Braunwyn Windham-Burke Sets The Record Straight About Her Relationship With Former BFF

Braunwyn Windham-Burke has made headlines as the first openly gay housewife in the "Real Housewives" franchise, as per Page Six. However, she entered the reality series married to a man, Sean Burke, with whom she shares seven children. Braunwyn's "Orange County" co-stars and fans bore witness to her televised coming-out journey. Unfortunately, this also meant that Braunywn faced homophobia during the process, which she detailed to the publication in a February 28 interview. 

The reality television alum told Page Six that her castmates made "off-color jokes about me being intimate with a woman." She added, "After I came out, having to prove that I was gay, that should never have been tolerated. That is a microagression. That is homophobia." She also had to deal with invalidating comments around her sexual identity. Ultimately, Braunwyn says that "it was not easy to be the first gay 'Housewife'" and believes that "there should have been a little more grace."

Shortly following Braunwyn's coming out in December 2020, she interviewed with GLAAD. She revealed that she always knew she was a lesbian, "But it took me personally 42 years to be comfortable enough in my own skin to say that." Despite the struggles she's faced, she says she is "proud of where I am right now and I'm so happy where I am." Since Braunwyn's announcement, the rumor mill has been more than active. In a recent interview, she addressed rumors that she was romantically involved with her former best friend, Noella Bergener.

Braunwyn Windham-Burke appeared on an episode of Tamra Judge's "Two Ts in a Pod" podcast on April 1 (via Page Six) where she addressed rumors that she and her ex-BFF, Noella Bergener, were more than friends in the past. She stated, "I do want to make it very clear: We were never romantically involved." 

While the two may not have been an item, the "Real Housewives of Orange County" star admitted to Judge that she and Noella struck up a close friendship right from the start. "My first lunch with her, I was like, 'I love this girl. She's so open. She's like me on crack,'" Braunwyn said. Unfortunately, the two women are no longer friends, which pains the reality television star. However, she remains hopeful that they will rekindle their friendship one day. 

Fans have been left wondering why the former besties have since gone their separate ways. While the breakup came after Noella received her orange and Braunwyn was let go from "RHOC," Braunwyn told Judge that this wasn't the reason. In fact, she believes a mutual acquaintance may have intervened and turned Noella against her. However, Noella blamed "trust issues" for tearing them apart during a January interview with ET. She added, "It's really just between us." That being said, Noella is also hopeful for an eventual reconciliation, although that will likely not be possible for awhile. Her reason? A cryptic "timing is everything."