Dana Wilkey Dana Wilkey
Did you know? They’re $25,000! If you’re a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fan, then you definitely remember Dana Wilkey, AKA the woman who Kim Richards called “Pam,” AKA the woman who wore the gold python sunglasses that cost $25,000.
If you’re not familiar, Wilkey starred on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a “friend of” during Season 2, and a guest during Seasons 1 and 3. Now, Wilkey has launched a podcast called Dishing Drama With Dana Wilkey, and frequently spills about the drama happening on the various Real Housewives franchises on her Instagram page. Recently, Heavy spoke with Wilkey to find out what she’s up to today, and what life is like since being on the show.
Dana Wilkey’s Life Has Changed A Lot Since Exiting ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’
“[After the show] I went to London, I lived in London and I shot a show called ‘Rich and Ditched,'” Wilkey revealed. “And then the show did not get picked up, but it was super fun, I had a great time, I lived in Chelsea. I had a ball, I like, sang my $25,000 song in a nightclub. I got to have such a good time and it was such a cool experience.”
Wilkey continued, “I moved to Miami because my parents live in Miami and I wanted to be close to them because for me, my ex, it turns out, had been cheating on me since I was eight months pregnant. I was engaged to him at the time, and the way I found out was that the girl called me and said ‘I want you to know that we’re engaged.’ So my life changed really quickly, and I had to recover…it’s like a book, what I went through.”
After she found that out that devastating news, Wilkey explained that she worked on some films with her friend, which saved her family. Then, what came next were some legal issues regarding her ex.
“I had some legal issues that were started by my ex and I ended up settling those legal issues, I did not go to jail and get any fraud charges, which nobody knows,” Wilkey revealed to Heavy. “It was kind of interesting that the world thought I did. When this really bad press came out, I said, you know, if that’s what people really want to believe, then let them believe it. It’s just easier. Then, I moved on, and I went to Miami and I took care of my son and my grandmother. I started doing marketing and publicity. There’s a lot more to me than what people know from the show.”
Dana Wilkey Started Her Instagram Page as a Creative Outlet
Over the past few months, Wilkey has become one of the go-to sources among fans for Real Housewives gossip and news and is even followed by some fellow Real Housewives stars. With over 11,000 followers, Wilkey only started her Instagram page when COVID-19 hit and was looking for a creative outlet.
“I really wanted something I could express myself on, and I found Instagram,” Wilkey explained to Heavy. “I didn’t know how to use it even, and I started posting two or three things. I started going, you know, I’m so bored and it felt terrible. I was like, maybe I should start watching some of the [Housewives] shows. I started allowing myself to look at pop culture again.”
Wilkey explained that she was inspired to start sharing her Bravo insider stories after she noticed that the network had started doing the same thing. “I started creating my art on my Instagram, and sharing my insider stories…I noticed that Bravo was letting their curtain open to the audience,” Wilkey said. “I was like, you know what, Bravo has recognized that it’s time to share the tea. Therefore, I felt like it was ethically a perfect time to actually say things the way that they really were. It had nothing to do with an NDA, but it had everything to do with boredom, timing, and Bravo started doing it.”
And, even though Wilkey may have some hot takes on her Instagram page, she says that she wants the page to be able to be a safe space for her followers. “My Instagram is a community that I set up and it’s an expression of my art, which is the tea,” Wilkey said. “It’s the one common ground that we can all hang around, and that’s pop culture. For me, that’s the key, it’s a place to safely be silly, and be free.”
You can follow Wilkey on her Instagram page, and take a listen to her podcast, Dishing Drama With Dana Wilkey.