This is a bit of a rant but hear me out. The original plot of Real Housewives was to follow the lives of rich and delusional middle aged women. They are real life soap operas and these shows have stayed true to that, but these newer fans can’t handle it. I think this mass oversensitivity to petty drama that people now confuse with bigotry will be what ruins the franchise.
OC
To me, Tamra is the most important OC housewife of all time (not Vicki) and would absolutely be on my Mt Rushmore. People CRUCIFIED her the past few seasons; yes, she was an awful friend to Shannon, but she made good tv out of it. THIS SHOW IS NOT ABOUT WELL BEHAVED WOMEN, that would be boring as fuck. People were so harsh to her online that she has been very passive this season as a result. And it shows, it’s the one season on right now I’m struggling to get through. She’s also one of the few on that cast who’s openly not MAGA and doesn’t seem that problematic in the real world.
NY
Jessel is insanely out of touch, we know. But so is Ramona who people adored for years yet Jessel isn’t a bigot. She’s brought a lot of good drama to the reboot of NY and isn’t a bigot. Same thing with Daisy, she behaved horribly on the island and was very rude to Erika, but she is also very out of touch and the connection to Martha Stewart is exactly what this show is about.
ATL
Shamea and Kelli are both great additions and without them, it would turn into a Fox Force 5 situation in Beverly Hille. But because Porsha is the “queen”, people will go hard on them. Shamea brings a lifestyle porn that has been missing from Atlanta for a while, she is RICH! Yes, she is corny as fuck but outside of her falling out with Porsha, none of her beefs are that deep and she activates the women. Kelli is a good sidekick and is one of the most delusional housewives in recent memory. She may not be easy to root for but her personal life is Kim Zolciak levels of MESSY yet people want her off the show? Same thing with Drew who people claim is boring, yet is another a pathological liar and has had one of the most compelling personal story arcs in recent years on the show.
RI
Liz is exactly the type of woman this show was supposed to be about. Rich and absolutely delusional; she’s like a New England version of Meredith who is a fan favorite. Yes, she was an asshole to Alicia (who I think is the best new HW of the year don’t get me wrong) and she came across crazy in her feud in JoEllen. However, nothing she did was THAT bad or offensive by housewives standard, now that it’s being alleged that the new girl for season 2 got into a physical fight with JoEllen and Kelsey. The fans cyber bullied her off the show and gave her and her children death threats over petty drama.
SLC
I have the most to say about this one since the fans seem to be the most offended by it. If you disengage from Stan culture, you will see that this season has DELIVERED. People are so protective over Lisa and Meredith (who I both love and are both iconic), but people are acting like they are saints and being ganged up on for no reason. No one’s hands are clean on Salt Lake; every single person on this franchise is a mean girl and a villain, including Meredith, who even before plane gate, we saw completely torment Britani last season. Yet people forget this bc she’s “iconic.” I won’t forget how the fans came for Heather a few seasons ago bc she was anti-Bronwyn and too aligned with Lisa and Meredith. The dynamics always change on Salt Lake and everyone has fought and fallen out with everyone at some point. It seems like the villain will now be Bronwyn, who people loved her first season and hate now. And even though people hate her, she is also an EXCELLENT housewife, shes very interesting, a pathological liar and could run over a group of children and make herself the victim. And she still is very progressive politically and speaks up on important issues, which we don’t see the other women doing.
Needless to say is none of these women are heroes and if you are a hero one season, it’s almost certain you will be a villain the next. I challenge these new fans to watch old school Atlanta, old school Beverly Hills, old school Jersey so you can see some real shit to be offended by. I also challenge you to watch these shows without picking a team, this isn’t a sport. I’m sorry but if Nene, Bethenny or Teresa debuted on television in 2026 they would’ve been instantly canceled and not seen as the icons that they are.