Are Sutton Stracke and Crystal Kung-Minkoff being demoted on season 12 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?
RHOBH fans can rest easy as the two new Housewives are reportedly safe — at least for now. After some speculation that the two ladies had been demoted to “friend of” statuses, sources have told RadarOnline that they are, in fact, still holding their diamonds proudly as full-time cast members.
According to a source close to the situation, the rumors began circulating online after a tipster told gossip magnet Deumoix that producers were unhappy with one of the Housewives’ performances after season 11. The source continued on by suggesting that the Housewife was someone who was new and had spent the whole season going after one of the show’s longtime veterans.
The tipster also claimed that this “quiet and boring” person would be a “one-hit-wonder” as the showrunners were not “seeing anything interesting” from her amid filming.
Sutton and Crystal are the only two new full-time Housewives from last season, which only spurred on the gossip. However, it appears both the ladies are safe as sources familiar with the situation say any demotion or unhappiness with the ladies’ performances is completely “inaccurate.”
Sutton entered the world of RHOBH back in 2020’s season 10 in a “friend of” role. She quickly made a name for herself in season 11 by going up against “ice queen” Erika Jayne. She garnered much fan praise for seemingly being the only Housewife to go up against and question Erika about the allegations surrounding her husband’s alleged embezzlement scheme.
Crystal has also appeared to have made a mark on RHOBH as the show’s first and currently only Asian-American Housewife. She also bravely shared her struggles with an eating disorder.
The two newest Housewives have certainly made for good television, so we can see why Bravo is keeping them around. During their first season together, the two went toe-to-toe over the issue of racial stereotyping. (And let’s not forget Sutton’s infamous “ugly leather pants” cry heard around the Bravo world.)
During a May 26 episode, Crystal stated, “As someone who’s not white, when it hits you from stereotypes, it can be so painful that you can’t see anything else.”
Sutton then chimed in, “Do you wanna talk about when I see dumbass rednecks on the TV, and that’s supposed to be me? And that’s supposed to be me? I also have a stereotype, but I don’t want to bring it up!”
The two sparred back and forth before Crystal ultimately finished Sutton off with, “Are you one of those people that you don’t see color? Tell me you’re not that girl.”
As the season aired, the two eventually seemed to resolve their issues and find common ground.
“I am sorry. I will do and be better,” Sutton said in an Instagram post.
Crystal echoed Sutton’s sentiments and gave an equally genuine response.
“Thank you, Sutton. Your apology means a lot to me, and I’m sure it means a lot to many others who have similar lived experiences,” she stated, before adding, “Thank you for that commitment, Sutton.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is currently filming season 12 of the franchise and is expected to air sometime in 2022.