Where Are the Former ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ Cast Now?

Before New York, Atlanta, Jersey or Beverly Hills, there was Orange County — yes, The Real Housewives of Orange County kicked off the long-running Bravo franchise back in March 2006, following the personal and professional lives of a group of women residing in the O.C. area of Southern California.

Though all of those original ladies have since departed the program as full-time cast members, a few—including Vicki Gunvalson, Jeana Keough and Jo De La Rosa — will be making guest appearances in the current eighteenth season of the show. But what happened to other former O.G. housewives like Lauri Peterson and Kimberly Bryant, or one-and-done cast members like Peggy Sulahian, Elizabeth Lyn Vargas and Quinn Fry? Here’s an update on all of those previously-featured cast members from RHOC, including when and why the California girls departed the Bravo series.

Kimberly Bryant was a main player in RHOC’s inaugural season but decided to leave after Season 1, relocating to Chicago with her family. She appeared on the show in a guest capacity for Seasons 2-4 while living in Illinois. She has kept a relatively low profile since then, even skipping the original RHOC cast’s special 10-year reunion in 2016. In 2013, it was reported that she and her husband foreclosed on their home, but she hasn’t made headlines since.

Jo De La Rosa was memorable for her relationship with then-fiancé Slade Smiley, who later dated fellow OC star Gretchen Rossi. De La Rosa exited as a regular cast member in 2007 when her engagement ended, though she and Smiley continued their reality career with the Housewives spin-off Date My Ex: Jo & Slade. Now married to musician Taran Gray, Jo will be a guest star in Season 18, 17 years after her RHOC debut.

Vicki Gunvalson was one of the mainstays of The Real Housewives of Orange County, offering some of the most iconic moments in the show’s history. She left the series as a main cast member after Season 13, believing Bravo wanted “newer blood”. However, she has returned as a “Friend Of” in Season 14 and a guest star in Seasons 17 and 18. She was also on the unaired fifth season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip.

Jeana Keough, a former actress, model, and Playboy Playmate, made regular guest appearances on the series even after departing as a full-time member. She divorced her ex-husband Matt Keough in 2019 following a 15-year separation. She has since become a grandmother, as her daughter Kara welcomed two children with NFL player Kyle Bosworth. Recently, Jeana and Kara made headlines when Kara called out her mother for posting heavily edited pictures on social media.

Lauri Peterson was a staple of the RHOC cast for its first four seasons. She hasn’t appeared on the series since her guest star cameos in Seasons 5 and 8. Since her exit, Lauri has been focused on her family, spending time with her husband George and her three children Ashley, Sophie, and Joshua. Sadly, Josh, who Lauri adopted in 2015 amid his substance abuse struggles, passed away on March 31, 2024, at age 35. Lauri shared on social media, “No one can ever prepare you for this feeling of such deep loss. Every fiber in my body hurts.”

Tammy Knickerbocker was a full-time Housewife during Seasons 2 and 3 but left to focus on her grieving daughters Lindsey and Megan after her ex-husband Lou was killed in a car accident in 2007. She also wanted to expand her self-owned business. Knickerbocker will reunite with her old co-star Tamra Judge and the rest of the OC ladies as a guest star in Season 18.

Quinn Fry joined The Real Housewives of Orange County midway through its third season but was not asked back for Season 4. She reportedly posted to her MySpace at the time: “Bravo is making a few cast changes. I must not have been the right fit on the show or too old or whatever.” However, she did make guest appearances for the following three seasons. Post- RHOC, Quinn moved to Northern California to spend time with her daughter Shannon and her four grandkids.

Lynne Curtin, a SoCal native, became a Housewife during the middle of RHOC Season 4 and remained through Season 5. After her exit, she filed for divorce from her husband, Frank, not once but twice. The first 2012 case didn’t work out because Frank never appeared in court, so Lynne refiled five years later. In 2018, her daughter Alexia was charged with possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia. Recently, Curtin has been promoting her jewelry line and hanging out with other former RHOC cast members according to Instagram.

Gretchen Rossi, who starred from Seasons 4 to 8, reportedly left the series to focus on having a baby with her partner Slade Smiley. After being open about her IVF journey, she welcomed daughter Skylar in June 2019. However, the couple faced tragedy when Slade’s young son, Grayson Arroyo-Smiley, passed away in February 2023 after a long battle with brain cancer. Gretchen honored Grayson on social media, stating that his passing urged her to be “clear about what she wants out of life and who to spend it with.”

Alexis Bellino was a member of the California Housewife group from Seasons 5 through 8. Following her divorce from ex- Jim Bellino in 2018 after 13 years of marriage, she got engaged to Andy Bohn in December 2020 but called it off in September 2023. She then began dating John Janssen, ex of co-star Shannon Beador, hinting at drama ahead this season.

Peggy Tanous only lasted one season, leaving after frequent conflicts with co-star Alexis Bellino, who had a previous relationship with her husband, reportedly worsened her depression. Post- RHOC, Tanous worked on a 2016 documentary called When the Bough Breaks, sharing experiences with postpartum depression alongside other women like actress Brooke Shields and celebrity chef Aarti Sequeira.

Lydia McLaughlin announced her departure from RHOC after Season 8, citing that she needed a break. She wrote on her blog OC Lydia: “ RHOC has given me a great platform and I’m grateful for that. However, I feel like I can only handle this show one season at a time.” Lydia returned for Season 12, but lasted only one season. Since her second departure, she has been working on the luxury men’s magazine NOBLEMAN with her husband Doug and raising their three boys.

Lizzie Rovsek starred only in Season 9 but made guest appearances from Seasons 10 through 15 as a “Friend Of.” She has been busy as a “health & wellness coach,” “integrative health coach,” podcast host, and “boy mom.” She shares two sons, Preston and Kingston, with her ex-husband Christian Rovsek.

Meghan King Edmonds starred on RHOC for three seasons from 2015 to 2017 and announced her departure on her blog to spend more time with her family. Six months later, she and her husband, former St. Louis Cardinals player Jim Edmonds, welcomed twin sons, Hayes and Hart. However, in October 2019, she and Jim split after five years of marriage when he was caught sexting another woman. Meghan then dated several men, including lawyer Cuffe Biden Owens, who she wed in 2021 but divorced a year later.

Kelly Dodd posted on Twitter that she had a great five years on RHOC but was let go in June 2021, reportedly for making controversial remarks and opposing COVID mask mandates. Since then, she married former Fox News reporter Rick Leventhal, and together they host a YouTube podcast called The Rick & Kelly