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Liz McGraw shared the real reason she quit Real Housewives of Rhode Island. The star also addressed the rumor that she’s “on drugs,” and she admitted she was sometimes “unhinged” while filming.
Shortly after the first season, Liz announced her exit. Many fans were shocked, given her prominence on the show and in the friend group. Throughout the season, some fans speculated that Liz (who runs a successful weed dispensary) was on drugs, though Liz denied it.
On Two Ts in a Pod, Liz shared that the social media hate wasn’t the reason she quit.
“I think that the flurry of social media hate was more of a byproduct,” she said. “You know, it’s not easy.”
“For me, the main thing, I think, was anything that can have an entire community believe things about you that are so wholly untrue — that scared the f**king s**t out of me,” she explained. “The hate, the shrapnel of hate, was only a byproduct of it. You know, the notion that I’m on drugs — and believe me, I’ve seen everyone completely convinced of it — anyone who knows me knows I loathe anything to do with drugs.”
She said this dynamic “just freaked me out.”
“Some people say [I] didn’t like the mirror that was shown. Self-awareness,” she continued. “No, I’m very, very self-aware that my reactions at times were hot-headed and unhinged. But how it could go so far into things that were so ridiculously false, that freaked me out more than anything.”
Liz shared that, in part, she quit because so many people were convinced of “who I am” based on how it was “portrayed,” but there were also “a bunch of things” that contributed to her decision.
On July 1, Liz confirmed rumors that she was exiting RHORI.
“I’m full of gratitude for the amazing opportunity to appear on this show,” wrote the star at the time on Instagram. “As filming for Season 2 begins, I have made the decision to take a step back and focus on my family, my work and my passions.”
“The RHORI cast is an amazing group of women who have created something special. I’ll be watching next season, rooting for the continued success of this franchise,” she went on. “For now, I look forward to enjoying this little corner of the world from the other side of the camera.”