The Untold Truth Of Dorinda Medley
Not everyone can be known for iconic quotes, but Dorinda Medley is not everyone. The former "Real Housewives of New York" star captured fans' hearts by shouting at everyone, "I decorated. I cooked. I made it nice!" She yelled at the author of "Sex and the City," "I'll tell you how I'm doing: not well, b****!"
Medley made us all eternal fans, and most "The Real Housewives of New York" devotees were devastated to see her exit the show. But lucky for us, there is a wealth of information about Ms. Medley, a charitable, intriguing woman who's lived a life most only dream of living, and met people most only dream of meeting.
Aside from making it nice, Medley made "The Real Housewives of New York" hysterical, and to honor her legacy, we've rounded up all of the information you need to know about the star. Here is the untold truth of Dorinda Medley.
She's a Berkshires native
Anyone who's watched "The Real Housewives of New York" knows that Dorinda Medley loves the Berkshires. Her infamous Blue Stone Manor home sits nestled in the state of Massachusetts, but she doesn't just vacation there — she was born there.
Chilled Magazine notes that Medley's a Berkshires native, and to celebrate her hometown, many dramatic episodes of "RHONY" have been filmed at her stunning home. According to the trailer, the 2022 season of "Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip" is set there, too. Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson at Blue Stone Manor? Yes, please.
Medley also has a home in New York City, as is required of any cast member of the reality show set in the Big Apple. However, in 2022, her views changed a bit, per the New York Post. Medley put her New York City apartment on the market for nearly $2.5 million. But the reality star is not leaving New York City. As she told the outlet, "Not leaving, just a change after 21 years."
She has a passion for fashion
It's hard to imagine a Housewife who doesn't have a passion for fashion, and Dorinda Medley is no exception. Fans were able to see her various looks on "The Real Housewives of New York," but she also has a sartorial history to serve as evidence for her love affair with style.
As told by Chilled Magazine, medley has been a fashion freak for decades now. Years ago she worked for Liz Claiborne, an American fashion brand, after finishing college, and when she moved to London, she started her own cashmere company called DCL. Her business was the stuff of dreams (at least we imagine it was, as running a luxury fabric company sounds like a dream), and her clients were some of the most elite in British society. Have you ever heard of Princess Diana? Yeah, she shopped at DCL.
These days Medley browses other high-end establishments, like Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, and she has a tip for anyone who wants to shop there, too. "There's a secret society at Bergdorfs. It's not about how much money you have, it's about who you know," she told Vogue. Does she have tips for people who don't know any employees at Bergdorfs? We're asking for ourselves.
Dorinda Medley created her own workout routine
Dorinda Medley cares about health and fitness. Though she's never said that out loud (at least to our knowledge), we've made that assumption because of some of her credentials. Housewives are always involving themselves in seemingly random ventures (we all remember Sonja Morgan's toaster ovens, right?) and Medley's comes in the form of her very own aerobics class called Dorobics, which seems to essentially be a regular aerobics class — it's just led by Medley.
Medley uses her aerobics classes for good, though, hosting live virtual classes to benefit the Ronald McDonald House New York. Unfortunately these aren't regular occurrences, so if you're looking to attend with her, you'll have to keep an eye out for more of the classes to come, as of this writing.
Medley's affinity for wellness doesn't end at exercise. She's also concerned about her diet, and has become a Nutrisystem rep. Speaking like a true spokesperson, the reality star said of the brand, "I can't tell you how amazing I feel after just a few months on their program. It's truly become a lifestyle for me and I'm loving it so much."
She created her own whiskey
We love to see Housewives releasing their own lines of alcohol. After all, alcohol is what we have to thank for many of their best episodes and even some of their incomes. Are there any of Lisa Barlow's Vida Tequila drinkers out there?
Dorinda Medley joined in on the fun and released her own whiskey, which she calls Bluestone Manor Bourbon because she apparently can't get enough of her home. But if we're being honest, we can't get enough of it, either. "Over the years, the one thing we found was that not only was I a character, but Blue Stone Manor became its own character and people just gravitated toward that place," she said to CNN Business.
Medley also revealed that we have Jay-Z to thank for the bourbon. "I went to an incredible Jay-Z party before COVID, and I was sitting downstairs [at the club] and all the women were drinking dark liquor," Medley said. "I was thinking there was something incredibly powerful about it ... we think of [dark liquor] as a male thing, but it's a huge growing market for women." The reviews for the whiskey are positive, too. According to Paste Magazine, it's a good bourbon, particularly for a celebrity brand.
She's friends with celebrities
When Dorinda Medley opened up her own cashmere clothing company, she must have been ecstatic to have both Princess Diana and Joan Collins shop there — but those aren't the only two famous faces Medley has interacted with. The reality TV star has rubbed elbows with the elite for many years, and when she traded her working girl shoes for those of a charitable housewife, she began interacting with some of the most famous people in the world, including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The famed lady has entertained the movie stars at her home for charity.
Being a New York native has, obviously, allowed Medley to interact with other New York natives, including Lady Gaga's mother, Cynthia Germanotta. "We're very good friends," she told Interview Magazine of her relationship with Germanotta. "Stefani [Lady Gaga] was actually one of Hannah's [her daughter] prayer mentors at Sacred Heart a hundred years ago."
Now, as much as we love watching "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip," we'd be equally entertained watching a bring-your-celebrity-friend-to-Blue-Stone-Manor type of show. If you know Andy Cohen, kindly put us in touch with him to discuss production.
Dorinda Medley wrote a book
In 2021, the world was gifted with not only Dorinda Medley's writing chops (that is, if she didn't use a ghost writer), we were gifted with her stories of her life thanks to her memoir "Make It Nice." If we had entertained Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and sold cashmere to Princess Diana, we would probably write a memoir, as well.
The title of the book is a callback to one of her most famous lines from the show, and as she told Entertainment Weekly, it was an obvious choice for a title. "I mean, what else could it be? The only other thing I could have called it was 'Not Well, B****!'" Truthfully we would've been just as happy had it been the alternative.
The book covers everything — Medley's early life, her marriage to her late husband Richard Medley, and even moments on "The Real Housewives of New York." "You have to slowly unpeel yourself, and you've got to open up the can of worms. If you want to do it correctly, you have to do it, and then redo it, and then redo it again, and then get comfortable with what you wrote, and then make sure you own it," she explained of her writing process. Fans of Medley and collectors of "Real Housewives" memorabilia can purchase signed copies of her book. We have to admit, it's a tempting purchase.
She's a philanthropist
Dorinda Medley is a charitable woman. Along with being a huge supporter of the Ronald McDonald House in New York, she has also given to several other worthy causes, too. As noted in her Bravo bio, Medley has been supportive of the Born This Way Foundation, the Ali Forney Center, Gabrielle's Angel Foundation, and others.
Some of Medley's costars have attended her charitable events, including the Celebrity Page's Holiday Party, which raised money for BeautyForFreedom.org. Medley clearly has a knack for getting everyone involved, including Bravo, as one of the silent auction items at her event included tickets to "Watch What Happens Live."
Medley has also donated an unbelievable auction item of Bravo fans' dreams: a one night stay at Blue Stone Manor and dinner with Medley herself. Though this auction item has now expired, we will be carefully monitoring to see if and when it comes available again — and we'll be the first ones to bid.
Dorinda Medley has been married twice
Arguably one of the best things about Real Housewives of any city is that most of them are not actually wives. A high number of our favorite reality wives are single, though most of them have been married at least once, and, in many cases, more than once. Dorinda Medley falls under the latter category, as she's been married twice.
Medley was first married to Ralph Lynch, an investment banker. The two share a daughter, Hannah, and since their separation have maintained a good relationship for the sake of their child. "So if Ralph called me up and said, 'listen, I can't take her for the night but can I stop by and have dinner with her?' A hundred percent. And there were times where he'd come to my apartment, have dinner with her here," she said of her co-parenting style with Lynch (via Bravo).
Medley's second husband was the late Richard Medley, whom she spoke of often during her tenure on "RHONY." Medley doesn't want her second marriage to be her last, though. As she told Page Six, she is ready to get married again. "I'm fine [being alone] and I have a ton of friends and I have a ton of family. But I think it'd be nice to have someone in your life to share it with again. I'm ready to come home to [a man]."
She loves to entertain
We've watched Dorinda Medley entertain several times on "The Real Housewives of New York." And it's more than just a hobby for the star. Medley prides herself on her entertaining skills, and she's even dedicated her YouTube channel to showing off some of her favorite recipes. Her tutorials include French Onion Soup, Chicken Milanese, and her Bluestone Manor Secret Sauce. Medley has over 18,000 subscribers, though she doesn't update it that regularly.
Medley's entertaining advice is widely available, though. She spoke with Apartment Therapy to give her best hosting tips, and they range from pragmatic, like staying organized or making a good playlist, to rather unattainable, like having a signature home scent. "I love when people identify my house with the smell ... So I always use the same candle because they say, 'Oh my God, it smells like Blue Stone Manor.'"
As much as we love the idea of having a signature home scent, continually purchasing a $70 candle to curate said aroma isn't exactly feasible for most of us. But more power to Ms. Medley.
She has a close relationship with her daughter
In addition to referencing her late husband Richard Medley on "The Real Housewives of New York," Dorinda Medley often spoke about her daughter Hannah Lynch. The mother-daughter duo are very close, as it's Medley's only biological child, despite what may have been portrayed on the show.
"I love being with my mom. She's my best friend. Some people took our interaction last season as me being disrespectful, and it's not that. It's just that we're so close there is nothing I can't say to her. And we're best friends, so we really have a good time," she told Bravo about her relationship with her mother.
Their relationship has also transitioned to a professional one. "Hannah helped me edit the whole book," she told Bravo, referring to her memoir "Make It Nice." "She could look at it 'cause I tend to be a little bit more, you know, colorful and flower. Hannah's a much more serious character," Medley said, praising her daughter's writing skills. It's certainly good experience for Lynch, who's an aspiring writer herself.
Dorinda Medley is super rich
Most Bravo "Housewives" are super rich. It's kind of the point of the show, isn't it? But despite what we expect from the wives, we still end up with some whose net worths aren't all that impressive, at least by housewife standards. Here's looking at you, Gina Kirschenheiter.
However, there are some Housewives who are legitimately wealthy, and even some who have accumulated much of that wealth on their own. And when it comes to Dorinda Medley, we get both. The "RHONY" star is worth an estimated $20 million, and a good chunk of that is money she earned from her cashmere company. However, the wife didn't stop there, and she continued raking it in even after she sold her company, and after she left "The Real Housewives" through book deals and her whiskey line.
Though Medley's net worth is far from many of the West Coast wives, like Kyle Richards, Lisa Vanderpump, and Heather Dubrow, it's nothing to sneer at, and puts her in the realm of some of her former costars, including Ramona Singer and LuAnn de Lesseps.
Her thoughts on her RHONY exit
Despite being a beloved cast member of "The Real Housewives of New York," Dorinda Medley was booted off. "All things must come to an end. This was a great outlet for me to heal when my late husband Richard passed away. I have met so many interesting people and learned so much about myself, about life and about women along the way," she said on Instagram, announcing her exit.
Andy Cohen addressed the star's exit from the show, saying on his SiriusXM radio show, "She said something at the reunion that struck us all, which was that she should have taken the year off [in 2020]. She was in a bad place."
Although Medley's time on RHONY has come to an end (for now, at least — Cohen technically put her on hiatus), she will be featured in season two of "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip," which takes place at Blue Stone Manor. Medley will be hosting some of our other favorite bygone Housewives, including Jill Zarin, Taylor Armstrong, and Phaedra Parks. The ultimate girls trip, indeed.