2020 saw both some much-needed and some unfortunate casting changes to Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise.
From NeNe Leakes to Denise Richards to Monique Samuels, 2020 has seen us say goodbye to some of our longtime favourite Real Housewives cast members and just days into the New Year, the changes don’t seem to be slowing down.
As we settle in to a brand new era of Housewives, let’s take a look back at all of the shocking exits from the past year.
FYI, if you’re looking for Real Housewives of Orange County stars Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson, we included them in a previous list.
Danielle Staub
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Danielle Staub broke the internet — well, sort of — when she announced on the January 8, 2020 episode of Watch What Happens Live that she would not be returning to RHONJ.
The news came following a physical confrontation with Margaret Josephs, and fans seem to have landed squarely on Margaret’s team since Danielle’s departure. Even Danielle has moved on to take on her former Bravo boss, Andy Cohen.
LeeAnne Locken
The Real Housewives of Dallas
LeeAnne Locken made waves during the final episodes of RHOD Season 4 when she took her season-long feud with Kary Brittingham to the next level, making racist statements about her co-stars as Bravo cameras rolled.
Despite publicly apologizing for her comments, it just wasn’t enough to save her job and she became the first full-time Real Housewives casualty of 2020. A new season of the show, minus LeeAnne, premieres this week.
Tinsley Mortimer
The Real Housewives of New York City
Tinsley Mortimer made Real Housewives history when she departed RHONY in the middle of Season 12.
While fans were already aware of her midseason exit and production reportedly had to scramble to save the season with her departure, her exit provided a bit of a story reboot and she seems to be quite happy in Chicago with her fiancé, Scott Kluth. Real Housewives of Chicago, anyone?
Nene Leakes
The Real Housewives of Atlanta
After months of back and forth negotiations and casting rumours, Nene Leakes finally confirmed that she was leaving RHOA.
While normally a veteran’s exit would be highly shocking, but the show had reportedly been filming for months without Nene before she made her announcement and some fans seemed to already be over Atlanta’s one-time Queen Bee. She has since gone on to ask fans to boycott the network, making her easily the most controversial Real Housewives exit of 2020.
Ester Dohnalová
The Real Housewives of Cheshire
After initially announcing her exit from RHOCheshire after 7 seasons on Instagram, Ester Dohnalová actually went on to appear in a few episodes of the recently-wrapped Season 12, tying up lose ends with her storylines with Nicole Sealey and Dawn Ward.
Teddi Mellencamp
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
No surprise here. After yet another season of facing the fire on Twitter from Housewives fans, Teddi Mellencamp announced that she had been fired and would not be returning to the new season of RHOBH.
The news comes just one season after she appeared to turn on former bestie Lisa Vanderpump, who famously exited the series back in 2019.
Eva Marcille
The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Despite quite the performance at the RHOA Season 12 reunion and the purchase of a beautiful new home in Atlanta, Eva Marcille also confirmed that she would not be returning for Season 13.
Only weeks into Season 13, however, Eva has been photographed with some of her co-stars, leading to rumours that she may one day return to the franchise.
Denise Richards
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Denise Richards bid goodbye to RHOBH in what can only be called a blaze of glory, after her co-stars spent the season of accusing her of having a sexual affair with former cast member Brandi Glanville.
Despite the drama, Denise appears happy as a real working actress and the series will return later this year with a rebooted cast.
Dorinda Medley
The Real Housewives of New York City
Perhaps the most shocking and noticeable 2020 departure, Dorinda Medley confirmed ahead of the final RHONY Season 12 reunion special that she will not be returning to the series for Season 13.
After facing heat from fans on social media over her behaviour, Dorinda was given the pink slip by Bravo but the network is reportedly open to having her return in a future season.
Dawn Ward
The Real Housewives of Cheshire
Dawn Ward was one of Cheshire’s original Housewives but announced her exit from the series ahead of the Season 12 finale.
After a season that saw her quarantined from the rest of the cast due to a positive COVID-19 test and numerous lawsuits and scandals, Dawn revealed that she would be exiting the series in order to focus on her family. Riiiight.
Monique Samuels
The Real Housewives of Potomac
Last but certainly not least is Monique Samuels. After providing endless entertainment over the holidays with her performance at the RHOP Season 5 reunion, Monique took to Instagram Live to reveal that she will not be returning for Season 6.
The news comes following a heated season for Monique where she got into a physical confrontation with fellow Housewife Candiace Dillard. Despite the drama, Monique seemed to secure the support of the fans but it doesn’t seem to swayed Bravo or have been enough to save her champagne flute.
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