Real Housewives Who Look Nothing Like They Used To

This is going to come as a shock, but a lot of the stars of The Real Housewives reality shows have had cosmetic surgery. We'll pause here for a moment as you adjust to this new reality. Take a breath, you're going to be fine. Some of these ladies found the operating table just as enjoyable as trash talking friends behind their backs, so by the time they were done lifting, tucking, and contouring, many of them barely resembled themselves anymore. Here are the housewives who go under the knife just as often as they throw shade at each other.

Kyle Richards is an actress with a surprisingly decent IMDb page that includes recurring roles in Little House on the Prairie and ER. She's also Paris Hilton's aunt, although, unfortunately, not on the side of the family that owns one of the biggest hotel chains in the world. Richards is best known for being one of the long-time cast members of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which means getting plastic surgery is probably written into her contract.

During an interview with SiriusXM Stars (via the Daily Mail), Richards admitted she had her nose done. She also told People she's had "minimal Botox" and is "one of those people who thinks less is better. "There are so many people who have so much done to their face," she said. "They never look better!" 

Just so we're all on the same page here: getting a nose job and injecting chemicals into your face to smooth out wrinkles is apparently cool, but everything else is overkill? Got it.

Kim is Kyle Richard's older and lesser-known sister, which is remarkable considering Kim has been arrested for public intoxication, battery on a police officer, and shoplifting. She's also pretty candid about her cosmetic enhancements. She even let The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills film her nose job in Season 3, proving that the catty, superficial drama of these ladies isn't the most nauseating aspect of the show.

During the same SiriusXM Stars interview in which Kyle discussed her procedures, Kim also laid out her own nip/tuck inventory. "I did a little Botox at one point with my sister, and I did have implants that I had taken out. They made them too big, and I couldn't see my feet. Not that I loved my toes, but I would like to glance at them now and then," Kim said.

When you have nicknames for your boobs—Porsha Williams calls hers "Coco" and "Chanel"—you may be a tad too focused on your physical appearance. While she admitted to talk show host Steve Harvey that "the girls are new," and shared a stomach-churning video on Instagram of her nose being artificially inflated with some kind of mystery goo, she claims that's all the work she's had done.

No, she doesn't have new teeth, and no, she did not "have her ribs crushed" as one social media follower speculated. Still, it's undeniable that Williams has a new look. When The Real Housewives of Atlanta castmate Kandi Burruss suspected Williams' butt may not be factory installed, she refuted the claim by jiggling her backside in Andy Cohen's face and calling it "cornbred fed" during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live. In reality, we may never know the whole truth about what Williams has or hasn't done, but we can all agree that she's definitely found the most creative ways to describe her new body, however it got that way.

Jacqueline Laurita used to look like a fun Jersey girl who knew how to make a delicious marinara and would never ask if the pasta was gluten free, but after complaining openly on The Real Housewives of New Jersey about her family's financial struggles, she now gets eaten alive on social media whenever she spends money on anything — particularly plastic surgery. 

In December 2016, Laurita posted before and after shots of her eye lift procedure to Facebook, claiming she got a good deal in exchange for marketing her doctor's services. Followers were not having it. She also admitted on Twitter (via All About The Real Housewives All About The Truth) to a breast reduction and nose job and mused about doing something to her "lower face," which was met with similar derision. 

Even though she's already made a big transformation, it seems Laurita is just getting warmed up. Who knows? With advancements in modern medicine, perhaps she'll be able to go full circle and have surgeons return her back to her original 1980s Bruce Springsteen video extra look.

Over the years, studying Lisa Rinna's lips became something of a red carpet pastime. Even though the former soap star was keenly aware that this was going on, she kept her kisser sealed for two decades before coming clean on Today (via People). "I had silicone put in my top lip, not the bottom lip," she said. After the silicone hardened, she had cortisone injected, but that made things worse. She dealt with her lips getting "hard and bumpy, like peas" until finally going for lip reduction surgery in 2010. And if that description of her lip evolution grossed you out, brace yourself, because Harry Hamlin, Lisa's husband, can top that.

Hamlin told People, "Whatever change took place was so gradual, it never registered for me." He said, "her lips were always soft and supple," which is a detail so uncomfortably intimate that hearing it is like watching your parents make out. While The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star's pout is now much less pronounced, her professed love of Botox and fillers seems to be keeping her face wrinkle-free, like a real-life Photoshopped version of herself.

Everyone knows Kim Zolciak's wig game is on point, and that definitely has the ability to drastically change her look, but over the years, there has also been endless speculation about work she may or may not have had done. During a 2016 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Zolciak finally put to rest any and all speculation by laying out a list of procedures that would have had Michael Jackson saying, "Damn, girl!"

"I've done my lips. I've been getting Botox since I was young, for migraines initially and now it's the obvious reason. I've had my boobs done. I fixed my hernia and had a tummy tuck at the same time, you know, it's one in the same. Oh, Ulthera! I just did [skin-tightening treatment] Ulthera...but it's not instant." she confessed. The skin-tightening was on her knees, by the way, just so you know how deep Zolciak is willing to go with the enhancements. The Real Housewives of Atlanta star shot down nose job rumors even though, at this point, why has she not had that done? 

Lisa Vanderpump, the British restaurateur and dog-mom to the most famous Pomeranian on the planet, is probably the least drastic of all of her nip-and-tucking co-stars on this list. Though not visible from the above photos, her butt is the biggest source of controversy. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star told Yahoo Style that talk show host Wendy Williams accused her of having butt implants, which Vanderpump denied. She said the nose job rumors are false too, despite the fact that she lives in Beverly Hills and they probably hand those out free with a tank of gas in that town. 

Vanderpump hasn't steered entirely clear of the cosmetic surgeon's office. "The only thing I've done to my face is put a little bit of filler," she said, which seems like it's always the first and most downplayed cosmetic enhancement these ladies are willing to discuss.

Brandi Glanville is known for never holding back, so it's no surprise that as a guest on Good Work, she was extremely candid about the changes she's made to her body. In fact, when asked by host Rupaul what she's had done, Glanville burst right out of the gate talking about her boob job and vaginal rejuvenation surgeries, which was an effective move, because by starting there, how shocking was the rest of the list going to be?

When asked what she's done to her face, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star laughed and said, "Tons." If we had to guess, we'd say she walked into her surgeon's office and said, "Give me one of everything." Even her hairline looks different. She claims she's avoided having actual facial surgery over fear of being put under, but not all of her non-invasive procedures were good experiences. Glanville said she has "definitely overfilled and had some bad Botox where your eyes drop," which, if we're being honest, sounds way more terrifying than counting backwards from ten and waking up hours later with new cheeks.

Bethenny Frankel is one of the more outspoken members of all of the ladies, yet The Real Housewives of New York firecracker has long denied rumors about having plastic surgery on her face — she's admitted to breast implants and augmentation — attributing noticeable differences in her mug to a makeup trick where she turns the ends of her fake eyelashes "up a little bit."

When asked about the drastic change in her jawline over the years, Frankel explained it by saying she got Botox injections to treat her temporomandibular joint syndrome, although she also fessed up to using it on other parts of her face. She told the Daily Mail (via Bravo), "Maybe once a year when I think of it, l'll be like, oh I look like a Shar Pei, let me do that." We'd like to just go on the record here and clarify: that was an actual quote from Frankel in which she compared herself to a droopy-faced dog. We had nothing to do with that except for copying it here. Moving on.

If there was a contest among the Real Housewives casts for "Who would have been most likely to appear in a Whitesnake video?" Tamra Judge would win. Though The Real Housewives of Orange County star's transformation into a bodybuilder played out on the show, she was less than forthcoming about other changes.

When asked if she'd done anything to her face on an episode of Watch What Happens Live (via E! News), Judge played coy, answering "Nothing, zero." She finally relented slightly, saying "Maybe just a little," in reference to fillers in her cheeks, but that's as far as she would go. Judge also reacted to an accuser on Twitter (via TooFab), writing, "funny cuz Ive had zero face work done...It's called only need having 13% body fat....Try it!" Those tweets have since been deleted, which is interesting, because Judge later admitted to Extra that she'd had a nose job, five breast surgeries, and used fillers. There's been speculation about something going on with Judge's eyes, but that's probably attributable to a healthy diet or something.

At the time of this writing, Kelly Dodd is a relative newcomer to The Real Housewives of Orange County, so when it comes to a significant change in appearance, hers might not be so evident to viewers. However, when compared to a TBT pic she posted to her Instagram from ten years ago, there is a definite difference.

This is interesting for two reasons: 1. With only one season under her belt, Dodd has already made a name for herself as a drama factory, having had confrontations with much of the existing cast, including Heather Dubrow, who Dodd accused of having a nose job. 2. Dodd looks like she may have had some work done herself. Not to mention, she's sporting a set of chompers so perfect they look like they're still in the mold. She's denied cosmetic enhancements, so either she'll follow the RHOC playbook and spill the beans later, or this topic has been much ado about nothing.

We thought the former Taylor Armstrong was a beautiful woman, but she apparently disagreed. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is not bashful about her enhancements, citing lip filler, Botox, and a boob job. "You should've seen what I looked like before," she told Sirius XM Radio (via the Daily Mail). "Oh my God! I mean, scary!"

We did see you before, and we see you after, and we're just going to stop talking.

After having her spot blown up on The Real Housewives of New Jersey when former friend Laurita accused her of having "four nose jobs and everything else that you won't even admit to," Melissa Gorga was forced to reveal that she did, in fact, have her nose done. She referred to it as "the worst kept secret," despite the fact that in the past she repeatedly attributed her nose's shapely new look to "contouring." In an interview with The Daily Dish (via Bravo), Melissa explained, somewhat melodramatically, that she didn't want to reveal the nose job because, "It's something that's personal to me. It's one of the very few things that is personal in my life at this point."

Gorga also played the kid card, saying, "I have children, and there are certain things I don't feel like I need to blurt all over the world." Call us crazy, but we're pretty sure the kids would notice mommy walking around with black eyes and a giant bandage wrapped around her head. While it's true that it was crappy for Laurita to spout off like that, Gorga needs to realize that when you substantially change a feature on your face while starring on one of the most popular reality shows of all time, you don't necessarily get to play the victim when people are curious about it.

In 2011, Alexis Bellino staunchly denied ever going under the knife ... for her face. The Orange County cast member did, however, cop to getting breast implants as well as Botox and lip injections in an interview with Star (via Reality Tea). And yet, she still had a hard time understanding why fans thought she's had more work done. "It is fascinating to me that everybody says they're so sure that I've had a nose job or cheek implants or whatever," Bellino said, adding, "People just like to talk, but I'm OK with it."

She was so "OK with it," apparently, that she actually got that nose job a year later, but not for cosmetic reasons. She claimed, "I know people get a lot of plastic surgery in Orange County, but I have had this problem for four years, and it's not just a hump in my nose," Bellino said of her alleged sinus issues on an episode that documented the surgery (via Us Weekly).

During her follow-up visit, however, Bellino's surgeon reviewed the "cosmetic" portion of the procedure, which included "sewing the tip together" and "filing down the dorsum [the little hump]," as well as narrowing it. "I don't want it to look like I had it done!" Bellino lamented. "A bit late for that," we imagine her younger self from that pic on the left saying.

You don't have to go back that far in time to see the drastic changes Adrienne Maloof has made to her appearance. The above photos are only seven years apart: the left is from 2010, and the right is from 2017. There is a lot going on there: eyes, cheeks, nose, brows, and just a general facial tightness usually only seen on bank robbers sporting a pantyhose disguise.

None of this should be shocking, considering not only was Maloof married to renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Paul Nassif, but she's also been unabashed about what she's had done over the years. "Botox, fillers, boobs, nose," she told Sirius XM host Judith Reagan (via Us Weekly) in 2010. "When you live in Beverly Hills you expect it. When you married the plastic surgeon, you expect it. So, no big deal," she told WetPaint. 

When E! News caught up with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star in 2011, she espoused her love of the knife yet again. "If you need fillers, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, I'm all for it. Because Mother Nature at some point will not be too kind to you. In Beverly Hills, it's not 'have you had anything?' — it's 'what have you had done?' It's very true." Alright! We get it. You're totally cool with being a human Mrs. Potato Head.

The only major cosmetic procedure Shannon Beador has ever admitted to getting is "the nose/chin combo sophomore year in college." But she's not shy about other "natural" attempts she's used to tighten up the old kisser, like the not-at-all-horrifying procedure called PRP, which she described to Bravo like this: "They withdraw blood from you, they centrifuge your blood, and they take the yellow plasma of your blood — which they call liquid gold — and they inject it in certain parts of your face. And then they put it on and they microneedle." Microneedling, as Bravo points out, is the process of having "hundreds of tiny needles pinprick the face, causing "micro-injuries" which prompt the skin to stimulate collagen production." Yep, that all sounds like a nightmare.   

But for as open as this Orange County housewife is about her vampiric beauty regimen, she's pretty stingy with the throwback photos, so much so that one of the only ones we could find of her from early adulthood is the blurry middle shot up there, taken at her wedding in 2000. That's why we also included the far left shot that she shared with Bravo that is clearly from her adolescence. The far right is the most recent, posted on Instagram in November 2017, and call us crazy, but there seems to be more than just puberty, a nose job, and a chin implant going on in this progression.

Ever since Lisa Hochstein said, "I'm my husband's best creation" in her intro line for the show, viewers have regarded every perceivable change to her face and body with a healthy dose of side eye. But Hochstein, speaking with TooFab in 2012, said that the whole thing was supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to the bad boob job that her husband, Miami plastic surgery legend Dr. Leonard "The Boob God" Hochstein, corrected for her.

Asked whether she had any other work done in addition to the reversal of her "uniboob," Hochstein confessed to "a rhinoplasty a long time ago" that she claims "didn't change my face that much." She also offered, "I haven't had that much plastic surgery; I've probably had less than most. I'm not naming names, but I bet you that half of the women on all these shows have had at least two things done. They just don't admit it and I'm being honest and upfront talking about it." 

Of course, that interview was more than five years ago, so there's no telling what she's done to arrive at the above, right photo.

Of all of the housewives on this list, Vicki Gunvalson might be the most open about the work she's had done. Speaking with People in July 2017, she confessed to having her upper and lower eyes, her nose, and her chin all "done" in the past four or five years. She also admitted to getting a breast augmentation and said she regrets getting her nose and chin job so close to the start of a season, because it resulted in her having "like a moon face." She added, "I was so swollen and I couldn't move my mouth and it was totally embarrassing."

Overall, however, the Orange County wifey has a generally healthy attitude towards cosmetic enhancements, or at least, a pretty cool metaphor for them. "It's just like painting a house," she told People. "Sometimes things fall apart and you need to fix them." 

Which part is the hot water heater? We just want to make sure we're getting an accurate estimate.

For as open about plastic surgery as Gunvalson is, Gretchen Rossi is just as cagey. Though she admittedly looks closer to her younger self than everyone else listed here, there definitely seem to be some changes over the years. It's been notoriously hard to get Rossi to cop to any of it.

In 2011, she penned a lengthy blog post partially addressing the topic, going out of her way to point out that her Botox injections are not considered plastic surgery because they don't involve "cutting of the skin." She also left the door open for future speculation, writing, "Let me be clear that I am not against plastic surgery at all, and I am sure one day I will probably have something nipped, tucked, or worked on as my body and face starts to droop!"

Two years later, she admitted to "having her lips done," but still denied a nose job, chalking up the thinner appearance of the bridge to makeup contouring. This is all pretty par for the course, especially in this world of the so-called "real" housewives, but Rossi has always had another dog in the fight: The Gretchen Project, her now-defunct initiative that she founded in 2009, which was dedicated to "finding alternative ways to maintain everlasting beauty without having to go under the knife." So yeah, don't expect any Earth-shattering plastic surgery revelations from this Orange County housewife anytime soon.

Straight-talking Atlanta OG, NeNe Leakes, admitted to getting some nips, tucks, and new additions way back in 2010 when she told People that she'd gotten "a nose job, smaller breast implants and a lift, as well as liposuction around her waist for contouring." 

Fast-forward seven years: Leakes went on Watch What Happens Live and confessed to a second nose job, albeit this time for "a medical reason." She said, "My cartilage was growing in my nose, and my tip was touching the top of my lip. But I didn't get a full rhinoplasty the first time. No, when I did the first time, I only had my nostrils taken in on the side the very first time, and then this time, I had more cartilage moved around in my nose."  

When pressed about viewer speculation regarding her reasoning, Leakes eventually admitted, "I got my nose done, first of all, because I can and I will and I will get it done again if I want to, OK?" 

Yikes! Okay, sorry we brought it up.