Dorinda Medley Finally Spills About Her Emotional Exit From RHONY

One season ago on "The Real Housewives of New York," franchise star Dorinda Medley was put on indefinite hiatus by executive producer Andy Cohen. The drama-prone (and thoroughly entertaining) socialite bore no grudges in her gracious Instagram farewell, and it was revealed her exit was really just a "pause.

As Andy said on his SiriusXM station, Radio Andy, in September 2020, Dorinda appeared to need some time off by Season 12 of the show, per Page Six. "She said something at the reunion that struck us all, which was that she should've taken the year off this year. She was in a bad place," the "Watch What Happens Live!" host explained. Andy also said about his decision to "pause" Dorinda, whose husband Richard Medley died in late 2021, "Her house had been flooded, her dad was sick. We lost Bethenny right as filming began and we lost Tinsley halfway through the season."

Calling the fan-favorite "iconic," Andy maintained at the time that he was "hopeful" Dorinda "will rejoin the show at some point," a sentiment echoed by fans two years later. As one fan tweeted in March, "If we get two shows and Dorinda Medley doesn't end up back on my tv screen I will riot." While that question looms in the air for all "RHONY" fans, Dorinda has opened up about her emotional fallout after being put on pause.

Mothers do know best. Dorinda Medley's mother gave her some career-saving advice after the former "Real Housewives of New York" exited the show in 2020. As Dorinda told the "Today" show on March 24, she "went home to [her] mother and bawled [her] eyes out." Mama Medley, however, gave her some unique wisdom. "My mother was like, 'Rejection is protection,'" Dorinda shared. "If you know now what you're going to know later, just send them a thank you note and just keep doing what you do. Let's get up and keep moving." 

The motherly advice clearly worked. Since leaving the show, Dorinda published her memoir, "Make It Nice," in August 2021, and the second season of her radio show, "Make It Nice with Dorinda Medley," premiered on Andy Cohen's own SiriusXM station in March (per People). 

Given a fan tweet that Dorinda, along with Tinsley Mortimer and Kelly Bensimon, are reportedly returning in Season 14, could the fan-favorite's "pause" be over? "The good news is he didn't use the word 'fired,'" Medley told "Today" simply. Only time will tell, we guess.