The Real Housewives has to be one of the most entertaining reality TV shows ever conceptualized. Who would have thought that bringing a group together of wealthy women in varying cities around the world would create such good TV? While the shows can be extremely fun and lighthearted, there have also been incredibly shocking scandals to come out of the women that grace each series of Real Housewives.
Yeah, that’s right: We’re talking about the many legal troubles, arrests, and outright craziness that has plagued the women of The Real Housewives. What are the craziest Real Housewives controversies that have happened so far?
10 Why Are So Many Housewives Involved In Controversy?
Quite honestly, it’s uncertain why there have been so many housewives involved in such public controversies. Choosing to share one’s life on a reality TV show, let alone one as big as The Real Housewives, comes with its ups and downs. Executive producer Andy Cohen has said in the past that “putting your life and putting yourself on reality television, the risks are obvious, they are well-known, especially if you have something to hide.”
A show that is, at its core, about showing off the lifestyle of the affluent, we all know that sometimes what you see, isn’t always real life. These housewives, too, have strong personalities that can sometimes lead to controversial opinions, stances, and actions.
9 Who Are The Most Controversial Housewives?
There have been a few housewives that have been connected with some infamous scandals throughout the course of Real Housewives history. In this article, we’ll be analyzing some of the most shell shocking controversies that housewives have been linked to instead of housewives that fans and viewers have deemed “controversial.”
8 Jen Shah’s Fraud Case And Sentencing
It’s the scandal on every Real Housewives fan's mind right now — you know we had to mention Jen Shah’s telemarketing fraud case. Since the NYPD came looking for Jen while the cast of RHOSLC was filming and set to go on a cast trip during Season 2, it’s been unclear if the housewife was guilty or not guilty. However, after ensuring that she was guilty during the duration of Season 3, in July 2022, Jen changed her plea to guilty in relation to a massive telemarketing fraud scheme.
We’ve seen other housewives and Bravoleberties get sentenced to prison time before, but nothing like what we could’ve expected with Jen’s legal situation. On January 6, 2023, Jen was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison. It’s, arguably, one of the craziest legal battles we’ve seen a housewife go through thus far.
7 Teresa And Joe Giudice’s Fraud And Prison Time
RHONJ’s Teresa and Joe Giudice found themselves in some hot water that presumably started back in 2009 after they filed for bankruptcy. Fast-forward to 2013, both Teresa and Joe were charged with mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud, to which they would both end up pleading guilty to in 2014. Eventually, Teresa was sentenced to 15 months, where her then-husband Joe was sentenced to 41 months.
The turmoil didn’t end once their sentences were served, though. Before being released from prison in 2019, the judge ruled that Joe would be deported to his home country of Italy as he wasn’t an official US citizen. After attempting to appeal the ruling, Joe took to an immigration center before he eventually returned to Italy.
6 When Michael Darby Was Charged For Alleged Of Sexual Assault
RHOP fans know that Ashley Darby’s relationship with her husband Michael Darby has not been smooth sailing. During Season 4, things reached an all new level when Michael was charged for sexual assault by a cameraman that worked on the show. The alleged incident took place while the cast was filming at Monique Samuels’ house, and audio was since released from the moment that said cameraman has implied Michael grabbed his butt. The charges ended up being dismissed, but that’s not to say that the housewives of Potomac did not take the allegations incredibly seriously.
5 Erika Jayne’s Divorce With Tom Girardi While His Legal Troubles Heated Up
RHOBH housewife Erika Jayne has been no stranger to controversy in recent years. In November 2020, Erika announced that she was divorcing her husband, Tom Girardi, who happens to be a very powerful and (so we thought) wealthy attorney. Come December of 2020, Erika and Tom were hit with a mega-lawsuit that involved embezzlement of “settlement funds intended to help the families of Lion Air Flight 610 victims.” Alas, the lawsuits and allegations of fraud have continued to persist on, and Erika has continuously denied her involvement with said criminal activity.
4 Luann de Lesseps’s Palm Beach Arrest
RHONY is known for being quite the chaotic series, but things took a turn after Luann de Lesseps was arrested and charged with battery, trespassing, and disorderly intoxication. After going into the wrong hotel room in Palm Beach, Florida, security called the police when Luann and a friend of hers would not leave said room. Things took a turn when Luann refused to leave the room, and then eventually refused arrest. It was also alleged that she continued to refuse arrest after being handcuffed and taken to the cop car, where she said, “I'm going to f***ing kill you.” The journey after was long fought by Luann to get where she stands today.
3 When Vicki Gunvalson’s Ex-Boyfriend, Brooks Ayers, Faked Cancer
This controversy involving RHOC housewife Vicki Gunvalson’s ex-boyfriend has to be one of the most shocking to have come out of Bravo, not even just the Real Housewives franchise. During Season 10 of RHOC, all eyes were on Vicki and Brooks. After some speculation about the truth behind Brooks’ cancer diagnosis from the other ladies in the group, he eventually revealed that he was lying about his health. That’s right: Brooks went as far to create fabricated documents that made it seem like he was a patient at City of Hope, a cancer hospital. After the hospital revealed that Brooks had never been a patient at their facility, he was forced to tell the truth.
2 NeNe Leakes’ Lawsuit Against Bravo
RHOA OG NeNe Leakes shook the Bravoverse when she sued Bravo, NBCUniversal, and network executives (including Andy Cohen) in April of 2022 over workplace conditions. Most prominently, in the court documents, NeNe alleged that Bravo had “maintain[ed] a corporate culture that is insensitive to Black talent,” while fostering “racially offensive behavior that goes unpunished.” The suit was eventually dismissed in August of 2022, but it still gained massive attention.
1 The Season 4 Reunion Of RHOA: Phaedra Parks Vs. Kandi Burruss
Prior to the Season 4 RHOA reunion, Phaedra Parks and Kandi Burruss’ friendship was already on the rocks. But when fellow housewife, Porsha Williams, revealed that Phaedra allegedly told her that Kandi had tried to drug and rape her, their friendship was 100% over. It was the accusation that no one saw coming and one that should never be toyed with.
