Here’s Your Much-Needed Update On All The Famous "Real Housewives" Feuds
Olivia Taylor (she/her) is a writer, self-proclaimed reality TV buff and uses "Real Housewives" references unironically. Her camera roll is filled with Twitter screenshots and she will definitely talk your ear off for as long as you will let her. Find more of her pop culture ramblings just about anywhere on the internet.
Nothing unites Bravo viewers quite like a good feud (Scandoval, anyone?!), and fortunately for fans, no one can hold a grudge quite like a Real Housewife. From the East Coast to the West Coast, every Housewife series has an iconic feud (or five) that leaves fans forced to pick sides — and wanting more.
Here are some of the most notorious feuds in the Bravoverse, plus updates on where their relationships are today.
Danielle Staub and Margaret Josephs (RHONJ)
Images via Bravo
The two started off as friends during Season 8 of RHONJ (Margaret was even a bridesmaid in Danielle's wedding to Marty Caffrey!), but their friendship fell apart as the years passed. Things came to a head in Season 10 when Danielle pulled Margaret's hair, attempted to drag her to the ground, poured water on her head and dumped the contents of Margaret's purse into a $600 lit candle. It's safe to say things haven't improved much since then.
Brandi Glanville, Kyle Richards and Kim Richards (RHOBH)
Bravo (Bradi Glanville, Kyle Richards), Earl Gibson III / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment (Kim Richards)
RHOBH game nights never end well, that's for sure. After calling Kyle a "b*tch" and implying that Kim was "wasted" (Kim has a history of struggling with her sobriety), Brandi found herself in the middle of the Richards sisters' wrath. Kyle eventually retaliated with dozens of petty comments, one of which mentioned Brandi's son, who during a party peed on the lawn. Obviously, Brandi wasn't happy that her child was a topic of conversation. Their retaliatory comments devolved into a slew of now-famous insults, with Kim referring to Brandi as "trailer park trash," Brandi responding with "at least I don't do crystal meth in the bathroom, and Kim calling Brandi "a sl*t pig." How lovely!
The women are actually friendly today, with Brandi telling Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that she "loves Kim, Kyle and Kathy."
Margaret Josephs and Jennifer Aydin (RHONJ)
Images via Bravo
As fans can recall, Jennifer has never been Margaret's biggest fan. Things really kicked into high gear when Margaret revealed Jennifer's husband's (Bill Aydin) affair while she was nine months pregnant with her youngest son. No one outside of the couple knew about his indiscretion, leading to a domino effect that tore through Jennifer's family. Though they have (kind of) made up since the explosive news, it doesn't seem like a strong friendship is meant to be.
Kim Zolciak and NeNe Leakes (RHOA)
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Ahhhh, cockroach-gate. How could we ever forget?! The incident started in 2017 after Kim's daughter Brielle alleged she found cockroaches in NeNe’s home. NeNe quickly slammed the 20-year-old Brielle over claims of “prejudice” after the mother-daughter visit, resurfacing an old video filmed by Brielle in NeNe’s bathroom, documenting what appeared to be large, black insects.
“@briellebiermann We don’t have roaches! If you found 1, u brought it with u or it fell outta yo funky p*ssy!” NeNe wrote on Instagram in a now-deleted post. “Go somewhere and let the air outta those fake lips, fake titties and fake a** because you will never be [@kyliejenner]. Yo trashy mama should have taught you better! My home is Brand New but you guys were so jealous of it, you couldn’t even give a compliment. You had to stoop so low and be so disgusting #racisttrash.”
That wasn't all, though. In the comments section of a separate Instagram account, NeNe called Kim a “calculating [bipolar] racist with a horrible mouth, who uses black folks for her come up.”
Kim quickly jumped to her daughter’s defense via Instagram and lawyered up. The two women are not friendly today.
Jen Shah and Meredith Marks (RHOSLC)
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This is one feud that was not settled quietly. During an ice fishing excursion, Meredith gave it to the now-convicted felon straight, saying, “there are homophobic tweets regarding my son’s sexuality that you have ‘liked.’ It is really painful,” she began. “I was told about a Zoom that you hosted where you were questioning him coming out and his sexuality.” Meredith was rightfully infuriated over Jen's passive "attacks" on her 21-year-old son, Brooks. After several episodes of icy tension, Jen apologized to Brooks, and their friendship began to mend.
Larsa Pippen and Dr. Nicole Martin (RHOM)
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Larsa clearly hasn't learned her lesson. When she stoops low, Nicole always goes higher. For whatever reason, Larsa decided to make Nicole her metaphorical "punching bag" throughout the most recent seasons, going as far as to call Nicole's young son a "bastard child" and say that Nicole doesn't have a job. To clarify, DOCTOR Nicole certainly has a job — a high ranking one. Nicole is a self-made anesthesiologist, a far cry from Larsa's income as a NBA divorcee and OnlyFans model (no shame in that, BTW). Their feud remains ongoing, with little resolution (and plenty of pettiness) in sight.
Brandi Glanville and Denise Richards (RHOBH)
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Brandi is not one to stay in the shadows for long. In true Brandi-fashion, the former Housewife briefly returned in Season 10 to share some, uh, unexpected news. According to Brandi, she had an ongoing affair with the newly-married Denise Richards, a Housewife at the time, much to the surprise of literally everyone.
Brandi claimed that Denise was “sexually aggressive” toward her when they first met in 2018, leading to a passionate affair. Denise has adamantly denied all of Brandi's allegations of a past tryst, though it certainly hasn't stopped Brandi from sharing more details.
Porsha Williams and NeNe Leakes (RHOA)
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This duo has had their fair share of ups and downs throughout the years. Their feud started in Season 8 when Porsha claimed NeNe physically grabbed her during the OG's infamous closet meltdown. None of their co-stars commented on the push, and Leakes denied the allegation, though it didn't stop her from retaliating. NeNe fired back at Porsha with a series of "angry, aggressive text messages" criticizing her weight just six days after Porsha gave birth to her first child. After Porsha shared the texts on Instagram, NeNe allegedly responded with a cease and desist.
But don't worry, they're BFFs today!
Lisa Rinna and Kim Richards (RHOBH)
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Quite possibly the most iconic Housewives feud is that of Kim Richards and Lisa Rinna’s “Bunnygate.” The two were never quite friends, a fact that was cemented following Lisa’s questioning of Kim’s sobriety in Season 5. Lisa apologized during a dinner in Amsterdam — an apology that Kim did not accept. Rather, Kim implied she knew something about Lisa’s husband, Harry Hamlin, leading Lisa to throw her wine glass at Kim and utter the famous words, “don’t you ever go after my f*cking husband.”
Things between the two women escalated again in Season 7 after Lisa said that Kim is “close to dying,” which she adamantly denied throughout much of the season. Kim had other ideas, however, and infamously shut down the possibility of a friendship by returning the bunny Lisa bought for Kim’s grandson at the Season 7 reunion. During this encounter, Lisa shed a single tear.
To no one’s surprise, Lisa and Kim aren’t friends today, though they sort of agreed to put the past behind them.
Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga (RHONJ)
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This sister showdown has dominated our screens since the very beginning. When Melissa joined her sister-in-law on Season 3 of RHONJ, fans quickly learned that the two women did not get along. Like at all. After an argument between Teresa and her brother, Joe Gorga (Melissa's husband), turned into a physical fight between Joe and Teresa’s husband at the time (coincidentally also named Joe), things never really reconciled. The tension continued after Melissa brought sprinkle cookies to Christmas, which was apparently deeply offensive to Teresa.
More recently, Teresa did not ask Melissa to be a bridesmaid in her wedding to Luis Ruelas (despite having Luis's sisters in the wedding), invite Melissa’s family to her wedding, and proceeded to spread rumors about Melissa cheating on Joe. In the aftermath, neither Melissa nor Joe attended Teresa's August 2022 wedding, and the families are at arm's length.
Lisa Vanderpump, Dorit Kemsley and Kyle Richards (RHOBH)
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Puppygate saw the end of LVP on RHOBH, and we’re still not over it. In Season 9, Lisa claimed that Dorit returned a puppy she adopted from Lisa’s Vanderpump Dogs rescue to a kill shelter, forcing the other women to take sides in the disagreement.
Dorit claimed that the puppy bit her husband (who happened to be longtime friends with Lisa) and other family members, leading them to rehome the dog with an acquaintance, and that person must have brought it to a shelter, While Dorit eventually apologized to Lisa, their relationship was too far gone and the feud shifted towards whether Lisa leaked the story to the press. Kyle Richards, who was then Lisa’s BFF and friend to Dorit, took Dorit’s side, ultimately ending her decades-long friendship with Lisa in a blowout fight. “Goodbye, Kyle!”
Lisa quit the show before the reunion, denying that she spoke about the dog to the media. While Dorit and Kyle are besties today, neither are close to Lisa.
Vicki Gunvalson and Kelly Dodd (RHOC)
Images via Bravo
We can’t mention conflict without thinking of Vicki and Kelly. When Kelly joined the show for Season 11, she and Vicky became fast friends. It wasn’t long before that relationship turned sour, with Kelly calling Vicky, who owns an insurance company, a “con woman” who “preys on old people.” This comment turned into a lawsuit, with Vicki claiming “defamation, libel, trade libel, interference with actual and prospective economic business advantage, false light and injunctive relief.” Not surprisingly, the lawsuit was lived, as it took less than a month for Vicki to drop the charges so that she could attend the Season 13 reunion show. The reunion only led to more conflict (if you can even believe it) as the women accused one another of doing drugs.
Somehow, the pair made amends in 2021 following Vicki’s decision to leave the show in 2020 and Kelly’s dismissal.
Porsha Williams and Kenya Moore (RHOA)
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Porsha and Kenya got off to a rocky start in Season 5 after Porsha referred to the former Miss USA as Miss America (Which is apparently offensive? We can't say.). The drama continued, with Kenya accusing Porsha of cheating on her ex-husband Kordell Stewart, both women accusing each other of being whores, Porsha pulling Kenya’s hair leading to a physical fight, Kenya demanding that Porsha be fired from the show, you know — typical friend behavior.
Not surprisingly, the two aren't friends today, with the Season 12 reunion ending with Porsha calling Kenya a “fake friend.”
Kim Richards, Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton (RHOBH)
Images via Bravo
Bravo loves a family feud, and the Richards sister gave it their all. The lowest point in the sisters’ relationship came during the Season 1 finale of RHOBH after Kim, who was no longer sober, accused Kyle and her husband Mauricio Umansky of "stealing [her] goddamn house." While the sisters struggled to move past their infamous limo fight, their relationship remained rocky over the years. This led to a on-and-off-again relationship between Kyle and her other sister, Kathy Hilton, who seemed to side with Kim in many of the arguments.
After years of discourse, the sisters seem to be in a good place, with Kim and Kathy appearing on the show throughout the past two years. Kim and Kyle were even photographed filming a Season 13 scene together, which fans can expect to see this fall.Bethenny Frankel and Jill Zarin (RHONY)
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Bethenny is certainly forthright, occasionally rubbing her fellow Housewives the wrong way. Such is true following Season 2, where the former BFFs stopped speaking for months, supposedly because Jill felt Bethenny was getting more attention than her. The friends got into it throughout Season 3, after Bethenny accused Jill of being jealous of her success. Jill, meanwhile, slammed Bethenny for not being present as her late husband, Bobby Zarin, battled cancer.
Today, the pair have seemingly “made up,” at least to some degree. After years of not speaking, Jill appeared on Bethenny’s podcast, “Just B with Bethenny Frankel.” “I was surprised, but I wasn’t gonna be impulsive,” Jill said of getting the request to appear on the podcast to Us Weekly. “Maybe because I’m medicated now and I wasn’t 13 years ago — in a good way. I have anxiety. I definitely had an anxiety disorder when you knew me, for sure.” Jill continued, saying that she was initially hesitant to say yes, but her daughter encouraged her to do it. “And that’s it,” Jill recalled. “That’s all it took.”
Vicki Gunvaalson and Gretchen Rossi (and Slade Smiley) (RHOC)
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With a RHOC tenure of 13 years, Vicki was bound to enter conflict at one time or another. And she certainly did. While the friction between the two women was ongoing, it came to a head during an 80s theme party in Season 7. Gretchen’s BF at the time, Slade, made several comments about Vicki’s looks, leading to an intense shouting match between the pair.
The women aren’t friends today, but they don’t seem as at odds as they once were. On her podcast with RHOC stars Tamra Judge and Shannon Beader, Vicki commented on the conflict. "I have some issues with Gretchen Rossi. From when she was with Slade Smiley and she’s supporting a man that calls women animal names. So I wouldn’t be with a man like that and that’s what I told her. I wouldn’t be with a man like that." That’s that, I guess.Dorit Kemsley and Camille Grammer (RHOBH)
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The women of RHOBH are known for their feuds, but the one between Camille and (at the time) relative newbie Dorit tops the list. Despite a number of digs towards one another, things really escalated when Camille accused Dorit’s husband “PK” of being over a million dollars in debt, which launched a history of petty drama between the two. Dorit fired back on several occasions, at one point completely randomly (and somewhat hilariously) calling Camille a “stupid c*nt.” Why she said that at the time — nobody knows, but it certainly made for great TV.
Even today the women still make jabs at one another, with Camille shading Dorit regarding a possible RHOBH return just a month ago.Porsha Williams and Kandi Burruss (RHOA)
Images via Bravo
After a make-out session during Season 9 of RHOA, Kandi claimed Porsha wanted to have sex with her. As a result, Porsha clapped back with a series of her own accusations, including alleging that Kandi's husband was unfaithful, the couple had a sex dungeon and that Kandi previously dated a woman (which isn't a bad thing, BTW). Porsha took it a step further, alleging that someone told her Kandi and Todd planned to drug her to take advantage of her, which Kandi adamantly denied. Somehow, the two women seem OK today, even co-starring in an MTV comedy, Pretty Stoned.
Teresa Giudice and Danielle Staub (RHONJ)
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Teresa and Danielle's feud gifted RHONJ fans one of the most memorable moments in Housewives history: Teresa's infamous table flip. After the Season 1 cast discovered a book about Danielle's shady past, the women confronted her, with Teresa accusing Danielle of being a "prostitution whore, [who was] f*cking engaged nineteen times" and flipped the dinner table over. Their feud continued throughout Season 2, leading Teresa to get into Danielle's face (and subsequently push host Andy Cohen) after Danielle accused Teresa of not being there for her family.
Shockingly, the women are actually friends today — so friendly that Teresa served as the matron of honor in Danielle’s May 2018 wedding. “We speak more than once a day," Danielle told the DailyMail in May 2018. "We're legitimately friends, it was something that was worth salvaging and has turned into the relationship it should have always been."Candiace Dillard and Monique Samuels (RHOP)
Images via Bravo
Despite starting off on good terms, Candiace and Monique’s relationship turned bitter. The duo engaged in a couple of physical or near-physical fights, which both women now regret.
“Anytime you get physical, that’s taking it to a whole other level. That’s real life,” Monique explained during an episode of Us Weekly‘s Getting Real with the Housewives podcast. “I took that [moment] very seriously, because I’ve not been in any physical altercation since I was in grade school. I’m 36 years old. I have three kids and a whole husband. So, I’m like, ‘This is insane.’ It allowed me to go on a journey of just looking at certain things from childhood or just trying to figure out what are my triggers."
Surprisingly, this isn't even half of the most famous Real Housewives fights, so bookmark this page for part three.
This post has been updated.
Header image courtesy of Bravo.
Design by Olivia Taylor.
Olivia Taylor (she/her) is a writer, self-proclaimed reality TV buff and uses "Real Housewives" references unironically. Her camera roll is filled with Twitter screenshots and she will definitely talk your ear off for as long as you will let her. Find more of her pop culture ramblings just about anywhere on the internet.