Vicki Gunvalson Reportedly Left ‘RHOC’ Because The Show Wouldn’t Let Her Return Full Time

The OG of the OC Vicki Gunvalson announced that she was leaving the show that she has been a part of for 14 seasons, followed rapidly by her BFF Tamra Judge. While neither has spoken about their shocking decisions, Hollywood Life reports that Vicki stepped away because the producers of the Real Housewives of Orange County refused to let her return as a full-time housewife for the second season in a row.

“Vicki was notified that she would not be coming back full-time so the network agreed to let her walk away on her terms out of respect for her,” an insider told Hollywood Life.

Apparently, Bravo producers reached out to Vicki to let her know that she would be returning as a friend, giving her the option to bow out if she wanted to, and that’s what she decided to do.

“The network knew Vicki would take this hard so they wanted to let her know before making final casting decisions for everyone else next season. She did have a conversation with Andy before posting on social media. Vicki is sad but she understands it’s business and she seems to be looking forward to her podcast,” the insider said.

Vicki joined RHOC at its start and stayed as a full-time housewife for 13 seasons. Last year, she was demoted to a friend on the show for the 14th season. For the coming season of the series, rumors started circulating that there would be some cast changes, and Vicki herself added fuel to the rumor flames after hinting that she may be retiring in the near future, as The Inquisitr previously reported.

Fans of the 57-year-old can still follow her even though she won’t be on the show that made her famous. She is starting a podcast called Whoop it Up with Vicki. The Coto Insurance CEO will also be busy planning and hosting her wedding to fiance Steve Lodge in the upcoming year.

Reportedly, Vicki is happy with her current situation. According to the insider, she vowed only to come back if she could be a full-time housewife again, so she is sticking to her guns.

As for the other ladies on the show, Tamra Judge announced that she would also be leaving the series after appearing on Seasons 3 through 13. The rest of the women reportedly haven’t finalized their contracts, leaving the cast of the upcoming season in limbo for the time being.