It’s official. Vicki Gunvalson is leaving The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Just moments ago, the O.G. of the O.C. announced her departure from the show following 14 seasons, and a year after Bravo demoted her to just a friend. Vicki shared the stunning announcement on her Instagram page.
“I will always be the OG of the OC, but it’s time to say goodbye to The Real Housewives of Orange County,” wrote Vicki on January 24. “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.”
She continued, “I’ve been working on new projects that will be exciting, empowering and inspirational. My podcast with Westwood One will be launching soon and I will have much more to say about this on “Whoop it up with Vicki” . I hope you will join me with my new journey so please stay tuned.”
Vicki then went on to thank Bravo and the RHOC production company, Evolution.
“I love all my fans, and I want to thank Bravo and Evolution for this incredible experience which my family and I have will never forget,” added Vicki along with the hashtags #bravo #rhoc #whoopitipwithvicki.”
It’s currently unknown if Bravo fired Vicki or offered her a friend role for the second straight year. If it’s the later, then Vicki’s decision to exit the show shouldn’t be surprising as she stated back in November that she would not return to the RHOC unless she was offered a full-time gig.
Last week, Radar Online reported that Vicki had been offered a friend role again although Real Housewives executive producer and Bravo host Andy Cohen denied the report, claiming pick up letters for the new season had yet to go out. It would definitely appear that Vicki has heard back from Bravo has she had made it clear in the last couple of weeks that she hoped to return to the show.
Following Vicki’s announcement, Andy and some other Bravo Housewives reacted to the news. Andy responded by calling her the “OG” along with an orange emoji and two heart emojis.
Andy later posted a sweet tribute to Vicki on his Instagram page in which he described her as “an original, who remained her authentic self from her Family Van-freakout through her last reunion” and also thanked her for “everything.”
Just last weekend, during a live taping of the Watch What Crappens podcast, Vicki’s co-star Braunwyn Windham-Burke implied Vicki was no longer on the show.
“Vicki is not on my f**king cast!” Braunwyn stated after an audience member inquired about Vicki.
And just days ago, Vicki admitted that she wouldn’t mind having a spinoff show about her family and work as she agreed with a fan who suggested just that.