NBCUMV Braunwyn Windham-Burke is opening up about her future on RHOC.
Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Braunwyn Windham-Burke is sharing her thoughts on continuing her time as a Real Housewife. The 43-year-old mother of seven joined the cast during season 14 in 2018. Since joining, the cast has gone through major changes, including longtime cast members Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson leaving the franchise.
The season 15 cast currently includes Shannon Storms Beador, Kelly Dodd, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, Elizabeth Lyn Vargas, and Windham-Burke. Throughout the season – both on and off camera – Windham-Burke shared major revelations, including that she identifies as a lesbian and has become sober after admitting she has a drinking problem.
Not all of the cast members handled her news well, and many made claims that she used them as storylines. Windham-Burke has since opened up about how her cast members’ accusations have affected her.
“My castmates talk at me, they talk about me, but they never talk to me,” she shared with Bustle on Wednesday, January 27. “I take accountability for everything I have done. I’ve admitted to some really hard things. But now knowing the truth and what people are saying, I give up. I am waving the white flag. I can’t keep doing this.”
Bravo has not commented on the show’s renewal nor which cast members will return. Windham-Burke says that she has told producers that she will not return to RHOC if the cast stays the same, per Bustle. She added that her attempt at transparency has come off as a reason to “cancel” her.
Bravo has not publicized the season 16 cast, but Thomas Kelly, RHOC’s season 15 showrunner and former executive producer of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Real Housewives of Dallas, and The Real Housewives of Potomac shared with Bustle, “This season was so unique because in a lot of ways it feels like a to be continued season. Braunwyn may have gotten a lot of criticism from some fans this year, but they’re just starting to get to know who this ‘new Braunwyn’ is and where she’s at in her journey. You want to see the continuation.”
Windham-Burke May Not Be Welcomed Back by the RHOC Cast
Fellow cast member Kelly Dodd has revealed that if she were to return for another season, she would need Windham-Burke out of the picture. The 45-year-old Positive Beverage founder went on Instagram Live earlier this week, as captured by the Queens of Bravo Instagram account. Dodd stated that she would not return for season 16 if RHOC Windham-Burke came back.
“I know I cannot film with Braunwyn,” she said. “I know for a fact that I cannot film with her. There’s just no way and if she comes back then I’m out because I know for a fact that I cannot. She’s dangerous and calling people racists and homophobic.”
Dodd and Windham-Burke have had falling outs both on and off screen. The tension between the two women escalated when Dodd accused Windham-Burke of using her sobriety for a storyline. She has also commented on Windham-Burke’s decision to announce she identifies as a lesbian and has a girlfriend while still married to her husband Sean Burke.
Dodd continued saying, “And … saying I’m a bad mom, I’m running around, like, traveling, well I was traveling, yes, but I was also selling two homes. And thank God I did because I’d be stuck with four mortgages, right?”
She finalized her thoughts noting, “If I’m coming back next year, I just can’t come back next year filming with somebody so reckless. I just can’t. If she’s on, I’m probably out. So, that’s probably the way it goes. And by the way, she says she couldn’t film with me, so there you go.”
Dodd Isn’t the Only Cast Member With That Opinion
Other cast members besides Dodd have voiced their opinions on Windham-Burke returning. During a recent interview with Access Hollywood, Gina Kirschenheiter explained why she doesn’t want her to come back for season 16.
“I think that Braunwyn is still going through really a lot with this sobriety and emotionally and her figuring out her marriage and her sexual confusion and stuff like that,” Kirschenheiter said. “These are major things to go through and I just don’t know if this is the right venue to go through those things in. It puts us in a really kind of scary situation, I feel like. It’s hard for us to navigate too as a group, but then again I know that’s interesting.”
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