Tamra Judge would ‘definitely be open to returning’ to ‘RHOC’ as the show’s production figures ‘out what to do with the show and cast,’ sources EXCLUSIVELY tell HollywoodLife.
With the Season 15 reunion of The Real Housewives of Orange County out of the way, “all of the ladies are expecting a cast shakeup,” a source close to production EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife. Fans believe Andy Cohen hinted at this himself when Evan Ross Katz tweeted that “it’s time to cancel RHOC” amid backlash over the controversial reunion, to which Andy instead said, “I think you mean reBOOT.” But “Andy’s tweet didn’t startle any of the cast,” our source tells us, and we hear that one alum in particular would be down to join this hypothetical “rebooted” cast: Tamra Judge.
“Tamra would definitely be open to returning to the show if asked to come back,” another source, close to the RHOC star who left the Bravo show ahead of Season 15, EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife. This is because the show “was such a huge part of her life for so long and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss it,” our source explains. These feelings aren’t exactly a secret; Tamra mourned her firing from the main RHOC cast in the TikTok below, which was set to the tune of John Denver‘s heartbreak ballad “Fire and Rain.”
Tamra also “feels” like the show just isn’t the same without her, especially after watching that headline-making reunion. “Tamra was a major player and such a huge contribution to why RHOC became the huge success it is today. She feels like the show just isn’t the same as it used to be without her and some of the other former cast members like Vicki [Gunvalson] and Heather [Dubrow], and she really believes that the fans feel the same way,” our second source says of Tamra, who starred on RHOC for 12 seasons. Our insider adds, “[Tamra] watched the reunion like everyone else and couldn’t believe what a hot mess it was.”
“Like it or not, Tamra brought the drama in a way that kept people watching season after season,” our source continues. “She knows that there were times that she may have stirred the pot and put her foot in her mouth, but who hasn’t? At the end of the day, Tamra apologized when she felt she did something wrong and she held herself accountable. And when it comes down to it, she still has a huge fan base because they can see that she’s truly a good person.”
As for the current cast members, “some are more nervous than others about coming back, but Emily [Simpson], Gina [Kirschenheiter], Kelly [Dodd], Elizabeth [Lyn Vargas] and Shannon [Beador] all want to,” our first source tells us. “It sounds like Braunwyn [Windham-Burke] is kind of on the fence, but none of the ladies are speaking to her so they don’t know what the deal is with her. It would be awkward if she came back with all of them.”
It’s important to note, however, that Bravo has not made any final decisions about casting. In fact, “everything has been put on hold as they try to figure out what to do with the show and cast,” another source close to production EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife. “They are going to delay filming for months if they have to.”
For now, though, many fans are still upset over what played out on the reunion. Andy and Kelly came head-to-head over insensitive comments that Kelly made about the pandemic; at one point, Kelly even claimed that her fans called Andy “anti-American” because he doesn’t “like Donald Trump.”