The Real Housewives
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Real Housewives'' is an American
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
franchise that began on March 21, 2006, with '' The Real Housewives of Orange County''. Each installment of the franchise documents the personal and professional lives of a group of affluent women residing in a certain city or geopolitical region. Ten different series have been produced in the United States, and there are 21 international adaptations in addition. The American series is broadcast on Bravo; previously, the ''
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
'' installment aired for a time on
Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
. The first international adaptation, '' The Real Housewives of Athens'', premiered on March 4, 2011. The longest-running international edition is '' The Real Housewives of Cheshire'', which is currently airing its eighteenth season. The American franchise has led to 27 spin-off series in all; the most successful one being '' Vanderpump Rules'', which has itself had a number of spin-offs.


History

The show was inspired by scripted soap operas including '' Desperate Housewives'' and '' Peyton Place'', and would document the lives of five to eight upper-class women who "lead glamorous lives in a picturesque Southern California gated community where the average home has a $1.6 million price tag and residents include CEOs and retired professional athletes." On May 1, 2005, ''The Real Housewives'' was first announced as one of six
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
shows ordered by the American television network Bravo. In January 2006, the show was announced as '' The Real Housewives of Orange County.'' However, filming began in 2005 under the title ''Behind the Gates''. The first season aired on Bravo from March 21 to May 9, 2006. The original cast consisted of Kimberly Bryant, Jo De La Rosa, Vicki Gunvalson, Jeana Keough and Lauri Waring. The show has had four spin-offs: '' Date My Ex: Jo & Slade,'' ''Tamra’s OC Wedding'', ''Glitter Town, ''and'' Simply Gina.'' In September 2007, the network started production for the show ''Manhattan Moms.'' In January 2008, the show was re-titled to '' The Real Housewives of New York City'', becoming the second installment in the franchise. The first season aired on Bravo from March 4 to May 27, 2008. The original cast consisted of Bethenny Frankel, Luann de Lesseps, Alex McCord, Ramona Singer and Jill Zarin. In 2022, the show was completely rebooted with a brand-new cast for the fourteenth season. The show has had three spin-offs: '' Bethenny Ever After'', '' Bethenny & Fredrik'' and '' Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake''. In June 2008, the third installment in the franchise, '' The Real Housewives of Atlanta'', was announced. The first season aired on Bravo from October 7 to November 25, 2008. The original cast consisted of
NeNe Leakes Linnethia Monique "NeNe" Leakes (; née Johnson; born December 13, 1967) is an American television personality, actress, presenter, businesswoman, author, and fashion designer. She first rose to prominence after becoming the breakout star on B ...
, DeShawn Snow, Shereé Whitfield, Lisa Wu and Kim Zolciak. The show has had ten spin-offs: ''
Don't Be Tardy ''Don't Be Tardy'' is an American reality television show that premiered on Bravo (American TV network), Bravo on April 26, 2012, as ''Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding.'' Developed as the first spin-off of ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta,'' feat ...
'', '' The Kandi Factory'', '' I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding'', '' Kandi's Wedding'', '' Kandi's Ski Trip'', ''Xscape: Still Kickin' It'', ''Kandi Koated Nights'', ''Porsha's Having a Baby'', ''Porsha's Family Matters'' and '' Kandi & The Gang''. In May 2008, the fourth installment in the franchise, '' The Real Housewives of New Jersey'', was announced before the announcement of the ''Atlanta'' installment. The first season aired on Bravo from May 12 to July 8, 2009. The original cast consisted of Dina Manzo, Teresa Giudice, Jacqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo, and Danielle Staub. The show has had three spin-offs: '' Boys to Manzo'', '' Manzo'd with Children'' and '' Teresa Checks In''. In October 2009, the fifth installment in the franchise, '' The Real Housewives of D.C., was'' announced. The season aired on Bravo from August 5 to October 21, 2010. The cast consisted of Mary Amons, Lynda Erkiletian, Cat Ommanney, Michaele Salahi and Stacie Scott Turner. The show ended after one season, becoming the first franchise to be canceled; its cancellation came after one of the cast members, Salahi, and her husband Tareq caused controversy by successfully entering the White House uninvited for a state dinner while being filmed for the show. In March 2010, the sixth installment in the franchise, '' The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'', was announced. The first season aired on Bravo from October 14, 2010, to February 15, 2011. The original cast consisted of Taylor Armstrong, Camille Grammer, Adrienne Maloof, Kim Richards, Kyle Richards and
Lisa Vanderpump Lisa Jane Vanderpump (born 15 September 1960) is an English television personality and actress. She initially gained fame as a main cast member on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' from 2010 until 2019. Vanderpump parlayed her ''Housewiv ...
. The show has had three spin-offs: '' Vanderpump Rules'', '' Vanderpump Dogs'', and ''Vanderpump Villa''. ''Vanderpump Rules'' has itself had three additional spin-offs: '' Vanderpump Rules After Show'', and '' Vanderpump Rules: Jax & Brittany Take Kentucky'', and '' The Valley'', a show which premiered on March 19, 2024. In March 2010, the network ordered a show titled ''Miami Social Club'', which would serve as a reconstruction of '' Miami Social''. The show was later re-titled to '' The Real Housewives of Miami'', becoming the seventh installment in the franchise. The first season aired on Bravo from February 22 to April 5, 2011. The original cast consisted of Lea Black, Adriana de Moura, Alexia Echevarria, Marysol Patton, Larsa Pippen and Cristy Rice. The cast added Lisa Hochstein, Joanna Krupa, Ana Quincoces and Karent Sierra as housewives in season 2. After an eight-year hiatus following season 3, the fourth season aired on
Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
from December 16, 2021, to March 10, 2022. The rebooted cast consisted of Guerdy Abraira, Lisa Hochstein, Julia Lemigova, Nicole Martin, Alexia Nepola née Echevarria and Larsa Pippen. The show has had one spin-off: '' Havana Elsa''. In November 2015, the eighth installment in the franchise, '' The Real Housewives of Potomac'', was announced. The series had the working title ''Potomac Ensemble'' prior to the announcement. The first season aired on Bravo from January 17 to April 17, 2016. The original cast consisted of Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Robyn Dixon, Karen Huger, Charrisse Jackson-Jordan and Katie Rost. The show has had one spin-off: ''Karen's Grande Dame Reunion''. Prior to being announced, the ninth installment in the franchise, '' The Real Housewives of Dallas'', was initially titled ''Ladies of Dallas'' during its early production, a potential spin-off to '' Ladies of London''. It was announced in November 2015. The first season aired on Bravo from April 11 to June 19, 2016. The original cast consisted of Cary Deuber, Tiffany Hendra, Stephanie Hollman, LeeAnne Locken and Brandi Redmond. On August 17, 2021, the network announced that they had no plans to immediately renew the show for a sixth season, placing it on an indefinite hiatus. In November 2019, the tenth installment in the franchise, '' The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City'', was announced. The first season aired on Bravo from November 11, 2020, to February 24, 2021. The original cast consisted of Lisa Barlow, Mary Cosby, Heather Gay, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose and Jen Shah. In November 2021, '' The Real Housewives of Dubai'', was announced as the network's first original international installment of the franchise. The first season aired on Bravo from June 1, 2022, to September 7, 2022. The original cast consisted of Sara Al Madani, Nina Ali, Chanel Ayan, Caroline Brooks, Lesa Milan and Caroline Stanbury. In November 2024, Bravo placed the series on hiatus. In May 2025, the eleventh installment in the franchise, '' The Real Housewives of Rhode Island'', was announced. In June 2025, Real Housewives franchise executive Lauren Miller died shortly after childbirth


List of editions

Bravo has aired 12 series in the United States, of which 11 have been filmed in the country and one has been filmed internationally. The network has also licensed the brand to networks outside the United States, giving rise to several international installments, with varying levels of success. The success of the American franchise has resulted in 28 spin-offs centered on specific housewives, with the longest-running being ''Vanderpump Rules'', which focuses on the staff at the restaurants and bars owned by
Lisa Vanderpump Lisa Jane Vanderpump (born 15 September 1960) is an English television personality and actress. She initially gained fame as a main cast member on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' from 2010 until 2019. Vanderpump parlayed her ''Housewiv ...
from ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.'' : Indicates a series that is currently airing. : Indicates a series that has been confirmed for an upcoming season. : Indicates a series with an unknown status. : Indicates a series that is no longer in development.


Bravo editions


International editions


Spin-offs


Cast history

: Indicates a housewife currently starring on her series


Format and elements

Each series focuses on the lives and social dynamics of a core group of around five to eight women in a particular city or geographic area. Cast members are typically relatively wealthy, middle-aged women. Scenes may depict cast members' personal and professional lives, and especially their social interactions with one another. Individual scenes may feature any combination of cast members (including solo scenes), though producers aim to include at least one "tent-pole" event per episode, which brings together the full cast. A single season typically consists of around 15 - 25 episodes. The franchise has been described as a "docu-soap"— a hybrid of the reality television and soap opera genres. The shows are not scripted, but field producers often intervene to steer the direction of conversations or inflame conflicts.


Opening credits and taglines

A highly recognizable and frequently parodied feature of the franchise is its opening credits, which feature clips and green screen footage of each housewife in turn, with each housewife delivering a "
tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...
"—a short quip alluding to some aspect of their personality or story. For example, for season six of ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'',
Lisa Vanderpump Lisa Jane Vanderpump (born 15 September 1960) is an English television personality and actress. She initially gained fame as a main cast member on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' from 2010 until 2019. Vanderpump parlayed her ''Housewiv ...
, who runs a dog rescue organization, used the tagline "I'm passionate about dogs, just not crazy about bitches". Housewives record several taglines for a given season, some of which may be written by the housewife herself and some by producers, with the network having final say on which one is used. The credits end with a title card showing a lineup of the entire cast holding in their outstretched hands an object related to the show's location. For example, the housewives of ''Orange County'' hold oranges, the cast of ''Atlanta'' hold peaches, and the women of ''Beverly Hills'' hold oversized diamonds. This began as an allusion to the opening credits of '' Desperate Housewives'', which featured the show's main actresses holding apples, and each object is often used as a symbolic reference for being a cast member on each respective show — for example, if a long-time guest on a franchise is finally cast to appear full time, her cast mates may say she has "finally earned her peach." The housewife in the center of the cast shot is generally chosen to be the cast member who had the greatest impact on the season.


Reunion episodes

Each season of a ''Real Housewives'' series ends with a "reunion", in which the cast members convene to discuss the events of the season. The reunion is generally filmed after most of the season has aired, and the women have had a chance to view the season's episodes. Reunions are filmed in a single day over the course of around ten hours, but are generally edited into two or three one-hour episodes. Housewives are typically paid for their participation in each season of the program in two separate amounts, with the second portion paid to the Housewives after the filming of the reunion. When Adrienne Maloof failed to show up for ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' season three reunion in 2013, a precedent was set where, with the exception of certain circumstances such as attending an alcohol rehabilitation facility, the Housewife's employment as a cast member on the program is terminated if she is a no-show. Housewives to skip the reunion and not return to the series in the next season include Maloof, Mary Cosby (''Salt Lake City''), and Lisa Vanderpump (''Beverly Hills''). Cast members are seated on couches on either side of a host ( Andy Cohen, in the case of the American editions) who asks the cast questions (sometimes viewer-submitted) about the events of the season. It is theorized that the closer a Housewife sits to the host, the more integral the part she played in the drama and storyline that season. By 2016, entertainment websites were analyzing the importance of the reunion seating charts, with Slice noting that the Housewives assigned to the "end spots", meaning the ones farthest away from the host, meant a near-certain end to their time on ''Real Housewives''. Housewives generally dress formally, in
evening Evening is the period of a day that begins at the end of daylight and overlaps with the beginning of night. It generally indicates the period of time when the sun is close to the horizon and comprises the periods of civil, nautical and astronom ...
or
cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...
dresses, for reunions. In addition to answering questions, the Housewives are given the chance to look back on video clips of events from the season, with their reactions shown to the audience via picture-in-picture. "Friends of the Housewives", part-time cast members, typically only appear for a portion of the reunion time. In many but not all American ''Real Housewives'' installments, a segment of the reunion is filmed with the husbands of the Housewives joining their spouses on stage and giving their thoughts on what happened during the filming of the season. The first show to debut such a segment was ''The Real Housewives of Orange County'' in 2010, and many production companies now consider spouse participation to be standard fare on reunion day. The vast majority of reunion specials end with the cast making a toast, signifying a formal end to the season. In many cases production makes note of offering non-alcoholic toasts to Housewives who have quit drinking alcohol, or who are pregnant. The final episode of the first season of ''The Real Housewives of Orange County'', the franchise's original incarnation, diverged from the now-standard reunion format; it lacked a host, and the women dressed casually and cordially reminisced over the course of a single episode, set in the backyard of one of the women. The reunion for the second season, then titled "''Real Housewives Confess: A Watch What Happens Special''", was the first to feature Andy Cohen as host, and to use the
talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
-like format which subsequent reunions would adopt. From then on, a standard season-ending reunion would play out across two episodes, with season three of ''The Real Housewives of New York City'' debuting the franchise's first-ever three-part reunion in June 2010. In the years since, three-part reunions have become commonplace on many American ''Housewives'' series, and in April 2017, ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' ended its ninth season with a four-part reunion special. The four-part reunion special format was later duplicated by the Potomac and Beverly Hills installments in 2021. During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
in 2020, the season 12 and season 10 reunions of ''Atlanta'' and ''Beverly Hills'' respectively were filmed virtually, on Zoom, from the homes of Cohen and the Housewives due to lockdown orders at the time.


Production

Each ''Real Housewives'' program is made by a different production company, though some are responsible for more than one show. For example, Evolution Media produces both ''The Real Housewives of Orange County'' and ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills''. A season is shot on location over the course of around four to six months. The typical field crew for a show consists of three production crews of around ten people, including one lead producer, several camera crew, and a sound technician. Small scenes, such as those centered on just one or two housewives, are shot by a single production crew, whereas multiple crews will cover larger events involving most of the cast. The postproduction process of putting episodes together takes around ten to twelve weeks and begins near the end of filming. Estimates for the amount of raw footage recorded per hour-long episode have ranged from 40 to 85 hours.


Casting

While early seasons occasionally made use of open casting calls, potential housewives are more typically referred by existing cast members or invited to interview by casting agents as a result of their research into the city's social circles. Candidates must pass through three stages: a phone interview with a casting director, a video interview, and finally a filmed home visit, simulating the process of filming a scene for the show. The casting of Housewives' family members as primary cast members has occurred many times, with '' The Real Housewives of New Jersey'' casting siblings in its first season. This particular installment of the franchise would later cast sisters-in-law, cousins, and even twin sisters. The first mother-daughter Housewives, Evodia and Mercy Mogase from '' The Real Housewives of Johannesburg'', eventually received their own spinoff program in 2020.


Contracts

The compensation of ''Real Housewives'' cast members has been the subject of some speculation. In his book about the ''Housewives'' franchise, writer Brian Moylan estimates that, as of 2021, a cast member would receive around $60,000 for her first season, increasing year over year up to a cap of around 300 to 500 thousand dollars. Certain "star" cast members have been rumored to be paid figures in the low millions, such as
NeNe Leakes Linnethia Monique "NeNe" Leakes (; née Johnson; born December 13, 1967) is an American television personality, actress, presenter, businesswoman, author, and fashion designer. She first rose to prominence after becoming the breakout star on B ...
, and Kandi Burruss of '' The Real Housewives of Atlanta'',
Lisa Vanderpump Lisa Jane Vanderpump (born 15 September 1960) is an English television personality and actress. She initially gained fame as a main cast member on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' from 2010 until 2019. Vanderpump parlayed her ''Housewiv ...
of '' The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'', and Tamra Judge of '' The Real Housewives of Orange County''. In the early years of the franchise, cast members were paid considerably less, with '' Real Housewives of New York City'' cast member Bethenny Frankel stating that she was paid $7,250 for her appearance on the show's first season in 2008. A notable provision of housewives' contracts is the so-called "Bethenny clause", which states that Bravo receives 10% of the sale price of any business a cast member starts while on the show, provided that it sells for more than 1 million dollars. The colloquial name for the clause is in reference to Bethenny Frankel, who sold her Skinnygirl cocktail line in 2011 for a reported $120 million.


Confessional interviews

Like many reality television shows, the ''Real Housewives'' franchise makes use of confessional interviews, in which scenes are interspersed with "talking head" commentary from the cast members. Confessional interviews were originally filmed at the housewives' homes, but are now mostly shot on a soundstage in front of a green screen, with an image of the cast member's home composited behind them. Interviews are filmed periodically during and after the filming of a season, sometimes over the course of a full day, and involve the women responding to questions from an off-screen producer. Over the years, cast members have adopted increasingly elaborate hair, makeup, and fashions for confessional interviews, and may spend between 45 minutes and three hours before filming in order to prepare their looks with the help of hair and makeup artists. Each cast member typically has three different confessional looks for a season, with some franchises adopting up to seven, which may need to be reproduced in multiple interview sessions for the sake of continuity. Confessional looks must be approved in advance by producers and the network.


Potential additional locations

On December 2, 2016, Cohen spoke on the future of the franchise, saying if there were to be a new installment to the franchise, it could potentially be set in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. Cohen also stated that an All Star edition of the franchise would serve as an end-goal if ratings began to drop. Later in December 2016, during an interview with Harry Connick Jr., Cohen stated that they look for cities with strong personalities, and agreed that
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
fits that criterion. Cities where Cohen and other producers began the casting process but ultimately decided not to create a series include
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
,
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
and
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
.


Criticism

Feminist leader
Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem ( ; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social movement, social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ...
has vociferously criticized the ''Real Housewives'' franchise for "presenting women as rich, pampered, dependent and hateful towards each other." Others have criticized the show for its promotion of conspicuous consumption. The franchise is often analyzed through a lens of feminist political economy, and how the show "creates rich women as objects of cultural derision, well-heeled jesters in a populist court." In October 2019, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' ran an article criticizing how the casts of the different ''Real Housewives'' installments appear "segregated" by skin color. Author Tracie Egan Morrissey pointed to ''Potomac'' and ''Atlanta'' for their almost entirely
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
casts, while the other iterations, such as ''Beverly Hills'', ''Orange County'', ''Dallas'', ''New York'', and ''New Jersey'', are overwhelmingly
white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
and have featured few women of color. ''The Real Housewives of New York'' did not have an African-American cast member until 2021; while the addition of Kary Brittingham to ''Dallas'' in 2019 marked the show's first
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
cast member. ''Beverly Hills'', with the exception of season four’s Joyce Giraud, featured "a racially homogeneous cast throughout its run", until the addition of Garcelle Beauvais in 2019 and Crystal Kung-Minkoff in 2021. The ''Real Housewives of Dubai'' installment, which premiered on June 1, 2022, has been the subject of criticism due to its setting in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
,
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
. On May 25, 2022, a group of 12 human rights organizations, including Freedom Forward, CODEPINK and FairSquare, wrote an open letter to Andy Cohen and other executives condemning the decision to film a show there, citing the Dubai and UAE governments purported
homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
and
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
violations. The groups asked the producers to reveal the financial role of the UAE in the series' production, run a disclaimer, and publicly cite past human rights abuses committed by the emirate. In January 2024, former '' The Real Housewives of New Jersey'' star Caroline Manzo filed a lawsuit against Bravo which alleged that the network and its affiliated companies—Forest Productions, Warner Bros. Entertainment, NBCUniversal Media, Shed Media and Peacock TV— would "regularly ply the Real Housewives cast with alcohol, cause them to become severely intoxicated, and then direct, encourage and/or allow them to sexually harass other cast members because that is good for ratings." The lawsuit was filed a year after it was reported Brandi Glanville gave Manzo "unwanted kisses" while they participated in season 5 of '' The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip''. The lawsuit also accused Bravo of knowing that Glanville, who was also previously a cast member of '' The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'', had a history of sexual misconduct, but hired her anyway for good ratings.


Syndication

The first four installments entered weekday
broadcast syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...
in the majority of United States markets on September 13, 2010, with episodes of '' The Real Housewives of Orange County''. '' The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' started airing episodes in the syndicated time slot on October 25, 2010; '' The Real Housewives of New York City'' on November 29, 2010; and '' The Real Housewives of New Jersey'' on January 17, 2011. More episodes of ''Orange County'' and an encore of ''Atlanta'' finished off the season.


Parodies

Since the conception of the series, ''The Real Housewives'' franchise has been parodied in television, film, theatre and online media.


Television


Series

* '' Real Husbands of Hollywood'' is a reality television parody show broadcast on BET from January 15, 2013, to December 13, 2016, created by
Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. The accolades he has received include the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and nominations for two Grammy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. After winning se ...
. The show ran for five seasons, before being revived on BET+ in February 2022. * '' The Hotwives'' is a sitcom parody show broadcast on
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
from July 15, 2014, to September 15, 2015. Created by Dannah Phirman and Danielle Schneider, the show ran for two seasons. The first season was set in
Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...
, while the second was set in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. * In
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
, a parody of ''The Real Housewives'' began airing in July 2014, titled ''Real Househelps of Kawangware''. The show was added to the South African mobile streaming service ShowMax in October 2016.


Episodes

* The ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...
'' episodes " Queen of Jordan" (2011) and " Queen of Jordan 2: Mystery of the Phantom Pooper" (2012) were both structured as episodes of a fictional reality show called ''Queen of Jordan'' which parodied several personalities and events of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, particularly ''The Real Housewives of New Jersey''. The 2012 episode " Idiots Are People Three!" also featured Denise Richards parodying LuAnn de Lesseps's song "Chic, C'est La Vie" as "J'adore La Piscine". * The 2022 episode "The Real Rodents of Little Rodentia" of the
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
series '' Zootopia+'' parodies the format of ''The Real Housewives''; Crystal Kung Minkoff from ''Beverly Hills'' and Porsha Williams from ''Atlanta'' make guest appearances voicing two of Fru Fru's friends.


Sketches

* From 2009 to 2012, a recurring sketch titled ''The Real Housewives of Late Night'' aired on '' Late Night with Jimmy Fallon''. The sketch featured the men dressing up as their wives in a parody of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise. * On November 2, 2010, ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' parodied ''The Real Housewives'' franchise as a whole, with a segment titled ''Women of SNL''. The segment was stylized as though it were a reunion special, which guest starred Andy Cohen making a cameo as the host for the segment. The skit featured classic housewives moments spoofed by many women who are a part of ''Saturday Night Live'', including Rachel Dratch, Nora Dunn,
Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received List of awards and nominations received by Tina Fe ...
, Ana Gasteyer,
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress and comedian. She has gained acclaim for starring in a string of successful comedy series as well as several comedy films. She has received List of awards ...
, Laraine Newman, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, and Kristen Wiig. * ''Saturday Night Live'' parodied ''The Real Housewives'' again on March 3, 2012, with a sketch called ''Real Housewives of Disney'' guest starring
Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...
as Rapunzel. * On November 5, 2014, a parody titled ''Housewives of Narromine'' aired in Australia, on ABC's Indigenous sketch show, ''
Black Comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
''. The skit featured back and forth comedy between two characters located in
Narromine Narromine (Help:IPA/English, /næroʊmaɪn/) is a rural Australian town located approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Dubbo in the Orana, New South Wales, Orana region of New South Wales. The town is at the centre of Narromine Shire. ...
, played by Deborah Mailman and Elizabeth Wymarra. * From May 24 to November 8, 2015, the Australian sketch show '' Open Slather'' frequently parodied the series with the sketch ''The Real Housewives of The World''. The sketch featured prominent women in politics in the format of ''The Real Housewives''. The cast included Marg Downey as
Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008 and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...
, Gina Riley as
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
and Magda Szubanski as Angela Merkel. In the same series, Gina Riley also played a parodied version of ''The Real Housewives of Melbourne'' cast member Gina Liano. * On June 16, 2016, the franchise was parodied in episode 9 in the fourth season of '' Inside Amy Schumer''. Amy Schumer parodied ''The Real Housewives'' reunion with Andy Cohen making a guest appearance as himself, as the host. * In New Zealand, a parody series called ''Fresh Housewives of South Auckland'' aired on TV2 during the Saturday morning segment ''Fresh'' and was released online. It ran for eight episodes from November September 11, to November 2, 2016. * In January 2017, the
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
comedy show '' Revolting'' aired the sketch "The Real Housewives of ISIS", which featured women affiliated with the terrorist organization in the style of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise.


Film

* On February 25, 2011, Third Degree Films released a pornographic parody film of the franchise, titled ''The Real Housewives of San Fernando Valley''. * In February 2014, Michael Kulich produced a pornographic film called ''The Real Housewives of Westport'' featuring Nina Hartley.


Theatre

* The series was parodied in August 2012 by the musical ''The Real Drunk Housewives of the San Fernando Valley'', which featured Rachel Reilly. * The musical parody ''The Real Housewives of Walnut Creek'' ran in April and May 2014 at Lesher Center for the Arts in
Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about east of the city of Oakland, California, Oakland. Walnut Creek has a total population of 70,127 per t ...
. The musical was created by Molly Bell, who also starred, and was presented by the Center REPertory. In April 2016, the musical was restaged as ''Real Housewives of Toluca Lake'' at the Falcon Theatre in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
. * In the United Kingdom, the theater production ''The Real Hoosewives - Fae Glesga'' ran from September 10 to September 14, 2014, at the Pavilion Theatre in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
. * From January to May 2016, a performance titled ''The Realish Housewives: A Parody'' toured cities across the United States. Each performance was titled "''The Realish Housewives of he city they performed in'". * From July 16 to September 12, 2016, a parody theater piece called ''Housewives of Secaucus, a Suburban Travesty'' was shown in New Jersey and New York across several venues. The show also parodied reality television series '' Jersey Shore'' and '' Mob Wives'' * In October 2016, a musical titled ''The Real Wicked Witches of Halloween Hills'' was performed over 2 nights on October 29 and October 30, at Westchester Broadway Theatre and Emelin Theatre in New York. The musical is a family-friendly Halloween take on ''The Real Housewives'' franchise. * In May 2021, the play "This American Wife" parodied and reenacted characters from across The Real Housewives franchise. Written and directed by Pulitzer Prize for Drama nominees Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley, and produced by Jeremy O. Harris, the play was filmed on multiple cameras and livestreamed from an actual Long Island mansion during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.


Web series

* The 2009 online series ''The unReal Housewives of Kansas City'' had seven episodes in all. It was directed by Jon Davis, and starred Michelle Davidson, Meagan Flynn, Erin McGrane, Tasha Smith and Jennifer Plas. Davidson, Flynn and Plas also served as writers for the series. * ''The Real Housewives of South Boston'' is a
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
parody series created by Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs in October 2011. * ''Real Housewives of Benning Road'' is a YouTube parody series created Brooks and Amon Williams of Hardhead Films. The series aired for 3 seasons between 2013 and 2014. * Nerdist aired ''The Real Housewives of Horror'', from October 29 to December 4, 2014. The series is written and created by Brea Grant, who also stars in the series, and is a mash-up of the horror movie genre and ''The Real Housewives'' franchise. * On April 12, 2015, former '' Big Brother'' contestant Wil Hueser released a video titled ''The Real Housewives of Louisville'' on his YouTube channel, which went on to serve as the first season. On June 16, 2016, Hueser began airing a second season of his series. The series features Hueser parodying multiple women from Louisville, including his own mother. * In late August 2016, ''Real Housewives of Christchurch'' began airing as an online series. The series is designed as a parody of ''The Real Housewives of Auckland'' and showcases everyday women, rather than the wealthy and polished women featured on the Auckland series. In September 2016, cast-members of ''The Real Housewives of Auckland'', Gilda Kirkpatrick and Anne Batley-Burton, were featured in a video meeting with the ladies of ''The Real Housewives of Christchurch''. * In October 2016, a web series titled ''The Real Houseboys of Waiheke'' began airing as a parody of ''The Real Housewives'' and more specifically ''The Real Housewives of Auckland''. * In a collaboration with Bravo,
Mashable Mashable is a Online newspaper, news website, digital media platform and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2004. Early iterations o ...
began airing an online mini-series titled ''The Real Housekids''. It began on August 1, 2016, and featured children recreating well-known scenes from the franchise. In total four episodes were released, three featuring scenes from ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' and one featuring a scene from ''The Real Housewives of Orange County''. * In 2017, Jimmy Tatro and Christian A. Pierce created '' The Real Bros of Simi Valley'', which premiered on YouTube and later moved to Facebook Watch in season 2.


Web-based sketches

* On August 14, 2012, ''The Real Housekeepers of Long Island'' was released online as a parody of the series, created by Tyler Gildin. * On October 12, 2012, a segment was published on Funny or Die titled ''The Real Dragwives: Very Rich''. The video is a parody of a scene from ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'', with Latrice Royale in the role of
NeNe Leakes Linnethia Monique "NeNe" Leakes (; née Johnson; born December 13, 1967) is an American television personality, actress, presenter, businesswoman, author, and fashion designer. She first rose to prominence after becoming the breakout star on B ...
and DiDa Ritz in the role of Sheree Whitfield. * In June 2015, Dirty Cues Productions produced the parody ''The Real Housewives of Westeros'', combining the popular
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
show ''
Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...
'' with the ''Real Housewives'' franchise. * On October 14, 2016, a parody video was released online called ''The Real Housewitches of Salem''. The video parodied ''The Real Housewives'' as well as '' Hocus Pocus'' and '' Mean Girls''.


Other parodies and allusions

* In 2009, Amy Phillips began impersonating stars from Bravo and many other celebrities on her YouTube channel and eventually began parodying the women from ''The Real Housewives''. Since she began, Phillips has since been endorsed by Bravo and has made several appearances on '' Watch What Happens Live!''. In January 2016, Phillips parodied both ''The Real Housewives'' and ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' in ''Star Wars: The Housewives Awaken'', during her segment ''Reality Checked with Amy Phillips'', on SiriusXM's ''Radio Andy''. * On February 26, 2012, ''The Real Housewives'' was parodied during episode 2 of the fifth season of '' The Celebrity Apprentice'', during a task sponsored by Medieval Times. Contestant and star of ''The Real Housewives of New Jersey'' Teresa Giudice recreated her table-flipping scene from ''The Real Housewives of New Jersey'' in a segment titled ''The Unreal Housewives of Camelot''. * In the 2013 film '' The Best Man Holiday'', Melissa De Sousa's character "Shelby" is a star of the fictional reality show ''The Real Housewives of Westchester''. * In episode 9 of the fourth season of '' Hot in Cleveland'', which aired on January 23, 2013, actress, and cast member of ''The Real Housewives of Orange County'', Heather Dubrow guest starred as Nikki, the wife of Emmet ( Alan Dale), who is trying to get on the fictional series ''True Housewives of Tampa St. Pete''. * SBS 2's '' The Feed'' parodied the franchise in August 2014, with a segment titled ''The Real Newsreaders of Sydney''. The segment featured Sandra Sully, Lee Lin Chin and Natalie Barr. * On May 4, 2015, ''The Real Housewives'' was parodied during the tenth episode in the seventh season of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...
''. In a mini-challenge titled ''Fake Housewives of RuPaul's Drag Race'', the contestants were challenged to create a tagline, replicating the taglines of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, as well as replicating plastic surgery using tape. * ''The Real Tradies of Melbourne'' is an online video released on July 29, 2015, created to promote awareness for Tradies National Health Month. The video features Shane Jacobson, as well as original ''The Real Housewives of Melbourne'' cast member Andrea Moss. * On August 11, 2016, during an episode of ''Watch What Happens Live'', Andy Cohen featured a segment titled ''The Real Housewives of Rio'', inspired by the then-ongoing
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
. The segment featured current and former Olympians (like Nadia Comăneci) delivering ''Real Housewives''-style taglines. * On October 27, 2016, a scene from ''The Real Housewives of New York City'', featuring Aviva Drescher throwing her prosthetic leg, was parodied by Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 during the reunion for the second season of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' is an American reality competition spin off edition of the original ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which is produced by World of Wonder, for Logo TV and later VH1. The show premiered on October 22, 2012, on Logo TV, ...
''. * On October 26, 2016, the ''We the Voters'' campaign released a video online titled ''Real Voters of the USA'', which used the format of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise to display that people could discuss politics without fighting. The video featured three housewives who were portrayed by Anabelle Acosta,
Charlotte McKinney Charlotte Ann McKinney (born August 6, 1993) is an American model and actress who first gained attention as an Instagram personality, eventually achieving wider recognition for her appearance in a Carl's Jr. commercial which aired regionally d ...
and Analeigh Tipton. * In the fifth episode of the Disney+ series '' High School Musical: The Musical: The Series'', "The Real Campers of Shallow Lake", the characters are inspired by the ''Real Housewives'' franchise to act more dramatic so that the documentary crew filming them won't write them off as boring.


Awards and nominations

The franchise has collectively won four National Reality Television Awards, a Critics' Choice Television Award, a Critics' Choice Real TV Award, and an MTV Movie & TV Award. It has also received nominations at the
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
,
People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the fans and general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls un ...
,
AACTA Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the cinema of Australia, film and ...
, Dorian Awards, Leo Awards, TCA Awards, Canadian Screen Awards, and TRIC Awards.


See also

* List of The Real Housewives cast members


Notes


References


Further reading

*


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Real Housewives, The Bravo (American TV network) original programming