Jeff Lewis is hard solutions from Andy Cohen about casting for season 18 of The Actual Housewives of Orange County.
“Why not bring back Taylor Armstrong?” Lewis, 53, requested Cohen, 55, when he stopped by means of Sirius XM’s Jeff Lewis Are living on Wednesday, December 20. “That just seems like a good value. You weren’t paying her that much. I think she was giving you guys, I mean, a lot. Why would you not bring her back? What is that reasoning?”
In reaction, Cohen merely stated, “I don’t know,” prompting Lewis to shoot again: “Why [does] nobody consult me?”
Armstrong, 52 — who gave the impression as a “friend” all the way through season 17 of the Bravo collection — in the past instructed Lewis she had “no idea” why she wasn’t requested again for extra episodes.
“I was actually pretty surprised, and it was a great year and [I] got to know the girls and we’re gonna maintain our friendships, but I was quite surprised,” she instructed the radio persona all the way through an look on his display previous this month.
Lewis additionally grilled Cohen about RHOC relegating Vicki Gunvalson to visitor standing on season 17. Gunvalson, 61, was once a chief forged member for the truth display’s first 13 seasons ahead of getting demoted to a “friend” for season 14. After sitting out seasons 15 and 16, she returned as a visitor for season 17.
“Just give [Vicki] an orange for f—k sake,” Lewis joked, regarding the citrus culmination that the principle forged participants dangle within the display’s intro. “You just keep bringing her back as a ‘friend.’ She doesn’t wanna come back as a ‘friend.’”
Cohen defended Gunvalson’s present function on RHOC, pronouncing: “I thought last season was a great amount of Vicki. I thought she came in, she came out. She was fun. She’s light as a feather.”
Gunvalson, then again, instructed Web page Six previous this month that she isn’t fascinated by being simply a “friend” once more.
“I went on as good faith, thinking I would show the network that I love them, I love filming [and to show] my value,” she stated. “But if I go back [as a ‘friend’], it looks thirsty.”
Lewis then requested Cohen whether or not Alexis Bellino will probably be again for season 18. Bellino, 46, final gave the impression at the display as a visitor all the way through season 14, and was once a chief forged member for seasons 5 thru 8.
Despite the fact that Cohen didn’t give a concrete resolution, he did cope with Bellino’s budding romance with John Janssen, who in the past dated RHOC celebrity Shannon Beador from 2019 to 2022. (Bellino and Janssen, 59, have been noticed exchanging a kiss whilst placing on a ship with pals over the weekend in a video bought by means of Instagram fan account @Bravoandcocktails.)
“That’s wild. I mean, John Janssen is, like, heading into Slade Smiley territory,” Cohen stated.
Smiley, 50, in short dated Lauri Peterson after finishing his engagement to her fellow RHOC persona Jo De L. a. Rosa in 2007. Smiley is now engaged to some other RHOC alum, Gretchen Rossi, whom he started relationship in 2009. The pair proportion daughter Skylar, 4.
Cohen would possibly not have commented on Bellino in all probability returning to RHOC, however he did recognize that she has “a lot of ties” to the present forged participants.
“She and Tamra [Judge] made up at BravoCon, and then she and Heather [Dubrow] have gotten close over the last few years,” he stated.
When requested who else is returning for season 18, Cohen simply teased, “Wait and see.”
A liberate date for season 18 of The Actual Housewives of Orange County, which additionally stars Pass judgement on, 56, Beador, 59, Dubrow, 54, Emily Simpson, Jennifer Pedranti, and Gina Kirschenheiter, has no longer but been introduced.