Vicki Gunvalson is said to be “sad and disappointed” about her recent demotion from her full-time role on The Real Housewives of Orange County .
Following last week’s release of the Season 14 trailer, a source told Hollywood Life that Gunvalson was offended that after starring on the show for 13 seasons in a full-time role, she is now being forced to embark on a part-time role with the series.
“Vicki participated in the cast photo shoot and was expecting to be full-time at one point and the decision for her not to be full-time was told to her before awhile ago,” the source said.
“This decision did not happen overnight. The initial revelation that she would be a ‘friend’ did shock her, but she knew well before the trailer dropped. Despite this, she is keeping her head held high.”
Gunvalson began filming the 14th season of the show in February, weeks after her costars began production. However, after sources — including her costar Kelly Dodd — claimed she had been demoted, Gunvalson denied any such thing and said she was in negotiations with the network.
Although fans won’t be seeing as much of Gunvalson during Season 14 as they have during past years of the show, the source went on to say that she did film “a lot,” even though she is now just a “friend” on the show.
“She filmed a ton. Some of the cast like Tamra [Judge, 51] and Shannon [Beador, 55] took the news hard but then people like Kelly [Dodd, 43] who don’t get along with Vicki are relieved she won’t be on the show in a full-time capacity,” the source added.
While Gunvalson is not on good terms with Dodd and continues to feud with her costar on Twitter and Instagram, her relationship with Beador and Judge is extremely strong at the moment. After her demotion was confirmed, both of her costars reached out to support her. Judge even said on Instagram that she would never let her leave the show.
As fans of The Real Housewives of Orange County will recall, Gunvalson had a falling out with Beador and Judge years ago during the time she was dating Brooks Ayers, but after the couple split, they were able to reconcile their friendship and have been on good terms, for the most part, ever since.
Gunvalson, Beador, Judge, and their costars will return to Bravo TV for The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 14 on Tuesday, August 6 at 9 p.m.
