Every Time Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge Threw Shade at the ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ Cast After Their Exits

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Every Time Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge Threw Shade at the ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ Cast After Their Exits

It’s safe to say Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge haven’t held back since leaving The Real Housewives of Orange County ahead of season 15. Vicki, who was part of the first Real Housewives franchise since the 2006 premiere, was demoted to a “friend” for season 14 of the series. After filming the show in a smaller role, Vicki made it clear that she wouldn’t be back unless she was upgraded back to full-time status. She announced her exit in January 2020. “I will always be the OG of the OC, but it’s time to say goodbye to The Real Housewives of Orange County. 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 wrote at the time via Instagram. “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.” Tamra, meanwhile, joined the cast of RHOC during season 3. She told Us Weekly exclusively that she was offered a part-time gig on the show for season 15 but walked away after 12 years. [jwplayer DGXJ078E-l3ahXupL] “I had gotten a call and I was camping and the producer said, ‘Hey, we want to talk to you.’ And I’m like, ‘What’s up?’ And they’re like, ‘Well, the network has decided to go in a different direction.’ And I’m like, ‘What?! OK, well, I thought we start filming in a couple days.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah.’ And they even said, ‘We’re shocked. We’re completely shocked at this,’” she told Us in May 2020. ’They know that you said you’d never become a ‘friend,’ so they want to give you a limited role.’ And I’m like, ‘No, thank you.’ That’s not what I said. I said, ‘F off!’ And then I just took a week or so and I just absorbed it. … I cried and I was scared.” Season 15 of RHOC, which premieres in October 2020, stars Shannon Beador, Kelly Dodd, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, Braunwyn Windham-Burke and newcomer Elizabeth Lyn Vargas. While Tamra and Vicki may not be in the cast, they are still keeping up with the drama in the OC — and throwing shade at their former costars. Scroll through for Vicki and Tamra’s shadiest post-RHOC moments. Hear the Us Weekly editors break down the most surprising celebrity births during the pandemic in under 2 minutes!

Credit: Shutterstock

Every Time Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge Threw Shade at the ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ Cast After Their Exits

It’s safe to say Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge haven’t held back since leaving The Real Housewives of Orange County ahead of season 15. Vicki, who was part of the first Real Housewives franchise since the 2006 premiere, was demoted to a “friend” for season 14 of the series. After filming the show in a smaller role, Vicki made it clear that she wouldn’t be back unless she was upgraded back to full-time status. She announced her exit in January 2020. “I will always be the OG of the OC, but it’s time to say goodbye to The Real Housewives of Orange County. 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 wrote at the time via Instagram. “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.” Tamra, meanwhile, joined the cast of RHOC during season 3. She told Us Weekly exclusively that she was offered a part-time gig on the show for season 15 but walked away after 12 years. [jwplayer DGXJ078E-l3ahXupL] “I had gotten a call and I was camping and the producer said, ‘Hey, we want to talk to you.’ And I’m like, ‘What’s up?’ And they’re like, ‘Well, the network has decided to go in a different direction.’ And I’m like, ‘What?! OK, well, I thought we start filming in a couple days.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah.’ And they even said, ‘We’re shocked. We’re completely shocked at this,’” she told Us in May 2020. ’They know that you said you’d never become a ‘friend,’ so they want to give you a limited role.’ And I’m like, ‘No, thank you.’ That’s not what I said. I said, ‘F off!’ And then I just took a week or so and I just absorbed it. … I cried and I was scared.” Season 15 of RHOC, which premieres in October 2020, stars Shannon Beador, Kelly Dodd, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, Braunwyn Windham-Burke and newcomer Elizabeth Lyn Vargas. While Tamra and Vicki may not be in the cast, they are still keeping up with the drama in the OC — and throwing shade at their former costars. Scroll through for Vicki and Tamra’s shadiest post-RHOC moments. Hear the Us Weekly editors break down the most surprising celebrity births during the pandemic in under 2 minutes!

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Emily Braunwyn Shade

“Emily Simpson? I never got to know her really well,” Vicki said during an Instagram Live with Tamra in May 2020.

The CUT Fitness owner quipped back, “Lucky you.”

When the topic of Braunwyn came up, Vicki didn’t hold back. “Browned Wind is very crazy and Browned Wind was a closet watcher. She didn’t know any of us and then she came on and was like ‘I don’t like you. I have a bad feeling about you.’ And I’m like ‘Who are you?'” she said.

Tamra replied, “She played that one wrong with you. … So many people come on the show and they are fans of the show. It doesn’t make for a good Housewife. Ever. The problem is that the show’s been on for so long that everybody has seen it. So, it’s hard to come on the show with no expectations.”

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The End of Their Friendship With Shannon

The ladies have been very candid about their friendship with Shannon ending after she went on to film the series without them.

“Normally, we would talk every single day, multiple times a day,” Tamra told Us in May 2020. “And if I didn’t call her or call her back right away, she’s like, ‘Where are you? How come you haven’t called me?’ And then all of a sudden it was like I don’t hear from you. … I said, ‘I felt like, honestly, I’m going through the hardest time in my life right now. So many changes at once. And I can’t get a hold of you. You’re not calling me or you’re not calling me back or you’re not taking my calls.’ That’s what hurts is I just want my friend there.”

Credit: Courtesy Bravo By Betches/Instagram

COVID Filming

Tamra’s use of a face-palm emoji in the comments section of a May 2020 Instagram post of Emily, Shannon, Kelly and Braunwyn filming amid the COVID-19 crisis said it all.

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Tamra Slams Kelly

The real estate agent has called for Kelly to be fired for her offensive remarks. “Even if she did think that way, you shouldn’t publicly say that because there are a lot of people that are missing their father and their grandfather and their uncle and their aunts and their mothers because they have passed away,” she said in June 2020. “It’s such an insensitive thing to say, especially with Andy [Cohen] having [had] coronavirus. You think you’d be a little bit smarter than that.”

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‘Shorter Season’ Drama

“There’s no more Tres Amigas. … In fact, they filmed the season finale two nights ago and oddly enough, we weren’t invited. We just weren’t invited!” Tamra told fans and Vicki via Instagram Live in August 2020.

Vicki quipped back, “And guess what? The episodes are down to 12 vs. 22. Maybe there’s no content because they’re all fake bitches!”

(A source told Us at the time that if season 15 is indeed shorter, it “would likely be because of COVID.”)

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Yard Sale Diss

Vicki shared a meme comparing former stars Tamra, Gretchen Rossi and Heather DuBrow to current cast members Kelly, Emily, Gina and Elizabeth in October 2020.

“Chanel vs. Yard Sale,” the meme reads.

Vicki, who posted the pic via Twitter, added, “Gotta laugh at this.”

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock; MediaPunch/Shutterstock; Amy Sussman/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

The ’Loyal’ Friend Battle

After Shannon told Entertainment Tonight in October 2020 that she initially didn’t like Kelly because of Tamra, referring to herself as a “loyal friend,” the fitness guru wasn’t happy.

"I dispute what they've said," Shannon told ET. "I am not the person to sink down to a level to argue with people — that I consider close friends — in the press or on social media. That's not who I am, that's not what I'm made of, so I just feel like I have a little bit more decorum than they do. I don't wanna engage with them, except to say that the things that they've been saying, especially Tamra, it's a laundry list of things that aren't true.”

Tamra, meanwhile, went off on Instagram.  

In my experience loyal friends don’t constantly tell you ‘IM A LOYAL FRIEND’ if they do … they are full of self-deception!” Tamra wrote. “Turning your back on a friend because they live 45 minutes away and don’t party in your circle anymore, isn’t any kind of friend in my book. Loyal friends are there for you when you’re going through hard time, ask you how your kids are doing as their dad fights cancer, asks if you need help when your husband is having heart surgery, cries with you & accept you for who you are during good & bad times. your actions will always speak louder than your words!”

She added, “#alwaysthevictim #onesidedfriendshipssuck please stop saying you’re a loyal friend! Your ET interview was filled with hypocrisy & lies and if you want to keep it up I’ll bring out receipts!”

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More Denials

“No sweetie I was a good friend to YOU!” Tamra wrote alongside more quotes from Shannon’s season 15 press tour. She also denied Shannon’s claim that the twosome spoke “often.”

“Only to hysterical [SIC] cry to me that Leslie signed your support check,” Tamra quipped in October 2020, referring to Shannon’s ex-husband David Beador’s pregnant fiancée.

Credit: Courtesy of Tamra Judge/Instagram

Post-Premiere Shade

Following the premiere on October 15, Judge revealed via Instagram she didn’t watch. “No, but I got 100s of DMs telling me their thoughts,” she responded to a fan. When another follower asked, “Who do you think should be gone off the OC?” she shared a cast photo and wrote, “4 out of the 6!”

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Don’t Blame Me

Tamra took to Instagram after she was discussed during the first two episodes of season 15. “I haven’t watched yet but heard I’m getting blamed for stuff,” she wrote in October 2020 before clarifying the details of her conversation with Braunwyn’s mother about her daughter's struggle with alcoholism. “I asked how her and B were doing. She simply said better now that she isn’t drinking … that’s it!!!! First week of filming when Shannon and I were still kind talking, Shannon called me and said she thinks B is pregnant and she’s gonna buy her a pregnancy test and give it to her on camera. I told her don’t bother, I don’t think she’s pregnant, her mom told me that she isn’t drinking anymore.”

Tamra then alleged, “Shannon then contacts production and makes this big deal out of it saying, ‘We are filming a reality show she needs to drink.’ … No Shannon, not everyone needs to drink!”

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Keep Them Talking

Tamra was quizzed in an Instagram Q&A in October 2020 about the new season. "Thoughts on the current cast constantly bringing you up?" a fan asked. "I totally expected it," she replied, adding the song "Keep Them Talking" by Garnet Silk. When another wondered if she would appear on season 16, Tamra wrote, "Good chance of that happening." "What is it with Emily coming at you?" another asked. "Clearly they all need you to help start anything." "No idea?" Tamra responded. "Last time I spoke to her was at the reunion! She didn't have anything to say to me then." She added the song "Mean People Suck" by DC Bloom to her Story. 

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Coming After Kelly

Vicki shared a photo of the ladies of season 11: Meghan King Edmonds, Heather, Vicki, Tamra, Kelly and Shannon, and covered Kelly with a clown face. "I miss THIS RHOC cast!!! Except for Kelly," she captioned her Instagram Story in October 2020. "Lets [sic] sub in @kristentaekfam for Kelly!" Vicki added a poll, with 82 percent voting in favor of the old cast.

Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo(2)

The COVID of It All

Vicki slammed Kelly in November 2020 for her past COVID-19 comments after Kelly revealed her mom was in the hospital after testing positive for the virus. “While I am saddened to hear of Kelly’s mom being in the ICU with COVID — and hope she gets a speedy recovery — it would be remiss for anyone to not think about and recall the endless months Kelly has spent making a complete mockery of the virus,” Vicki told Champion Daily. “While everyone is frustrated with the current situation in the world, and understandably so, Kelly has gone above and beyond to completely make a joke out of it — the virus, mask-wearing, the people dying from it, and more. Let us not forget she claimed coronavirus was God’s way of thinning the herd. If she really feels that way, then is her mom part of the herd God should be thinning? One would think not.”

The OG Housewife continued to call Kelly out for her controversial comments about the virus adding: “It’s interesting to note it seems Kelly may not even be in contact with her mom at this point. An Instagram exchange showed her brother asking for prayers for their mom in the ICU and Kelly responding that her mom has her blocked. What this comes down to is Kelly is an absolutely vile person. I, of course, feel empathy for her mom and anyone else who is dealing with the coronavirus and deeply sick from it. What I don’t feel, though, is any empathy for Kelly. How can I feel bad for her dealing with this horrible situation after she’s made a complete mockery of the virus and, by doing so, the hundreds of thousands of people who have died from it?”

Kelly faced backlash in April after said that the pandemic is “God’s way of thinning the herd” and that many who have died “would’ve died this year [because] they were compromised” anyway. She later apologized for her comments saying she was “not insensitive” and said she was “sorry” to anyone who was offended.

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Tamra Defends Braunwyn

After Kelly accused Braunwyn of pretending to be an alcoholic during a December 2020 appearance on WWHL, Tamra stepped in.

“Who believes anything she says!!!!! Coming from the same person that’s mocking covid,” she wrote via Instagram. “Just another stupid comment out of this ignorant chicks mouth. #STFU.”

Kelly subsequently accused Tamra of “obsessing about the show” and compared her to Gretchen Rossi. The Positive Beverage owner also came for Tamra’s CBD business.

“I’d be very careful spreading lies about our business … #Attorneynotified,” Tamra quipped back, asking fans to forward her “anything else she says about my business.”

Credit: Courtesy Tamra Judge/Instagram

Changes Coming?

Tamra was asked by a fan in December 2020 whether she wanted to be back on the show. "I have very mixed feelings!" she replied. "It was a Big part of my life for 12 years. Sometimes I miss it, but I'm okay without it. I really enjoy my friendships off camera with some of the ladies In my opinion the current cast is the worst in OC history! I definitely see a shakeup coming." She added the hashtag #makeOCgreatagain.

Credit: Courtesy of Tamra Judge/Instagram

Worst Cast Ever

During a Q&A via Instagram in December 2020, Tamra was asked whether she wanted to return to the Bravo series. "I have very mixed feelings! It was a big part of my life for 12 years. Sometimes I miss it, but I’m okay without it. I really enjoy my friendships off camera with some of the ladies," she wrote at the time. "In my opinion, the current cast is the worst in OC history. I definitely see a shake up coming. #MakeOCgreatagain."

Credit: Courtesy of Vicki Gunvalson/Instagram

Ready for a Change

Vicki shared her ideal RHOC season 16 cast in December 2020, shading season 15 stars Gina, Emily and Elizabeth in the process. When asked by a fan to pick who should be on the show next season, Vicki put herself and former castmate Tamra at the top of the list. She also added Braunwyn and Kelly before filling two spots with a “rich newbie” and listing Shannon as a possible “friend.”

Credit: Shutterstock; Bravo

Vicki Shades Braunwyn

Vicki slammed Braunwyn for spending time with girlfriend Kris weeks after coming out in a November interview with GLAAD. On a fan Instagram account, the ex-RHOC star said the mother of seven should “go home” to her children. The picture, snapped during a December 17, 2020 beach date, showed Braunwyn and Kris holding hands while walking on the sand.

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Two Sides of Emily

Tamra opened up about Emily during a February 2021 appearance on the “Everything Iconic With Danny Pellegrino” podcast, praising her Instagram game while shading her TV persona. “She’s a social media gangster, but when she’s on the show, she’s like watching paint dry,” Tamra said.

The Vena CBD founder explained that Emily is “one of those people, that behind the keyboard can say and do whatever she wants, but as soon as the cameras are on, she can’t. And, that’s where I feel like you’re a good Housewife or you’re not a good Housewife.” She noted that she doesn’t think Emily is a “bad person,” but “I just don’t think she’s good for TV. And that’s my personal opinion.”