The Biggest Scandals To Ever Hit Bravo

Bravo sure has a knack for setting the stage for drama in front of the camera and behind the scenes. From Teresa Giudice's first table flip, "The Real Housewives" franchise has shown us that the network knows no bounds when it comes to explosive scandals. How could it with all the secret past lives, prison time, stints in rehab, and high-profile divorces?

While "The Real Housewives" might be responsible for the vast amount of Bravo-related scandals (if only because of the sheer number of them), they're hardly the only Bravo stars embroiled in controversy. From the waitstaff on "Vanderpump Rules" to the descendants of politicians on "Southern Charm," there's not one single Bravo show that escapes without some mega-drama. From sexual assault and abuse claims to the poor choices that have gotten people kicked off their respective series, these are just some of the biggest scandals to ever hit Bravo.

Teresa Giudice went from being a star on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" to a Real Housewife of the penitentiary. The Bravo starlet and her first husband, Joe Giudice, were both slapped with prison time after an utterly scandalous scheme. According to the AP, they were "charged in a 39-count indictment with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications and bankruptcy fraud" in 2013. Per People, Joe also was accused of not filing his taxes for several years in a row. Initially, they maintained their innocence, but by 2014, the  two pleaded guilty to the fraud charges. 

Teresa spent nearly a year behind bars, and Joe was sentenced to 41 months in the slammer. As per E! News, Joe was deported to Italy, and he and Teresa ended their marriage. Teresa walked down the aisle a second time in 2022, marrying businessman Luis Ruelas. 

Luann de Lesseps shocked fans of "The Real Housewives of New York" when a string of unfortunate events led the star back to rehab and forced her to miss the Season 10 reunion. In August 2017, she announced that she'd be divorcing Tom D'Agostino after seven months of marriage. That December, the former countess was arrested after reportedly threatening to kill a police officer who tried to remove her and a man from a hotel room that wasn't hers, according to Page Six. She was charged with "disorderly intoxication, battery on an officer/firefighter/EMT, resisting arrest with violence and threatening a public servant," according to People. De Lesseps apologized for her behavior, claiming she was emotional because it was her first time in Palm Beach since her wedding.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the "RHONY" star received treatment following her arrest but relapsed after her ex-husband and children sued her over selling their $8 million home. Costar Bethenny Frankel staged an intervention, and de Lesseps then entered treatment for the second time in a year. "I had two or three of those [watermelon martinis], then I had, I think two bottles of rosé by myself and then I had probably a six pack of beer or something," de Lesseps told Megyn Kelly (via THR). "I can't have just one drink."

Leave it to a Real Housewife to conjure up a rumor so bad it actually gets her fired and causes a full-on scandal. According to TMZ, Phaedra Parks got herself booted from "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" in 2017 for lying about a cast member conspiring to rape another cast member. Excuse us?

Parks reportedly sparked the rumor during filming when she told Porsha Williams that Kandi Burruss and husband Todd Tucker planned to drug and kidnap Williams, bring her back to their home, and sexually assault her. According to BET, Parks alleged the couple had a "sex dungeon" where they take victims. Williams, who was probably horrified if she believed this to be true, kept repeating the rumor throughout Season 9 like it was an actual fact. Burruss denied the allegations up and down, and according to TMZ, she supposedly told Bravo she'd take legal action if they released the footage where Parks recounted the false story to Williams. 

Honestly, the whole situation gives frenemy a new meaning, but Williams and Burruss have since patched things up. Burruss still does not have a "sex dungeon" (though she said she's open to the idea). However, she did throw a star-studded Dungeon Party as a major clapback to Parks' rumor.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Jenni Pulos and Jeff Lewis' friendship fueled more than a decade's worth of "Flipping Out" episodes, but as it turns out, the home renovator may have actually flipped out on his longtime assistant-turned-executive producer. In 2018, Lewis shocked audiences when he revealed on his SiriusXM radio show (via People) that Pulos had allegedly reported him to Bravo for "abuse and victimization." She reportedly claimed "Flipping Out" was a "hostile working environment," but following a "time-consuming" investigation, Lewis' name was cleared. "Her making this claim, it put my entire career in jeopardy. My family, my livelihood, everything," he said. "I just lost my job. I'm pretty sure of that. But I need to get in front of the story and I have to tell my side of the story. I'm a dead man walking, but I have to tell my story."

The strange part is, none of this may be true. According to People, Pulos claimed Lewis abruptly fired her from Jeff Lewis Design following "an explosive lunch." (She remained an executive producer.) She told People that she never filed a wrongful termination or abuse and victimization claim against him. 

Which version of this scandal is the real one? We may never know. As of this writing, Pulos and Lewis' friendship remains a thing of the past.

Jax Taylor didn't have the best track record when it came to dating, but longtime fans of Vanderpump Rules were really crossing their fingers that the star had finally closed his wandering eye. Unfortunately, that didn't appear to be the case in 2018, when he found himself embroiled in a cheating scandal so salacious that it remained a plot point on the show for a long time.

According to Entertainment Tonight, Taylor cheated on longtime girlfriend Brittany Cartwright with former SURver Faith Stowers. That's not big news, considering Taylor cheated on almost every person he dated on the series. However, there was a deeper, more-insidious layer to this indiscretion. Leaked audio revealed that Taylor was trashing his girlfriend to Stowers post-hookup. He reportedly said he wasn't attracted to Cartwright (and that's after he reportedly persuaded her to get D-sized implants).

In a Facebook Live interview, Stowers claimed Taylor had been sliding into her DMs for an entire year. He even asked her to have a threesome with him and his longtime love. Stowers reportedly only gave him a chance because he claimed to have split with Cartwright. Despite the numerous arguments that erupted on-screen as a result of Taylor's cheating, Cartwright opted to stay with her man. The two are now married and have a son.

Danielle Staub's rap sheet is longer than the weave that was pulled from her hair on the night the cast of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" was banned from the North Jersey Country Club. Back when she was known as Beverly Merrill, the starlet could have doubled as a character in "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" because she supposedly was embroiled in a botched drug deal that reportedly left Pablo Escobar's cartel wanting her dead. According to Radar, Staub was working as a sex worker when she started selling drugs with then-boyfriend Daniel Aguilar, an "enforcer" in the Medellin Cartel. During a deal, $100,000 worth of cocaine was reportedly stolen, and Aguilar allegedly stuck his own neck out to save hers. He later got arrested by the FBI and spent nine years in prison.

In a separate incident, Gawker reported that the reality starlet was arrested "with six kilos of coke and $16,000 cash" in connection to a drug-fueled kidnapping plot. As the story goes, Staub's neighbor, Carmen Centolella, was allegedly brokering a cocaine deal for Aguilar worth about $48,000. Staub supposedly took half the goods to Centolella's for "testing," where she was reportedly jumped by four men who ran off with the cocaine. Aguilar allegedly blamed Centolella and beat and kidnapped him. Aguilar and Staub allegedly demanded a $25,000 ransom from Centolella's father. However, Staub reportedly cut a deal with prosecutors. 

This whole thing kind of makes her 20 plus engagements look well-adjusted, doesn't it?

If we had a dime for every time a scandal broke in the "Real Housewives" universe, we would have one heavy piggy bank. Gretchen Rossi shocked viewers when revealing photos of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" alum came out — and we're talking the racy kind. At the start of Season 5, several intimate photos were published of the television star without her permission. The compromising snapshots showed Rossi posing with a vibrator, topless inside a vehicle, as well as sitting on a toilet seat with her pants slid down. 

Per Radar, Rossi's lawyer sent a cease and desist letter ordering the photos be removed from the site, but not before the ladies of Orange County spilled the tea. "There's a picture of her with a vibrator laying on a bed with a cord, I'm like, 'Holy Mother of Gynecology! Who has a vibrator with a cord?" Tamra Barney said during the Season 5 premiere episode. Rossi went on to reveal she had no part in releasing the photos, and that she took them when she was going through a difficult time following her father's death.

The "RHOC" star has put the past behind her, and she's instead gone on to welcome her daughter Skylar alongside her partner, Slade Smiley, in 2019. The two have also launched their joint podcast "Knot Too Taboo" in 2020 where they discuss family, life, and relationship matters with guests. 

In Season 12 of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Lisa Rinna and Kathy Hilton hit a major rough patch during a cast trip to Aspen. The drama began when Hilton got upset that sister Kyle Richards did not encourage the other Housewives to order Eva Longoria's Casa Del Sol tequila. (Hilton and her daughter Nicky Hilton Rothschild are investors in the brand.) The drama got even worse when Rinna chose to order Kendall Jenner's 818 tequila instead. 

Things boiled over that night when cameras had stopped rolling. In the second installment of the Season 12 reunion, Rinna alleged Hilton threw a fit upon leaving a nightclub after a DJ refused to play her requested music. "Kathy [was] screaming and yelling and venting, and saying things that I have never heard in my life," Rinna claimed. She went on to allege that Hilton directed a homophobic slur at the DJ, and then threatened NBC, Bravo, and the "Real Housewives" franchise on the way home. Oh, and according to Rinna, Hilton allegedly claimed she was going to "destroy" Richards' whole family. 

Hilton denied using homophobic language, making threats, and saying hurtful things about her costars and family members. However, she did acknowledge that she was frustrated in the moment. "I recall venting, thinking that we've known each other a long time, this is not being filmed, and I felt like I could trust you," Hilton said at the time. Rinna parted ways with the series after the season. 

When Season 2 of "Below Deck: Sailing Yacht" was still airing, cast member Dani Soares announced on Instagram that she was expecting. Fans quickly began speculating about the identity of the father, as the stew had gotten close with deckhand Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux during their season together. 

Soares broke the news of the paternity during the "BDSY" Season 2 reunion segment. She shared that Cerza-Lanaux is indeed the father, but the relationship between the two parents is rocky, to say the least. In June 2021, Cerza-Lanaux shared on Instagram that he wanted a paternity test done to confirm the child was his. "There will be one ASAP. No, Australia isn't open yet or I would have already gone so those of you saying 'just go' must not know that. We are truly on different continents so easier said than done," he wrote.

Eventually, they were able to conduct the DNA tests, and the results showed Cerza-Lanaux is indeed the father. "I'm happy and proud to say Sweet and beautiful Lilly rose is my daughter," he wrote on Instagram. However, as of the time of writing the yachtie has yet to post any photos with his daughter nor does any evidence exist that he visits her at Soares' home in Australia. He did, however, go Instagram official with a new girlfriend in 2023.

In November 2020, Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi announced they'd separated after 20 years of marriage. A month later, things took an even bigger turn. As E! News reported at the time, they were sued for allegedly embezzling plane crash settlement funds. According to the suit, Girardi allegedly took money that was supposed to go to the family members of the victims involved in the Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air Flight 610 crash and used it to support Jayne's lifestyle and music career. 

As reported by Page Six, Jayne's name was eventually cleared in 2022 when a judge found the television star innocent in a $5 million dollar lawsuit that accused her of assisting her former husband in his crimes or being privy to them. Per the AP, Girardi was later disbarred. And in February 2023, he was charged with stealing over $18 million from his clients. What's more, there were cheating allegations, a lawsuit involving Wells Fargo, and a lot of shocking details about how much money Girardi actually had to his name. It's a long way to fall for the once-prominent and highly respected attorney, whose work representing Erin Brockovich inspired a film starring Julia Roberts in 2000.

As for her reaction to her estranged husband's indictment, Jayne told the Daily Mail,"You know, I have something to say, but not right now. You'll hear from me soon." It looks like Season 13 of the "RHOBH" will have a lot to unpack. 

The "Real Housewives" franchise has seen plenty of women go through nasty divorces, but no breakup was quite as bitter as the one between Bethenny Frankel and her ex-husband Jason Hoppy. Viewers saw Bethenny's relationship fall in love with the businessman during Season 3 of "Real Housewives of New York City." The two went on to get engaged just 11 months after meeting, and then tied the knot and welcomed their daughter, Brynn, in 2010.

Their marriage was short-lived, however, and the two split up in 2012. Frankel filed for divorce the following year. Per Page Six, in the midst of their divorce battle, Hoppy was arrested after he went to his daughter's school and yelled at his wife, "I will destroy you!" He allegedly fired off a series of rants via email that led to him being charged with harassing and stalking his then-estranged wife. Frankel filed a cease and desist letter against him in 2016 before he was arrested.

Frankel and Hoppy were able to settle their financial dispute in 2016 but went on to battle over custody of their daughter until 2021. She opened up about the ordeal on her "Just B" podcast just how harrowing the ordeal was. "I have spent millions of dollars, millions of tears. I have had a horrific, hall of fame, nightmare divorce," she said. "Divorce has been my greatest struggle and ultimately my greatest matter to survive. And it was torture."

Little was known about Brandi Glanville before the media got wind of the shocking affair between her ex-husband Eddie Cibrian and country music star LeAnn Rimes. The former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star met her former husband out on the nightclub scene in Los Angeles in the early 90s, and they said "I do" in 2001. The two went on to have two sons together.

In 2009, Us Weekly revealed that the "Northern Lights" actor had been having an affair with Rimes. Glanville filed for divorce a few months later, revealing how hurt she was after considering Rimes a friend. "The reason it is so bad is she was pretending to be my friend as well," she said on "The Jeff Probst Show." "It would have been better had I not known her and they were just having an affair. We're sitting there and she's pretending they're pals — and she's sleeping with my husband."

But Rimes wasn't the only woman Cibrian had been seeing behind Glanville's back. In a Bravo crossover moment for the ages, Glanville sat down with Scheana Shay on the 2013 premiere of "Vanderpump Rules." In the opening scene, Shay apologized to Glanville for having an affair with Cibrian. "The good thing about her is that I thought LeAnn was just the one-time thing," Glanville said in a "RHOBH" after show clip. "But when I found out about her, she saved me because I left him."

One of Bravo's most confusing scandals to date had an unlikely fur baby at the center of it. A puppy called Lucy Lucy Apple Juice started a feud between Lisa Vanderpump and several other cast mates. The drama began in 2019 when Season 9 of the "RHOBH" premiered. At the top of the season, viewers learned Dorit Kemsley had adopted a puppy from Vanderpump Dogs. However, after the pup bit her children and husband, she gave her away to a business associate. Much to the dismay of Vanderpump and her rescue organization, the dog was later dropped off at a shelter, (unbeknownst to Kemsley) which sparked "Puppygate."

Word got around about the Vanderpump Dogs pup ending up in a shelter, and some of Kemsley's costars suspected LVP was to thank. Teddi Mellencamp felt like she was a pawn in LVP's supposed scheme, Kyle Richards accused LVP of lying about tipping off the tabloids, and before we knew it, Vanderpump was at odds with pretty much everyone in the cast. She stopped filming in the middle of the season before parting ways with the series altogether. (Don't worry, Lucy Lucy Apple Juice found a new home.)

Though LVP denied providing the LLAJ scoop to the tabloids, sources say otherwise. "When Lisa lost the narrative in the show, and she realized that it wasn't going the way she wanted, that's when she leaked the story to the press," executive producer Chris Cullen claimed in the book "Not All Diamonds and Rosé." Yikes.