The Real Housewives of Orange County welcomed a new, hidden cast member into the fold to stir the pot and cause some drama: the bloggers. Throughout much of Season 19, Katie Ginella has been ruthlessly targeted by her fellow castmates for allegedly leaking information about them to these online presences. While much of the drama has been ignited off-camera, there is a chance we’ll eventually get some clarity in front of cameras, according to veteran Housewife Heather Dubrow.
In Season 19, Episode 6—which aired Thursday night (Aug. 14)—Tamra Judge accused Ginella of telling Kiki Monique, host of SiriusXM radio show Reality Checked on Radio Andy, that Gretchen Rossi thought Judge roofied her in a Season 4 episode of RHOC. Judge refused to give up her source to Rossi—who made it clear that she never thought or implied that she was roofied—while Ginella denied ever giving such information to Monique. With all this hearsay, what I want to see is Monique, or one of the other bloggers Ginella allegedly spoke to, appear on the show to clear up this gossip once and for all—and it sounds like that might happen!
“I cannot confirm or deny that you will see Kiki Monique,” Dubrow cheekily told Decider when she stopped by our studio earlier this week. “I actually don’t know. I just think maybe.”
When it comes to the bloggers playing such a heavy role in the show this season, Dubrow noted that while they are “additive,” it becomes a problem when cast members “feel like they can pass stories or influence stories or massage stories with the bloggers.” While most of the ladies are members of that community as podcasters themselves, Dubrow said the line gets drawn when conversations are being had “behind closed doors.”
“If you’re talking about things out in the open, for better or for worse, you’re talking about them, whether it’s your platform or someone else’s,” she said. “When you’re talking to people behind the scenes, that becomes more of an issue.”
When we spoke with Dubrow, she also revealed her reaction to Judge quitting the show at the end of Thursday night’s episode, and how she’d feel about her son Nick Dubrow joining Next Gen LA. Check out the full interview below.
DECIDER I’m so excited to have you back here. The real pot stirrers this season have been the bloggers, which has been very controversial for fans. Is there a world in which the bloggers don’t play a part in the storyline, or have these shows just become so big in that space that there’s no getting around it?
HEATHER DUBROW: Look, I love the bloggers. I love the fans, I love the bloggers. I think the show is so multilayered and they’re all additive, which is great. The problem is, when we have cast members that feel like they can pass stories or influence stories or massage stories with the bloggers, then it becomes a little bit of a problem.
There’s been some discourse among fans when it comes to Katie talking to bloggers since most of the women in the cast are podcasters. Tamra also went on a recent episode of Nick Viall’s podcast to talk about the show. As someone who has a podcast, what is your response to those who find it hypocritical to be angry with Katie? And where does the line get drawn?
I think the line gets drawn behind closed doors. If you’re talking about things out in the open, for better or for worse, you’re talking about them, whether it’s your platform or someone else’s. When you’re talking to people behind the scenes, that becomes more of an issue.
I, of course, have to bring up Gina’s claim on Watch What Happens Live that you supplied Emily with the information about Katie’s custody situation. Have you spoken to Gina since she said that?
Oh, yes. We talked.
How did that go?
I lit her up a little bit. I have to say. Then I apologized for lighting her up. But here’s the thing. Between our filming season and the reunion, there were a lot of stories out there that were put out about Katie. Not just about that, but about lawsuits and things or whatever. We were all sending them to each other. That’s what happens. Trust me, if something happens in my world, it gets sent out amongst the group. It’s no different than Shannon’s DUI or the FBI claims or any of that stuff. So it wasn’t surprising to me that it happened with us. And it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone else that we pass those stories around, because that’s just what happened. But to be clear, there was no research done. There was no investigative reporting. There was no digging. It was on Page Six or OK! magazine or something.
Right. It wasn’t like you were messaging Emily telling her to bring it up.
No, of course not. I want to say something on Emily’s behalf for a second. Emily didn’t bring it up to start things with her. Emily brought it up because there were some inconsistencies in the stories that Katie had told us, and so she was trying to clarify them. Maybe it didn’t all come off exactly the right way. But that’s what she was doing.
This New Orleans trip got off to a great start, but things clearly took a turn for the worse in tonight’s episode with Tamra storming out of the dinner. You were the only one to go after her. Can you walk me through that moment?
First of all, I thought I missed something. Didn’t you feel like that when you were watching it? I was sitting there like, “What did I do?” But also, you saw the conversation that happened in the hallway with Tamra and Gretchen, and then Katie had walked in. We didn’t have the benefit of that information. So, I had no idea why Tamra was so mad, what had happened, how we got to this point. It was emotional. It was weird. It was hard to figure out. But I will say, there’s been a lot of people that are saying—a lot of my cast members and audience members—like, “Why do you stick up for Tamra? What does she have on you?” Nothing. I’ve been on television for, like, 100 years. Trust me, it would have come out already. The truth is, when you’ve been friends with someone for a long time and you see them struggling and going through a very difficult time, not just with Teddi [Mellencamp], who obviously is her best friend, who was having health issues at the time and all of that, but also through her therapy and what was being uncovered there. I was privy to all of that information. Of course, I want to help her and protect her and take care of her. That was my goal.
You all found out that Tamra “quit” the show right there at the dinner table in New Orleans. Did you ever think that she was really gone?
Listen, I’ve been around a long time. If you remember the Bali trip from years ago — “You’ll never see my face again!” We did. I’m just saying. I don’t know. I kind of thought she might be back.
I think we all knew she wasn’t going down without a fight.
Not my girl.
In this week’s episode, the editors kind of did you dirty when they played the clip of Tamra calling Jenn single white female when you two were hanging out, right after you told Jenn that Tamra never said that to you. What can you say about that moment? And do you think you’ll be reaching out to Jenn once that airs?
I totally forgot. I actually texted Jenn when I watched it. I was like, “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. I don’t remember her saying that.” Trust me. If I had remembered her saying that, I just would have owned it at that moment. That dinner that I had at Tamra’s house was long. She was in a rough place, and I went over to her house. I brought food, I brought champagne, and we hung out for hours. She had told me a lot of things that were going on with her personally, and that just seemed so irrelevant. She had a laundry list of reasons why she felt that way. I went, “OK, yeah, OK. I get it.” But then I sat with Jenn and she has other reasons why that’s not true. And I went, “OK, yeah, I get it.” It’s hard to be between two people.
I feel like so much has happened off-camera this season that I almost want to see Kiki Monique at the reunion to help clear some things up. How would you feel about that?
I mean, I cannot confirm or deny that you will see Kiki Monique.
Oh! Will she be on this season?
I actually don’t know. I just think maybe.
I believe your husband Terry spilled the beans about your son Nick being approached about joining Next Gen LA. Is that something you’d encourage?
In the season of nepo babies, what do we have to give? He can’t hand his plastic surgery practice over. What do we have to give? This is it. I mean, I’m joking, sort of. Nicky’s a great kid. He’s really lovely and interesting and good and kind. If that’s a road he’d like to walk down, we would be supportive of that.
Katie said her daughter Kaili was also approached by the same casting team. What would you think of her and Nick starring on a show together?
When I first started this show years ago, kids and careers were totally off limits. It’s changed a little bit since then, which I don’t subscribe to, and I hope that ends. So, you know, I think whatever works and whatever’s good for the kids is fine.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
New episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County air Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.