Bravo Is Allegedly Cutting Costs Across All ‘Housewives’ Franchises, Axing Lucrative Deals: ‘No One Is Safe’
Bravo is reportedly cutting costs across all of their Real Housewives franchises after the exits of highly paid Real Housewives of Orange County stars Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson, according to Radar Online.
“Bravo has rolled out a new talent agreement which doesn’t guarantee the ladies will be featured in every episode. No one is safe. They will no longer be giving huge contracts to the returning ladies,” alleges the outlet’s source.
Perhaps most shocking of all is that the franchise’s heavyweights, including Teresa Giudice and NeNe Leakes, will no longer be guaranteed lucrative salaries for returning to their respective shows.
The insider also stated that Leakes’ notable three-year contract worth $2.85 million “was the last of its kind,” as moving forward, the women will only receive payment for the episodes they appear in, rather than for the season as a whole. The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast were the first to get paid this way.
The report indicates that this cost-cutting measure is a strategic move on behalf of the network to ensure that the ladies across all the Real Housewives franchises are consistently bringing drama and excitement to their storylines each season.
Ratings for the flagship Housewives franchises, such as Orange County and Beverly Hills, have reportedly declined over the years, and the network is apparently hoping that the monetary incentive to create interesting storylines will give them a much-needed boost.
Radar Online asserts Leakes, Giudice, Kelly Dodd, Kyle Richards, and Melissa Gorga are among the housewives who will be most affected by the potential salary cuts.
The article claims that without Judge and Gunvalson, Dodd makes the second-highest amount on The Real Housewives of Orange County, with only Shannon Beador besting her.
As for the New Jersey housewives, Gorga supposedly negotiated that her contract always remains on par with her sister-in-law’s.
Already affected by the new agreements are both Judge and Gunvalson. The Inquisitr reported that the former RHOC “OGs” would be banned from appearing on television for any other network for at least a year, thanks to a non-compete clause in their Bravo contracts.
Judge was reportedly “humiliated” by Bravo’s offer for her to return to the show for Season 15 to wrap her storyline in three episodes for $20,000 each — a major step down from her previous salary of $900,000. Gunvalson was given a chance to return in a “friend” capacity like she was for Season 14 but instead opted to leave on her own terms.
