole situation gives frenemy a new meaning, but Williams and Burruss have since patched things up. Burruss still does not have a "sex dungeon" (though she said she's open to the idea). However, she did throw a star-studded Dungeon Party as a major clapback to Parks' rumor.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Apollo Nida pops the question in prison
Teresa Giudice isn't the only Bravo star to spend time in the slammer. "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" had its own prison scandal when Phaedra Parks' husband, Apollo Nida, got time for mail, wire, and bank fraud. According to the Daily Mail, "Nida initially faced up to 30 years in prison for identity theft and money laundering totalling up to $2.3 million." He reportedly stole the identities of more than 50 people by setting up a fake debt collection agency to gather personal data. He then allegedly used those identities to do things like set up bank accounts to launder money, specifically from unclaimed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds, and to cash checks from the U.S. Treasury and from the Delta Airlines pension fund. He also reportedly received fraudulent tax returns and set up car loans for fake vehicles through a fake car dealership. Nida pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
He and Parks finalized a drawn-out divorce and custody arrangement in 2017. Nida famously proposed to another woman while he was still in prison in 2016. In 2022, he married his fiancée of six years, Sherien Almufti.
Jenni Pulos vs. Jeff Lewis
Jenni Pulos and Jeff Lewis' friendship fueled more than a decade's worth of "Flipping Out" episodes, but as it turns out, the home renovator may have actually flipped out on his longtime assistant-turned-executive producer. In 2018, Lewis shocked audiences when he revealed on his SiriusXM radio show (via People) that Pulos had allegedly reported him to Bravo for "abuse and victimization." She reportedly claimed "Flipping Out" was a "hostile working environment," but following a "time-consuming" investigation, Lewis' name was cleared. "Her making this claim, it put my entire career in jeopardy. My family, my livelihood, everything," he said. "I just lost my job. I'm pretty sure of that. But I need to get in front of the story and I have to tell my side of the story. I'm a dead man walking, but I have to tell my story."
The strange part is, none of this may be true. According to People, Pulos claimed Lewis abruptly fired her from Jeff Lewis Design following "an explosive lunch." (She remained an executive producer.) She told People that she never filed a wrongful termination or abuse and victimization claim against him.
Which version of this scandal is the real one? We may never know. As of this writing, Pulos and Lewis' friendship remains a thing of the past.
Sonja Morgan leaves the townhouse
Sonja Morgan's riches to rags story absolutely rocked "The Real Housewives of New York City." The star found herself embroiled in a devastating bankruptcy case following her divorce from J.P. Morgan heir John Morgan. It lasted nearly five years, and as fans of the show know, the star's decision to move out of her townhouse was a painful plot point.
According to E! News, Sonja filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2010, and somehow, actor John Travolta was involved. Why? Her production company, Sonja Productions, reportedly took a major hit after she backed a Travolta flick called "Flash Flash to Bang Time" in partnership with another company called Hannibal Pictures. The film never happened because she allegedly couldn't meet Travolta's demands. Hannibal Pictures ended up suing her and winning a cool $7 million.
In June 2015, Sonja clawed her way out of her massive debt. According to E! News, she wound up paying about $9 million — significantly less than the nearly $20 million she initially owed. However, she was reportedly sued by her bankruptcy attorney in 2017 for about $350K, so that doesn't bode well.
Jax Taylor's cheating scandal
Jax Taylor didn't have the best track record when it came to dating, but longtime fans of Vanderpump Rules were really crossing their fingers that the star had finally closed his wandering eye. Unfortunately, that didn't appear to be the case in 2018, when he found himself embroiled in a cheating scandal so salacious that it remained a plot point on the show for a long time.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Taylor cheated on longtime girlfriend Brittany Cartwright with former SURver Faith Stowers. That's not big news, considering Taylor cheated on almost every person he dated on the series. However, there was a deeper, more-insidious layer to this indiscretion. Leaked audio revealed that Taylor was trashing his girlfriend to Stowers post-hookup. He reportedly said he wasn't attracted to Cartwright (and that's after he reportedly persuaded her to get D-sized implants).
In a Facebook Live interview, Stowers claimed Taylor had been sliding into her DMs for an entire year. He even asked her to have a threesome with him and his longtime love. Stowers reportedly only gave him a chance because he claimed to have split with Cartwright. Despite the numerous arguments that erupted on-screen as a result of Taylor's cheating, Cartwright opted to stay with her man. The two are now married and have a son.
Frasier's 'magical night'
Is it ever not a scandal when a major TV star cheats on his wife with a much younger woman? That exact thing rocked the "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" during its very first seasons when Camille Grammer split from her husband, "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer. The news of Kelsey's affair hit extra-hard because he was so beloved in his role on the TV show. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel (via the Daily Mail), Kelsey revealed he'd been cheating on Camille for a solid six months before they split. He reportedly fell for a British flight attendant "in the air" in 2009, and they spent a "magical night" together days later. In 2010, the actor asked Camille for a divorce after a friend supposedly spilled the beans. The kicker? The flight attendant was about 26 younger than Kelsey.
In an interview with the New York Post, Camille said she believes Kelsey pushed her to do the reality show to keep her "preoccupied in California while he was having his affair in New York." She said, "I don't respect what he did to me and my family. I am not happy with the way it went down. When I signed on, I didn't think I would be going through a divorce in the middle of shooting a reality show."
Danielle Staub's past life... or should we call her Beverly?
Danielle Staub's rap sheet is longer than the weave that was pulled from her hair on the night the cast of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" was banned from the North Jersey Country Club. Back when she was known as Beverly Merrill, the starlet could have doubled as a character in "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" because she supposedly was embroiled in a botched drug deal that reportedly left Pablo Escobar's cartel wanting her dead. According to Radar, Staub was working as a sex worker when she started selling drugs with then-boyfriend Daniel Aguilar, an "enforcer" in the Medellin Cartel. During a deal, $100,000 worth of cocaine was reportedly stolen, and Aguilar allegedly stuck his own neck out to save hers. He later got arrested by the FBI and spent nine years in prison.
In a separate incident, Gawker reported that the reality starlet was arrested "with six kilos of coke and $16,000 cash" in connection to a drug-fueled kidnapping plot. As the story goes, Staub's neighbor, Carmen Centolella, was allegedly brokering a cocaine deal for Aguilar worth about $48,000. Staub supposedly took half the goods to Centolella's for "testing," where she was reportedly jumped by four men who ran off with the cocaine. Aguilar allegedly blamed Centolella and beat and kidnapped him. Aguilar and Staub allegedly demanded a $25,000 ransom from Centolella's father. However, Staub reportedly cut a deal with prosecutors.
This whole thing kind of makes her 20 plus engagements look well-adjusted, doesn't it?
The Vanderpump Rules Scandoval
Andy Cohen himself couldn't see it coming. "Vanderpump Rules" stars Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix ended their nine-year relationship in 2023 in the wake of the what fans have dubbed the "Scandoval." On March 3, TMZ revealed that Madix found out Sandoval was in the throes of a months-long affair with costar Raquel Leviss.
"VPR" fans have seen their fair share of cheating scandals over the years, but this one might be the most stunning one yet. Not only did Sandoval and Madix seem like an unbreakable pair, but it complicates the cast's relationship web even further. Leviss was previously engaged to James Kennedy, who first joined the show as Kristen Doute's boyfriend. Before Sandoval was in a longterm relationship with Madix, he was with Doute. (Though he denied anything happened while he was still with Doute, he would later admit to cheating on Doute with Madix.) Doute cheated on Sandoval with his former best friend Jax Taylor, and Taylor has a whole wild cheating history of his own. Needless to say, it's mess on top of mess.
Since the news broke, "VPR" Season 10 resumed filming, and Sandoval and Leviss issued separate public apologies. Madix waited a bit before she issued a statement. "I am so f**king lucky to have the best support system in the world and I hope I can repay every single person for the love you have shown me," she wrote on Instagram. "What doesn't kill me better run."
Gretchen Rossi's illicit photos resurface
If we had a dime for every time a scandal broke in the "Real Housewives" universe, we would have one heavy piggy bank. Gretchen Rossi shocked viewers when revealing photos of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" alum came out — and we're talking the racy kind. At the start of Season 5, several intimate photos were published of the television star without her permission. The compromising snapshots showed Rossi posing with a vibrator, topless inside a vehicle, as well as sitting on a toilet seat with her pants slid down.
Per Radar, Rossi's lawyer sent a cease and desist letter ordering the photos be removed from the site, but not before the ladies of Orange County spilled the tea. "There's a picture of her with a vibrator laying on a bed with a cord, I'm like, 'Holy Mother of Gynecology! Who has a vibrator with a cord?" Tamra Barney said during the Season 5 premiere episode. Rossi went on to reveal she had no part in releasing the photos, and that she took them when she was going through a difficult time following her father's death.
The "RHOC" star has put the past behind her, and she's instead gone on to welcome her daughter Skylar alongside her partner, Slade Smiley, in 2019. The two have also launched their joint podcast "Knot Too Taboo" in 2020 where they discuss family, life, and relationship matters with guests.
Denise Richards pleads the fifth on hookup with Brandi Glanville
It was the "Bravo, Bravo, Bravo" heard 'round the "Real Housewives" universe. Denise Richards reached her limit during Season 10 of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" over allegations of an affair between her and former cast member Brandi Glanville. As viewers would later learn, she shouted the network's name in the middle of the scene to signal to producers to cut the tape. Alas, they did not stop rolling.
The scandal began in 2020 when Glanville appeared during the season and alleged that Richards had an open relationship with her husband Aaron Phyphers that allowed her to be intimate with other women. She went on to admit that she visited the "Wild Things" star for two nights while Richards was filming in Northern California. "The first night I was there, we just had a good night, we're hanging out," Glanville said on the show. "The next night we got really drunk; we were so f***ed up, and we kind of hooked up."
Richards, who has been married to Aaron Phypers since 2018, has time and time again denied the affair; Glanville has continued to stick by the allegations. The drama proved to be the nail in the coffin of her "RHOBH" career, as Season 10 was Richards' final season. On a 2023 episode of "Watch What Happens Live," Glanville confirmed they were no longer speaking.
Kathy Hilton threatens to take down Bravo
In Season 12 of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Lisa Rinna and Kathy Hilton hit a major rough patch during a cast trip to Aspen. The drama began when Hilton got upset that sister Kyle Richards did not encourage the other Housewives to order Eva Longoria's Casa Del Sol tequila. (Hilton and her daughter Nicky Hilton Rothschild are investors in the brand.) The drama got even worse when Rinna chose to order Kendall Jenner's 818 tequila instead.
Things boiled over that night when cameras had stopped rolling. In the second installment of the Season 12 reunion, Rinna alleged Hilton threw a fit upon leaving a nightclub after a DJ refused to play her requested music. "Kathy [was] screaming and yelling and venting, and saying things that I have never heard in my life," Rinna claimed. She went on to allege that Hilton directed a homophobic slur at the DJ, and then threatened NBC, Bravo, and the "Real Housewives" franchise on the way home. Oh, and according to Rinna, Hilton allegedly claimed she was going to "destroy" Richards' whole family.
Hilton denied using homophobic language, making threats, and saying hurtful things about her costars and family members. However, she did acknowledge that she was frustrated in the moment. "I recall venting, thinking that we've known each other a long time, this is not being filmed, and I felt like I could trust you," Hilton said at the time. Rinna parted ways with the series after the season.
NeNe Leakes sues Bravo over racism
After she parted ways with "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," series superstar NeNe Leakes made some serious allegations against Bravo. In April 2022, Leakes hit the network with a lawsuit. "NBC, Bravo and True foster a corporate and workplace culture in which racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated – if not, encouraged," the suit reads, per CBS News. Leakes was one of the original members of the "RHOA" cast, and she officially parted ways with the series in 2020.
The suit dove back into years of past drama between Leakes and her former co-star Kim Zolciak-Biermann. Leakes claimed the "Tardy for the Party" artist used racist slurs toward her, and regularly made offensive comments about her costars. Leake's lawyer David deRubertis said in the statement, "From the day the series began filming, NeNe was the target of systemic racism from co-star Kim Zolciak-Biermann, which was tolerated by Bravo executive producer Andy Cohen and other executives." According to ET, when Zolciak-Biermann was asked about the allegations on "The Nightcap with Carlos King," she claimed they were untrue.
Leakes ended up dismissing the lawsuit in August 2022, but she is allowed to revisit the case in the future if she chooses.
The first Below Deck baby
When Season 2 of "Below Deck: Sailing Yacht" was still airing, cast member Dani Soares announced on Instagram that she was expecting. Fans quickly began speculating about the identity of the father, as the stew had gotten close with deckhand Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux during their season together.
Soares broke the news of the paternity during the "BDSY" Season 2 reunion segment. She shared that Cerza-Lanaux is indeed the father, but the relationship between the two parents is rocky, to say the least. In June 2021, Cerza-Lanaux shared on Instagram that he wanted a paternity test done to confirm the child was his. "There will be one ASAP. No, Australia isn't open yet or I would have already gone so those of you saying 'just go' must not know that. We are truly on different continents so easier said than done," he wrote.
Eventually, they were able to conduct the DNA tests, and the results showed Cerza-Lanaux is indeed the father. "I'm happy and proud to say Sweet and beautiful Lilly rose is my daughter," he wrote on Instagram. However, as of the time of writing the yachtie has yet to post any photos with his daughter nor does any evidence exist that he visits her at Soares' home in Australia. He did, however, go Instagram official with a new girlfriend in 2023.
Jen Shah gets arrested while filming
Teresa Giudice from "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" is not the only Housewife to land herself in federal prison for tax fraud. As CNN reported at the time, "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah found herself in legal trouble in March 2021 when she and her assistant Stuart Smith were arrested while Season 2 was in the middle of filming. According to Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, the "RHOSLC" alum were charged with running a fraudulent telemarketing business scheme that involved recruiting victims and scamming them out of their money.
In January 2023, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced that Shah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison. Her assistant, Stuart Smith, who also took a plea deal, is awaiting his sentencing as of the time of writing. The "RHOSLC" star traded designer clothes for a prison jumpsuit in February of 2023, taking to her Instagram to release a statement the day her prison sentence began. "I am surrendering to serve a sentence in federal prison today," she continued, "It is the price I must pay for the bad decisions I made. People got hurt because of my decisions. While incarcerated, I will work to make amends and reconcile with the victims of my crime." While it's nothing like an episode of the "RHOSLC," Shah is updating fans with Instagram posts managed by an administrator that detail her life behind bars.
Erika Jayne's disgraced ex-husband
In November 2020, Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi announced they'd separated after 20 years of marriage. A month later, things took an even bigger turn. As E! News reported at the time, they were sued for allegedly embezzling plane crash settlement funds. According to the suit, Girardi allegedly took money that was supposed to go to the family members of the victims involved in the Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air Flight 610 crash and used it to support Jayne's lifestyle and music career.
As reported by Page Six, Jayne's name was eventually cleared in 2022 when a judge found the television star innocent in a $5 million dollar lawsuit that accused her of assisting her former husband in his crimes or being privy to them. Per the AP, Girardi was later disbarred. And in February 2023, he was charged with stealing over $18 million from his clients. What's more, there were cheating allegations, a lawsuit involving Wells Fargo, and a lot of shocking details about how much money Girardi actually had to his name. It's a long way to fall for the once-prominent and highly respected attorney, whose work representing Erin Brockovich inspired a film starring Julia Roberts in 2000.
As for her reaction to her estranged husband's indictment, Jayne told the Daily Mail,"You know, I have something to say, but not right now. You'll hear from me soon." It looks like Season 13 of the "RHOBH" will have a lot to unpack.
Racist trolls leave Garcelle Beauvais's son in tears
Season 12 of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" saw its fair share of controversy, but nothing could compare to the online hate received by Garcelle Beauvais' son Jax Nilon. As Beauvais' various conflicts with her costars carried on throughout the season, trolls evidently decided to go lower than low and target one of her kids on social media. A number of the hateful messages the teenager received were threatening and racist in nature. Beauvais shared Nilon's statement regarding the attacks via Instagram Stories. "It is currently my first week of high school and, instead of enjoying it like most kids at my school, I have to deal with being attacked on social media," he wrote. Beauvais' costars spoke out against the comments and defended Nilon.
Beauvais suspected costar Diana Jenkins was behind the ambush against Nilon, and she even accused Jenkins of paying for the bots cyberbullying her child. Jenkins denied the allegation and launched her own investigation into who was responsible. In November 2022, Radar reported that Jenkins' team apparently found the alleged source.
Nilon, who was 14 during Season 12, also had an unfortunate interaction with one of his mom's costars on the show. At the end of Beauvais' birthday party, a clearly intoxicated Erika Jayne propositioned Beauvais' eldest son, Oliver Saunders, and cursed at Nilon. Beauvais later confronted Jayne, and Jayne apologized to Nilon.
Bethenny Frankel's divorce from hell
The "Real Housewives" franchise has seen plenty of women go through nasty divorces, but no breakup was quite as bitter as the one between Bethenny Frankel and her ex-husband Jason Hoppy. Viewers saw Bethenny's relationship fall in love with the businessman during Season 3 of "Real Housewives of New York City." The two went on to get engaged just 11 months after meeting, and then tied the knot and welcomed their daughter, Brynn, in 2010.
Their marriage was short-lived, however, and the two split up in 2012. Frankel filed for divorce the following year. Per Page Six, in the midst of their divorce battle, Hoppy was arrested after he went to his daughter's school and yelled at his wife, "I will destroy you!" He allegedly fired off a series of rants via email that led to him being charged with harassing and stalking his then-estranged wife. Frankel filed a cease and desist letter against him in 2016 before he was arrested.
Frankel and Hoppy were able to settle their financial dispute in 2016 but went on to battle over custody of their daughter until 2021. She opened up about the ordeal on her "Just B" podcast just how harrowing the ordeal was. "I have spent millions of dollars, millions of tears. I have had a horrific, hall of fame, nightmare divorce," she said. "Divorce has been my greatest struggle and ultimately my greatest matter to survive. And it was torture."
Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute get the boot
Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute were once known as The Witches of Weho, but their supposed magical powers were not enough to stop them from getting fired off "Vanderpump Rules." In a 2020 Instagram Live interview with MTV star Candace Rice, former cast member Faith Stowers opened up about what it was like being the only Black woman on "VPR." She said Doute and Schroeder once gave her name to authorities when they heard a story about a Black woman who was wanted for a crime in the area. "They thought it was me because it was a Black woman with a weave," she said. A week after the interview came out, Bravo fired Doute and Schroeder.
The two former SUR waitresses went on to issue public apologies. While Schroeder did lose some partnerships and had to put her podcast on pause, she did not leave the public eye for good. In addition to relaunching her podcast, she released her second book, "Off with My Head: The Definitive Basic B***h Handbook to Surviving Rock Bottom," in 2022. Doute is back filming episodes for Season 10 of "Vanderpump Rules" in the wake of the Scandoval.
After Schroeder's book became a New York Times Best Seller in 2022, Stowers seemed to address its success via Instagram Story."I think it's a sad, sad time for our community when someone can use white privilege to try and destroy you and then use that same privilege to make money off of you," she wrote.
Brandi Glanville's ex-husband's many affairs
Little was known about Brandi Glanville before the media got wind of the shocking affair between her ex-husband Eddie Cibrian and country music star LeAnn Rimes. The former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star met her former husband out on the nightclub scene in Los Angeles in the early 90s, and they said "I do" in 2001. The two went on to have two sons together.
In 2009, Us Weekly revealed that the "Northern Lights" actor had been having an affair with Rimes. Glanville filed for divorce a few months later, revealing how hurt she was after considering Rimes a friend. "The reason it is so bad is she was pretending to be my friend as well," she said on "The Jeff Probst Show." "It would have been better had I not known her and they were just having an affair. We're sitting there and she's pretending they're pals — and she's sleeping with my husband."
But Rimes wasn't the only woman Cibrian had been seeing behind Glanville's back. In a Bravo crossover moment for the ages, Glanville sat down with Scheana Shay on the 2013 premiere of "Vanderpump Rules." In the opening scene, Shay apologized to Glanville for having an affair with Cibrian. "The good thing about her is that I thought LeAnn was just the one-time thing," Glanville said in a "RHOBH" after show clip. "But when I found out about her, she saved me because I left him."
Ashley Jacobs calls Kathryn Dennis an 'egg donor'
While the South may be known for its hospitality, the same can't be said for stars on Bravo's "Southern Charm." Former co-stars Ashley Jacobs and Kathryn Dennis were at each others' throats during Season 5 after Dennis's ex-boyfriend Thomas Ravenel, with whom she shares two kids, started a relationship with Jacobs. In the final episode of Season 5, tensions reached a high when Jacobs called Dennis "just an egg donor."
Jacobs doubled down on the "Southern Charm" after show. She stated, "Just because you push something out of your vagina doesn't mean you're a mother." Jacobs did eventually backtrack her comments, due to the amount of negative backlash she received following the episode's airing. "I owe you all an apology," she wrote on Instagram. "I'd like to apologize for how I treated Kathryn, and how badly I disrespected her. I'm not sure what made me think it was okay to speak to a mother that way. It wasn't."
Dennis was less than impressed after her friend and former cast mate Danni Baird called her on FaceTime to share the news of Jacob's statement. As per Baird's since-deleted Instagram Stories, Dennis was seen reading a line from Jacobs' letter which said, "I've learned a tremendous lesson from all the good parents out there," to which the mother of two replied jokingly, "This lesson? That's a tremendous word for you!"
The infamous Puppygate
One of Bravo's most confusing scandals to date had an unlikely fur baby at the center of it. A puppy called Lucy Lucy Apple Juice started a feud between Lisa Vanderpump and several other cast mates. The drama began in 2019 when Season 9 of the "RHOBH" premiered. At the top of the season, viewers learned Dorit Kemsley had adopted a puppy from Vanderpump Dogs. However, after the pup bit her children and husband, she gave her away to a business associate. Much to the dismay of Vanderpump and her rescue organization, the dog was later dropped off at a shelter, (unbeknownst to Kemsley) which sparked "Puppygate."
Word got around about the Vanderpump Dogs pup ending up in a shelter, and some of Kemsley's costars suspected LVP was to thank. Teddi Mellencamp felt like she was a pawn in LVP's supposed scheme, Kyle Richards accused LVP of lying about tipping off the tabloids, and before we knew it, Vanderpump was at odds with pretty much everyone in the cast. She stopped filming in the middle of the season before parting ways with the series altogether. (Don't worry, Lucy Lucy Apple Juice found a new home.)
Though LVP denied providing the LLAJ scoop to the tabloids, sources say otherwise. "When Lisa lost the narrative in the show, and she realized that it wasn't going the way she wanted, that's when she leaked the story to the press," executive producer Chris Cullen claimed in the book "Not All Diamonds and Rosé." Yikes.