Vicki Gunvalson Officially Out As A Real Housewife Of Orange County According To ‘Radar’ Source

The O.G. of the O.C. is out. According to a source who spoke exclusively with Radar Online, Vicki Gunvalson has been demoted from “housewife” to “friend” for the upcoming season of the Real Housewives of Orange County, and if she doesn’t accept the new terms of her contract soon, she might leave the show entirely.

Rumors have been swirling about the RHOC alum for weeks. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Kelly Dodd told Jeff Lewis on his Sirius XM radio show Jeff Lewis Live that Gunvalson may be returning for the 14th season of the show in a limited capacity as a friend. Gunvalson denied the rumors, as the Inquisitr reported in a separate story, saying that until she had given the final word, everything was just a rumor.

A source confirmed to Radar Online on Monday that the rumors are true. Gunvalson won’t be returning as an official housewife.

“Word started spreading around that she was getting the axe a couple of weeks ago, but no one really believed it until they started filming without her,” the source said.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Gunvalson won’t appear on the show at all, however. The source says that the 56-year-old is still in negotiations, but suggested that she wouldn’t accept a diminished role on the show, which she has featured in since the series began on March 21, 2006.

“She’s been demoted, but she hasn’t agreed to take the offer,” the source said.

Gunvalson doesn’t have a lot of time to decide whether or not she’ll be returning. According to the source, when this situation has come up in the past, the star is given just a few days to sign their new contract.

“Typically, the ladies are given a really short time, like five days, to either accept the offer from Bravo, or leave the show. There aren’t a lot of negotiations,” the source explained.

The source also said that the reason the show decided to let Gunvalson go is that she hasn’t really had a storyline for the past season and no one really wants to film with her. That makes her less appealing to viewers. The other factor was the drama between Gunvalson and Dodd in which the former accused the latter of using cocaine. Dodd was so upset with the accusations that she said she wouldn’t return to the show if Gunvalson did, according to Us Weekly.

If Gunvalson leaves, her co-star Tamra Judge would be the longest standing star on the show.