{"id":341187,"date":"2026-03-21T20:21:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T20:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/341187\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T20:21:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T20:21:15","slug":"most-memorable-friends-of-in-the-real-housewives-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/341187\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Memorable \u2018Friends Of\u2019 In \u2018The Real Housewives\u2019 History"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the last two decades of \u201cThe Real Housewives,\u201d the women who have entered the Bravo franchise in the \u201cfriend of\u201d role have performed various duties: high-level antagonist, comedic sidekick, fashion expert, bone collector, genuine nice person who probably doesn\u2019t belong in this environment, etc. <\/p>\n

\u201cFriends of\u201d have always played a vital part in the show, but have sometimes been overlooked for their contributions to its popularity.<\/p>\n

Some of that has to do with the \u201cfriend of\u201d role being perceived as less than, thanks to the shade from full-time housewives and fans, depending on what corner of the internet you stand on.<\/p>\n

Still, in recent years, those stank attitudes have slightly shifted thanks to the equal treatment between housewives and \u201cfriends of\u201d on the rebooted \u201cThe Real Housewives of Miami<\/a>.\u201d Also, some veterans, like \u201cThe Real Housewives of Atlanta\u201d star Cynthia Bailey, have not only returned to the show as a \u201cfriend of,\u201d but have also boasted about it as an opportunity to be seen, be paid, and be less involved in the mess. More recently, Carole Radziwill, who was on \u201cThe Real Housewives of New York City\u201d from Season 5 through Season 10, was reported<\/a> to be rejoining the show in the role of \u201cfriend\u201d for Season 16. <\/p>\n

In this economy, everyone needs a job where they can find one, especially in the entertainment industry, so in celebration of 20 years of \u201cThe Real Housewives,\u201d I want to shine a light on some of the most memorable \u201cfriends of\u201d in the show\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Some are more memorable for better reasons than others, obviously.<\/p>\n

Marlo Hampton \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives of Atlanta\u2019<\/p>\n

\"MarloMarlo Hampton in Season 15 of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”<\/p>\n

Hampton first appeared in Season 4 of \u201cRHOA\u201d and became the longest-running \u201cfriend of\u201d to earn a promotion. In Season 14, she finally \u201cearned her peach\u201d and became a full-time housewife. Unfortunately, she only kept that role for two seasons, ultimately exiting at the end of Season 15, but in her defense, the show was a mess, and that wasn\u2019t on her. <\/p>\n

Marlo might not have been for everyone, but she brought couture to the series at a level no housewife on either coast could compete with. She could get her co-workers to squeal like a fool in South Africa and enrage a member of R&B group Xscape to the point where she wanted to brawl with her on national television. Her mugshots and friend status were used against her, but Marlo is the best friend to ever do it, and had she been made a housewife years before Season 14, she would have fared better. <\/p>\n

Adriana De Moura \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives Of Miami\u2019<\/p>\n

\"AdrianaAdriana De Moura of “The Real Housewives of Miami.”<\/p>\n

An original housewife on the show, de Moura returned in Season 4 in the \u201cfriend of\u201d role, and though it is technically a demotion, she has been the center of attention whenever she saw fit. Despite all the antics that happened in the last season of \u201cRHOM,\u201d all anyone can remember from the reunion is de Moura\u2019s ranting about her co-star cheating on her wife with a Haitian mortician. <\/p>\n

Kathy Hilton \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills\u2019<\/p>\n

\"KathyKathy Hilton in Season 14 of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”<\/p>\n

Hilton, the sister of Kyle Richards and the longest-running housewife on \u201cRHOBH,\u201d is basically giving us a shtick where she is a zany rich woman who lives in her own world, but she is fun to watch when she is on set. You either love it or you don\u2019t. I know from the Paris Hilton documentary and reality show that there is another side to Big Kathy, but on \u201cRHOBH,\u201d she is a necessary comedic tool.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Tilly \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills\u2019<\/p>\n

\"JenniferJennifer Tilly in Season 15 of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”<\/p>\n

She has money, she has taste, and she has a fascinating career and life story. We don\u2019t get a lot of it, but even the glimpses of her life are enough, and what I love most about Tilly is how she is an admitted fan and took her joining the show seriously. It shows. <\/p>\n

Kiki Barth \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives Of Miami\u2019<\/p>\n

\"KikiKiki Barth in Season 7 of “The Real Housewives of Miami.”<\/p>\n

The Haitian model has brought a quick wit, unfiltered commentary, and an increasingly interesting personal story to the show, and while I hate her rift with Guerdy Abraira, if there\u2019s anyone on \u201cRHOM\u201d that deserves a mojito, it\u2019s Kiki. <\/p>\n

Tanya Sam \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives Of Atlanta\u2019<\/p>\n

\"TanyaTanya Sam in Season 11 of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m merely overly sentimental about polite Canadians as a result of our corrosive political environment in America, but Tanya was a joy on the show. I hated how mean Kenya Moore was to her toward the end of her run. Not everyone needs to be shady or speak like they\u2019re in the middle of a ball or getting a BBL, and that made Tanya, who really just wanted to twerk at Carnival and talk about finances in a non-scammy way, a breath of fresh air. <\/p>\n

Jennifer Fessler \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives of New Jersey\u2019<\/p>\n

\"JenniferJennifer Fessler in “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”<\/p>\n

No one knows when \u201cThe Real Housewives of New Jersey\u201d will return, but for those who stuck out the most recent miserable seasons, I hope we can all agree that Fessler was a light in dark times. <\/p>\n

Shamea Morton \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives of Atlanta\u2019<\/p>\n

\"ShameaShamea Morton in Season 16 of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what happened near the end of Shamea\u2019s first season as a full-time housewife, but while we await her performance in the looming 17th, I do want to note that when she was an official \u201cfriend of\u201d several years back, she did her job and she did it well. She was not scared of Phaedra Parks, Kenya Moore or any other full-timer, and even if portrayed as Porsha Williams\u2019 shadow, always seemed more interesting than some of her haters let on. It\u2019s why I\u2019m still glad she was eventually given a peach of her own. <\/p>\n

Luann de Lesseps \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives of New York\u2019<\/p>\n

\"LuannLuann de Lesseps attends “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” Season 4 premiere in 2023.<\/p>\n

What I love about de Lesseps aka \u201cThe Countess\u201d is that when she was demoted for Season 6, she did not pout; she accepted her position, carried on like the diva she is, and clearly performed well enough to be returned to the full-time cast the next season. <\/p>\n

Camille Grammer \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills\u2019<\/p>\n

\"CamilleCamille Grammer attends “The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills” Season 8 premiere party in 2017.<\/p>\n

Paul Archuleta via Getty Images<\/p>\n

I have always felt that Camille never got a fair shake on the show because, at the beginning, her then-husband was cheating on her and preparing for divorce without her knowledge. Upon her return as a \u201cfriend of,\u201d she was treated pretty shittily by the housewives. However, Camille has never been a bore and deserves more praise for what she brought as a housewife and \u201cfriend of.\u201d <\/p>\n

Dana Wilkey \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills\u2019<\/p>\n

\"DanaDana Wilkey attends the Wines By Wives launch party for the Celebrity Wine Of The Month Club in 2012.<\/p>\n

Paul Archuleta via Getty Images<\/p>\n

This is more of an honorable mention, but Wilkey, who appeared in Season 2 of \u201cRHOBH,\u201d was never a proper fit for the group. However, her insistence to note that the sunglasses she had on when viewers first met her cost $25,000 will live in my mind forever. <\/p>\n

Britani Bateman \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City\u2019<\/p>\n

\"BritaniBritani Bateman in Season 5 of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.”<\/p>\n

The thirstiest Mormon to have ever appeared on the show. While I question her taste in Osmonds, among other things, I will not deny that on \u201cRHOSLC,\u201d the \u201cfriend of\u201d makes a lasting impression. <\/p>\n

Charrisse Jackson-Jordan \u2015 \u2018The Real Housewives of Potomac\u2019<\/p>\n

\"CharrisseCharrisse Jackson Jordan attends BravoCon 2023 at Caesar Forum.<\/p>\n

Mindy Small via Getty Images<\/p>\n

I picked Charrisse solely because a lot of y\u2019all need to stop being mean to her! She practically cast the show. Let her pop in more so she can stir the pot. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the last two decades of \u201cThe Real Housewives,\u201d the women who have entered the Bravo franchise in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341188,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[95846,156,83604,36099,111,139,69,3626,1093,437],"class_list":["post-341187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-camille-grammer","tag-entertainment","tag-jennifer-tilly","tag-kathy-hilton","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-real-housewives","tag-reality-tv","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}