Why Tamra Judge & Vicki Gunvalson Were Let Go From RHOC

Getty Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge in 2008.

During season 15 of The Real Housewives of Orange County, you will see some very familiar faces missing from the cast. Both Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge will not be returning to The Real Housewives of Orange County, but why is that?

Both Gunvalson and Judge have admitted that they were in fact fired from The Real Housewives of Orange County. According to Us Weekly, during a January Instagram Live with Andy Cohen, Judge admitted she was fired from the show. “I’m not cheap Andy, and that’s why I got fired!” Judge said during the live interview, as noted by Us Weekly. Judge also added, “I’m not going to go into detail, but I’m going through some difficult times right now and it was best for me to step away so I can deal with it on my own. I just need some privacy right now.”

Gunvalson also revealed that she had been fired from the show. Gunvalson spoke about her firing during a June episode of her podcast, Whoop It Up with Vicki. Gunvalson said she and Judge blamed their firing on the fact that Bravo wanted to hire younger cast members, according to The Sun. “There’s several things we thought of. … We got very expensive and I think they said that viewers were ready for younger blood,” Gunvalson said during her podcast, as noted by The Sun.

In January, Gunvalson also announced her departure on her Instagram page, posting a photo of her from the first season. In the caption, Gunvalson wrote, “I will always be the OG of the OC, but it’s time to say goodbye to The Real Housewives of Orange County. It’s been an incredible ride for 14 years and I want thank all of you for your support, for your love and for ‘whooping it up’ with me along the way. I’ve been working on new projects that will be exciting, empowering and inspirational.”

Judge Says She Thinks She Was Fired Because of Her Age

During a June appearance on the Behind the Velvet Rope podcast with David Yontef, Judge suggested that she was fired because of her age. “I do think there’s something to it, I really do,” Judge said during the podcast episode, as noted by Reality Blurb. “Let me tell you why. I had some friends try out for the show — younger friends. … One thing they said to each one of my friends who were younger … they want to have younger housewives. I thought, well that’s interesting and then it shows. The ones they’ve hired have all been younger. So, I do think there’s some truth to that.”

However, Cohen quickly debunked that rumor. “If you look at the women on our shows, there are a lot of women that are really thriving in their 50s and late 50s. Yeah, no. I don’t care for that [remark],” Cohen said during an appearance on Brandi Glanville’s podcast, as noted by Us Weekly.

Gunvalson Recently Attacked the Upcoming Season

During a recent interview with  Celeb Magazine, Gunvalson slammed the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, calling it a “big joke.” Gunvalson told Celeb Magazine:

This season is chalking up to be such a big joke and I am happy to say I’m no longer a part of this hot mess. You have Kelly Dodd mocking COVID and wearing hats that say ‘Drunk Wives Matter,’ you have Boring Wind and her ‘modern marriage’- whatever that means, you have the miscasting decisions that were Emily (Simpson) and Gina (Kirschenheiter), and you have wackadoo Shannon who really needs to check her ego and remember where she came from, where she started, and who was there for her all along.

Gunvalson continued, telling Celeb Magazine about her feud with former friend Shannon Beador, “I have no intention of returning to the show but rest assured that if I ever did- Shannon and I will have words. And that is not a threat, it’s a promise. Shannon said it herself on one of the episodes- and I quote- ‘I look like a wackadoodle.’ Keep talking about Tamra and I in this way, Shannon, and you’re living up to this description to a tee. I highly suggest you shut your mouth and keep our names out of it. Love, your former Tres Amiga.”

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