The Most Jaw-Dropping Bravo Splits
After following along with the lives of our favorite reality stars for years, it's only natural to get invested in their personal lives. And for some stars of "The Real Housewives" franchise on Bravo, we've been watching their lives unfold for over a decade. After getting a front row seat to the inner workings of their family lives for that long, it can be shocking when longtime favorites on the series decide to call it quits with their significant others ... but some are just a little more shocking than others.
From the jaw-dropping news that "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" OG Kyle Richards would be parting ways with her adorable, doting husband Mauricio Umansky after 27 years of marriage to the split that sent shockwaves through the pop culture world that was "Scandoval" when Ariana Madix discovered her boyfriend of nearly a decade, Tom Sandoval, had been cheating on her with their close friend, Raquel Leviss, Bravo has served up it's fair share of nearly impossible to believe break ups. Let's dive into the ones that really raised eyebrows.
Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky
Bravo fans were stunned by the news that one of the original cast members from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Kyle Richards, was separating from her real estate mogul husband Mauricio Umansky in June 2023. We first met the couple back in 2010 when the show debuted, which ultimately depicted 13 years of their seemingly happy and united 27-year marriage. Though they'd certainly faced obstacles — Umansky was repeatedly accused of infidelity, with RIchards always standing right by his side — the couple had always managed to work through them ... up until recently. A source told People in July 2023 that the couple was done, sharing, "Kyle and Mauricio have been separated for a while now but are still living under the same roof. They remain amicable as they figure out what's next for them and their family." The news, though shocking, was preceded by rumblings of trouble in paradise.
Despite the announcement of their split, the couple seems to be in agreement that they won't be filing for divorce yet. They both posted the following message on Instagram, that read in part, "In regards to the news that came out about us today ... Any claims regarding divorcing are untrue. However, yes, we have had a rough year. The most challenging one of our marriage ... While it may be entertaining to speculate, please do not create false stories to fit a further salacious narrative. Thank you for the love and support, Kyle & Mauricio."
Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann
We watched Kim Zolciak fall for Kroy Biermann, who would ultimately be her second husband, on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Season 3 of the series depicted the start of their romance, which blossomed into a wedding a year after they met in 2011. That union even earned them a spinoff, "Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding," on Bravo, which was later retitled "Don't Be Tardy" and chronicled their life together and the welcoming of four children. But Bravo fans were blindsided when it all came to an end in May 2023, after 11 years of marriage, and it became public knowledge when TMZ discovered the court documents Zolciak filed. That same day, Zolciak had taken to social media to cryptically post on her Instagram story, "The highest form of love is consideration. When someone thinks about how things would make you feel. Pays attention to detail. Holds you in regard when making decisions that could affect you. In any bond, how much they care about you can be found in how much they consider you."
Though things weren't looking great for the couple, something turned around two months later. In July, the couple was spotted attending church together with some of their children. A few days later, E! News reported that Zolciak filed to have their divorce dismissed in the state of Georgia. Biermann's attorney, Marlys A. Bergstrom, spoke to the outlet and revealed, "the parties are dismissing their divorce action and attempting a reconciliation."
Ramona Singer and Mario Singer
Original "The Real Housewives of New York City" cast member Ramona Singer appeared to have it all — a luxurious life in New York City with a doting husband, Mario Singer, and adorable daughter Avery — when the show debuted in 2008 as the second installment in the Bravo franchise. Sadly, just six years later fans would learn that Ramona's husband Mario was cheating. In January 2014, People reported that Ramona had caught her husband with another woman, Kasey Dexter, who was 25 years his junior, at their home in the Hamptons, and issued a statement to the outlet that read, "This is a personal and private matter for our family. For my daughter Avery's sake, I would appreciate everyone respecting our privacy during this difficult time."
In July 2014, after Mario allegedly never ended the affair with Dexter, Ramona ultimately decided to file for divorce. She opened up to People a month after the filing, "I tried to make my marriage work because I have strong values and I believe that people make mistakes ... But you reach a point where you realize the other person isn't putting in as much effort as you are. And I reached my breaking point." For Mario's part, the split didn't slow down his relationship with Dexter. That summer the couple was spotted out in New York City numerous times. They would go on to have an on-again-off-again romance through 2018.
NeNe Leakes and Gregg Leakes
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star NeNe Leakes married husband Gregg Leakes back in 1997 — 11 years before her Bravo series debuted. The couple's marriage was put on television for the world to see, including squabbles over money, culminating in NeNe divorcing Gregg in 2011. That split was surprising to fans of the series, with NeNe herself weighing in and telling Bravo, "I think a lot of people were surprised when I filed for divorce. I filed for divorce because I always felt like you have to teach people how to treat you and I felt like at that time that Gregg wasn't treating me the way I felt I should be treated."
Fortunately, Gregg received the message loud and clear, and the couple's split didn't last very long. By January 2013 Gregg popped the question to NeNe for the second time. That September, "I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding," debuted on Bravo, documenting the couple's second wedding. Sadly, Gregg passed away in September 2021 at age 66, following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval
The "Real Housewives" franchise isn't the only Bravo staple that gets fans invested in the stars' relationships. "Vanderpump Rules" first debuted in 2013, which means viewers have been following the exploits of the SUR servers and bartenders for a decade. This lengthy run has meant that viewers were not only invested and surprised, but outraged when they learned that star Tom Sandoval had cheated on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix with their friend and co-star, Raquel Leviss, in March 2023. TMZ was the first outlet to break the shocking news, with People following up with a source close to the couple who revealed, "They had been having problems for awhile, but this was the final straw for Ariana. She put up with a lot over the years, but she won't sit back and be disrespected this way."
For his part, Sandoval took nearly a week to put out a public apology to Madix, putting a statement on Instagram that read in part, "Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly." Despite their very public, very contentious breakup, the couple continued to live together in their shared home in Los Angeles. And though cameras had just stopped rolling for Season 10 of their Bravo series, they picked back up again following the game-changing revelation, which played out for viewers throughout the season culminating in a wild three-part reunion.
Erika Girardi and Tom Girardi
Erika Girardi, best known by her stage name Erika Jayne, joined the cast of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" in 2015 for Season 6. Her marriage to a much older man, famed attorney Tom Girardi, who was 32 years her senior, was a major talking point, though the couple had already been married for 15 years at that point. Despite the age gap, the show depicted a very loving and supportive relationship between the spouses, so when The Blast broke the news that the couple were divorcing in November 2020, most fans were stunned by the news. And it all played out during Season 11 of the Bravo series.
Unfortunately, their divorce was much more complicated than a couple simply drifting apart over the years. Just a month after the news broke, the couple were sued for allegedly using their divorce to embezzle money from victims of the Lion Air plane crash in 2018, a case Girardi's firm handled. People obtained the court documents, which read in part, "Tom has resorted to embezzling the proceeds of settlements that should have been directed to his clients — including, as the basis for this Complaint, the widows and orphans who lost loved ones in the tragic crash of Lion Air Flight 610 — in order to continue funding his and Erika's lavish Beverly Hills lifestyles." Their legal issues are still ongoing.
Austen Kroll and Madison LeCroy
We were first introduced to Madison LeCroy during Season 6 of "Southern Charm," when star Austen Kroll introduced her to the wild world of Bravo as his girlfriend. The couple first met in January 2018, after being introduced by Kroll's co-star Naomie Olindo, and quickly struck up a flirtation. And while the South Carolina-based reality show documented their ups and downs, including Kroll cheating on LeCroy in July 2018 in a now-infamous video, they always somehow seemed to work it out.
In December 2020, however, things didn't look so good for the couple. LeCroy openly told Us Weekly at the time, "We are not together right now. I am 1,000 percent single, and so is he ... So, ladies, if you want him, you can have him." LeCroy further explained the COVID-19 pandemic's influence on their roller coaster romance, sharing, "I definitely think that quarantine was either gonna make it or break [our] relationship, and unfortunately, we did not come out stronger."
Since then, LeCroy got herself in the middle of an A-lister breakup by disclosing she'd been DMing on Instagram with Alex Rodriguez while he was engaged to Jennifer Lopez, while Kroll took his relationship troubles to not one, but two other Bravo series — "Summer House" and "Winter House" — where he found himself in a love triangle with co-stars Lindsay Hubbard and Ciara Miller.
Shannon Beador and David Beador
We watched "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Shannon Beador deal with the aftermath of husband David Beador's infidelity during Season 10 of the series, during which the couple went to therapy and tried to work through the betrayal within their family. The couple even sat down with Bravo bigwig Andy Cohen for a special on "Watch What Happens Live," airing out their dirty laundry. By Season 11, things seemed to be getting back on track, with David even arranging a surprise vow renewal for Shannon. So when Shannon eventually announced that the couple had separated in October 2017, viewers were surprised.
Shannon made the sad announcement during the Season 12 reunion, and put out a statement to People before breaking the news, sharing, "It's heartbreaking for me and my daughters that this is the road that had to be taken but it's the only way... I felt alone in my marriage. You can do what you can to keep your family together, but you have to have willing parties. You need two people to make a marriage work, and that just wasn't happening in our relationship." Three months after the couple made their split public, David would go on to take his newest relationship public on Instagram with Lesley Cook in a since-deleted post. The couple would go on to marry in October 2020 and divorce by September 2022.
Dorinda Medley and John Mahdessian
After seven years together, "The Real Housewives of New York City" star Dorinda Medley and her boyfriend John Mahdessian went their separate ways in September 2019. Page Six was the first to break the news, with a source sharing, "They're starting to live separate lives. He'll attend the opening of an envelope, and she goes out for work, but she's really low-key. He's all about being the guy on the town since she's been on the show." It would be quite a while before Medley herself confirmed the split... in fact, she wouldn't confirm it for another eight months on a May 2020 episode of the Bravo show.
In a confessional interview, Medley shared, "The breakup with John is sad. I mean, it's terrible. But I also know that I have to do what's best for me now ... It's so easy just to keep communicating and just falling into old habits. Because I have a feeling if I didn't do this, it would just keep staying plateaued for 10 years, 15 years. And then what?"
She also opened up about the split to pal and co-star Sonja Morgan, noting that nothing salacious caused the break, explaining, "I love John and I'll always love John. There's no big fight."
Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney
Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney were a golden couple on "Vanderpump Rules," together since the 2013 inception of the "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" spinoff. Viewers watched their highs and lows — from explosive fights and a cheating scandal to an onscreen engagement and televised wedding ceremony in 2016 (officiated by Lisa Vanderpump!) — but when they called it quits, everyone was still caught by surprise. Maloney and Schwartz broke the news in March 2022, posting statements on Instagram, with Maloney's reading in part, "I never thought I would have to make an announcement like this. But I feel it's important that I'm open about my life with you. After 12 years on an adventure through life together Tom and I are ending our marriage. This ending is not met with resentment or animosity, no sides to choose."
People confirmed that Maloney subsequently filed for divorce a week later, though the couple remained amicable throughout the split. They were spotted grabbing dinner together by TMZ following their breakup announcement, and continued living together for three more months in their shared Los Angeles home. When they eventually moved out of the house to live separately, Maloney shared an emotional Instagram post captioned, "I hate goodbyes. And this one hurts a lot. The emotions and words are hard to pin down. Closing this chapter on my life feels like attending my own funeral ... I'm going to miss coming home." The aftermath of their divorce was chronicled on Season 10 of the Bravo series.
Craig Conover and Naomie Olindo
"Southern Charm" couple Craig Conover and Naomie Olindo's relationship started back in college, long before they graced the Bravo screen. They first met at the College of Charleston back in 2009, but wouldn't start dating until their paths crossed again in 2014 — the same year the Bravo series debuted. They would go on to date for three years, a lot of which occurred while cameras rolled, and seemed to be on their way to marriage after Conover presented Olindo with a "pre-engagement ring." But sadly, he'd never get to give her the real thing, as the couple's split was sneakily confirmed via an Instagram comment by Olindo in September 2017. Olindo responded to a fan's comment inquiring whether they were together with, "Unfortunately we are not. But we are still great friends" (via People).
Season 5 of "Southern Charm" depicted the split. Conover opened up to Bravo's The Daily Dish in March 2018 about what went wrong. The reality-star-slash-lawyer shared, "Naomie and I, we had the best of intentions. ... No one did anything bad. No one stepped out or cheated or anything, so there wasn't really any anger. It was just kind of disappointing and sad."
For her part, Olindo moved on quickly, going Instagram official with her new boyfriend, doctor Metul Shah, in April 2018, whom she dated until July 2021. Conover had a short-lived romance with Natalie Hegnauer before starting up a romance with fellow Bravo-lebrity Paige DeSorbo from "Summer House," with whom he co-starred on "Winter House" in early 2021.
Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida
Viewers met "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Phaedra Parks back in 2010, when she joined the cast during the show's third season. At the time, she was newly married to Apollo Nida and pregnant with their first child, Ayden. The couple were a staple on the series, giving birth to their second child together during Season 6, though they were no stranger to squabbling. Following that season, there were rumors the couple were about to split — though they put up a united front at that season's reunion. But things came crashing down shortly after that point, as Nida was sentenced to eight years in prison in July 2014 following charges of mail, wire, and bank fraud.
The couple's relationship seemed to crumble during Season 7 as they dealt with the ramifications of his jail sentence, including the day Nida was supposed to turn himself into jail in September 2014, when he instead went to his home with Parks and argued with his wife in front of the Bravo cameras. In October, People shared that Parks' representative Steve Honig revealed she would be seeking divorce, telling the outlet that Parks had been "retaining an attorney with the intent of amicably ending her marriage."
Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy
When Bethenny Frankel started on the second "Real Housewives" installment, "The Real Housewives of New York City," way back in 2009, viewers met a single woman vying to become the next Martha Stewart. She was also in a new relationship with a man named Jason Hoppy, one that would progress throughout her first three seasons on the show. By 2010, Frankel left the franchise after scoring herself a spinoff following her engagement with Hoppy. "Bethenny Getting Married," which was later retitled "Bethenny Ever After" and ran for three seasons, chronicling the couple's marriage and the birth of their first child, daughter Bryn. After so much time in front of the cameras, viewers grew invested in the family. So when Bethenny revealed they were splitting just two years later, fans were surprised.
"It brings me great sadness to say that Jason and I are separating. This was an extremely difficult decision that as a woman and a mother, I have to accept as the best choice for our family. We have love and respect for one another and will continue to amicably co-parent our daughter who is and will always remain our first priority," Frankel said in a December 2012 statement (via The Hollywood Reporter).
She also tweeted, "I am heartbroken. I am sad. We will work through this as a family." Their divorce would go on to take eight years to finalize, due to a nasty custody battle and Frankel accusing Hoppy of harassment and stalking charges.
Teresa Giudice and Joe Giudice
After 20 years together — and dual prison sentences! — Bravo fans were shocked to learn Teresa and Joe Giudice would be going their separate ways. The stars of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," who were original cast members of the series since its 2009 inception, found themselves in legal hot water beginning in 2013, when they were charged with conspiracy to defraud lenders, illegally obtaining mortgages and other loans, and hiding assets and income during a 2009 bankruptcy case.
Despite the mountain of legal woes that followed, the couple seemed to put up a united front even following the 2018 ruling that Joe would be deported to his native Italy following his prison stint. But all that changed in December 2019, when People broke the news that the Giudices were splitting. A source revealed to the outlet, "They still love one another, but as Teresa told Andy Cohen on the WWHL special, they are separated by the Atlantic Ocean. Neither is interested in a long distance relationship." That same source added, "there are no plans for divorce," but less than a year later the couple finalized their divorce in September 2020.
Kenya Moore and Marc Daly
Kenya Moore joined Season 5 of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta" in 2012. Though the former beauty queen was originally open with her romances, when she thought she found the one in Marc Daly, she didn't share it with fans until tying the knot in June 2017, breaking the news via an exclusive with People. The outlet revealed that the couple had started dating the prior December. After news of their union was made public and discussed on the show, Moore and Daly's relationship wasn't cast in a great light. The couple were living in two different cities, with Daly splitting his time between Atlanta and New York City. That didn't change even after they welcomed their first child, daughter Brooklyn, in November 2018.
Less than a year later, People exclusively revealed the couple had split, with Moore putting out a statement that read in part, "Due to recent and ongoing circumstances, I can no longer continue in the marriage. My sole concern and focus is and will always be my daughter, Brooklyn, my miracle baby." The couple would go on to briefly reunite in 2020, with Moore telling Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live," "We're actually getting along better than we've gotten along probably [since] shortly after we got married. I mean, it's just been no arguments, no real fights or disagreements. He's been really sweet and caring and thoughtful. It's like, 'Wow, this is the man I married.'" That reunion was short-lived, as the couple split for good in January 2021.