Leah McSweeney may not have been a New York City Housewife for long, but her time on the show has made a profound impact on the Real Housewives franchise. After joining for season 12 of RHONY, Leah opened up about her struggles with alcohol; after being sober for nine years, she relapsed roughly six months prior to filming for the show beginning in 2019. 

Leah drank on RHONY, which led to several rampant moments on the show, notably including her drunken skinny dipping spree with Sonja Morgan and Tinsley Mortimer (when she threw the tiki torches), and another instance during the season 12 episode entitled “Hurricane Leah,” where she got into an intense fight with Ramona Singer. The latter episode was later cited in her lawsuit, that was filed in Feb. 2024, against Andy Cohen, Bravo, NBC/Universal, production house Shed Media US, and producers John Paparazzo, Lisa Shannon and Darren Ward. 

In her suit, Leah accused the producers of allegedly coaxing her into drinking alcohol while shooting two seasons of RHONY and one season of the Ultimate Girls Trip spinoff, while they knew of her past alcohol struggles. She also accused Andy of showcasing favoritism towards Housewives who partook in drug usage with him. 

“[Andy Cohen] engaged in cocaine use with ‘Housewives’ and other Bravolebrities that he employs” and rewards ‘Housewives’ with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits,” the suit claimed. Andy denied the allegations, and the lawsuit is now proceeding in federal court.

During the second rebooted season of The Real Housewives of Miami (aka season five of the series), Lisa Hochstein’s then-husband Lenny Hochstein delivered a scathing hot mic moment where he admitted he was cheating on his wife. The episode, literally entitled “Hot Mic in Miami,” caught Lenny chatting to a friend while Lisa was busy hosting a party with her co-stars. 

Lenny’s friend began talking about how he was freshly single, to which he replied in a whisper, “In a couple months, I might be single too.” The friend said he’d heard about issues in the Hochstein marriage, to which his friend said, “I don’t want to see that happen,” a la them splitting up.

“I do,” Lenny responded, as he briefly spoke with he and Lisa’s son before continuing with his hot mic. His friend asked, “Are you still sleeping with her?” Lenny confirmed he wasn’t and when asked why not, he replied, “Because then I would be cheating on who I really care about.” 

“Does she know?” Lenny’s friend asked: “Nooo. Nobody knows. Nobody. Nobody,” although Lenny didn’t realize he just spilled the beans to the entire Miami production team. 

“You’re not mic’d up, are you?” his friend asked, as Lenny responded, “Yeah. Mm-hmm. Why do you think I’m whispering?” The moment was all the craze when the episode debuted in very late 2022, with Lisa telling People at the time that it “was the hardest thing to watch.”

“I was in disbelief. He almost said like there was a smirk on his face,” she said.” There was no remorse for those words that came out of his mouth. Almost like he was gloating to his friend — like it was a joke; like our whole marriage was a joke.”

Ashley Darby’s ex-husband Michael Darby was the word on the street during The Real Housewives of Potomac season four. Michael was charged in September 2018 with felony assault and misdemeanor improper sexual contact after a cameraman from the show alleged he grabbed his butt. In October of the same year, the charges were dismissed citing insufficient evidence.

However, discussion around the matter didn’t end there, as Bravo aired footage taken during the alleged incident. In said clip — that was shown on Potomac — Michael can be heard laughing and telling the camera operator, “Hey bud? You alright?” The cameraman then responded, “Please don’t do that,” to which Michael said, “Okay.” The cameraman repeated, “Please don’t do that,” and Michael, again, responded, “Okay.” 

While charges against Michael were ultimately dropped, the incident became a major talking point throughout RHOP season four. Plus, the cast of Potomac alleged during the reunion special that they had observed similar behavior from him in the past. Michael denied all allegations. 

“Producers have told us you have done that to them,” Gizelle Bryant claimed, to which Robyn Dixon corroborated: “I was told the same thing, that the same night that Michael grabbed Andrew’s butt, he also went around and grabbed their butts.” 

Monique Samuels and Candiace Dillard Bassett were friends for some time on The Real Housewives of Potomac, before things took a rough turn in season five. Monique claimed that Candiace was privy to a rumor that she was hooking up with her trainer and that she and her then-husband Chris Sameul’s youngest son was not his biological father. Monique was further upset that Candiace got closer with former Potomac Housewife Charisse, the woman who was spreading this gossip. 

They traded verbal blows throughout the season, however the conflict turned physical during a trip to a winery. Ashley Darby asked how they were doing, and the two women began discussing their problems, specifically a moment when Candiace claimed Monique had faked being asleep when she was leaving a cast trip so they wouldn’t have to say goodbye. They started fighting about whether or not Monique was actually asleep, with Monique claiming their once friendship was actually a “facade,” because communication was not reciprocated.

They kept verbally arguing, and hands from both women began to wave. “Get your hand out my face, you put your hand in my face —” Monique said, as Candiace asked, “You gone drag me?”

“Do you want me to? Do you want me to?” Monique replied, and she began flipping Candiace’s hair, before she physically grabbed her hair, pulling Candiace forward. Hands began flying both ways, and their fellow Potomac Housewives tried to break them apart, however they were stuck together for quite some time.

Monique went on to exit Potomac following season five, after much of the season was spent discussing the physical altercation. She later returned for season 10 as a friend, where she rehashed the moment that has remained one of RHOP’s most unforgettable scenes.

On season 10 of RHONY, the women took an unforgettable boat ride home from a cast trip in Cartagena, Colombia. They were heading out from a day on a private island, when waters (literally) got rocky. Bethenny Frankel, Ramona Singer, Carole Radziwill, Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, Dorinda Medley and Tinsley Mortimer — the golden New York City cast — were instructed to leave the island due to inclement conditions. 

Unfortunately for them, they met up with those not-so-great conditions while on the boat, where the women were rocked by large waves. Literal chaos ensued on the yacht, as shots of the rocky waters were shown, alongside clips of Luann nearly falling over on the ground, Tinsley and Sonja fighting about if the conditions were normal or not, and Carole throwing up. Conditions were so rocky that production had to cease filming, which led to hilarious moments of the women recounting the traumatizing experience. 

“We all thought we were going to die at sea,” Luann said in one clip. “It was so bad, even the cameras had to go down because they were holding on for dear life. I’m just holding myself on the ground, praying that the boat’s not going to capsize.”

Thankfully, no one was injured, making the moment one to hilariously remember in the vast Housewives canon.

NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak-Biermann have made many a memorable moment during their times on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Carving out another first season standout, the two got into it at Atlanta’s first-ever reunion over Kim’s relationship with the infamous Big Poppa.

NeNe did not approve of the relationship, which Kim tried to keep secret, because Big Poppa was, in fact, still married. Kim told host Andy Cohen at the season one reunion that he was still “legally married” — with air quotes and all. Andy asked if any of the Housewives had met Big Poppa, to which NeNe responded that Kim had said he said some disparaging things about her, without even knowing her. 

“He doesn’t even know me to say anything about me,” NeNe said. “That you’re trouble? That’s what he said,” Kim responded. 

“Yeah, he doesn’t know me to say that, that’s some shit you made up,” NeNe said before spouting out her now iconic line, “Close your legs to married men.” The moment was just a peak at NeNe’s sharp shade that would define Real Housewives, leading on to many women trying to emulate the savvy one-liners that only Mrs. Leaks can deliver so seamlessly.   

Luann de Lesseps has been at the core of many unforgettable Real Housewives moments, and who could forget when she found out on-camera that her then-fiancé Tom D’Agostino had cheated on her. Bethenny Frankel sat Luann down during the finale episode of RHONY season eight, where she admitted she had to tell her co-star something. 

“I have to tell you something, and I don’t want to be the one to have to tell you this, because it’s not —” Bethenny started as Luann butted in, “Please don’t let it be about Tom.” 

“It’s about Tom,” Bethenny confirmed, as she showed Luann a photo of her then-fiancé at a hotel bar with another woman. After receiving the photo, Luann took matters into her own hands and sent the image to Tom, creating yet another memorable moment. Instead of typing out the message herself, she utilized the voice text feature, instructing it to write, “How could you do this to me. Question mark.” 

Despite the infidelity, Luann and Tom’s wedding was shown on season 9 of RHONY, and they filed for divorce shortly after the reunion for that season was filmed. Their marriage may not have stood the test of time, but it surely created a number of countless memes, thanks to the one and only Countess. 

There truly is something about the Toms of Bravo. 

If you need any receipts, proof, timeline or screenshots, just look to Heather Gay, who coined the phrase during the infamous season four finale of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. After bidding goodbye to Jen Shah as she headed off to serve her prison sentence in 2023, Monica Gracia joined the cast, claiming she was an informant in Jen’s legal case. She was, in fact, her former assistant, who secretly ran the Instagram troll account @RealityVonTease, which the rest of the Salt Lake City Housewives found out after forming bonds with her. 

Heather had suspicions about Monica’s intentions with the Housewives group, and confirmed on their final cast trip in Bermuda that she played a part in running the troll account, which teased the women throughout their tenure of Housewives. In a textbook Real Housewives ambush, Heather affirmed that she had Monica’s own “perfect formula” for catching her in the act, reciting that she had the “receipts, proof, timeline [and] screenshots… fucking everything to prove that you are a fucking bully and a fucking troll!” 

Social media storylines have unfortunately taken over modern Real Housewives installments, but never has one made its way into the conversation quick like RealityVonTease. After the season four finale, the women reconvened for the reunion, where they continued to ice Monica out of their group; she was not asked back for season five, and has not returned since. 

Monica Garcia was a cautionary tale for any aspiring Housewife: Make sure you don’t run any type of fan troll account before submitting your application to become a Housewife.

Another early Atlanta moment that cemented it as a franchise powerhouse, a season two sitdown gone wrong between NeNe Leakes and Sheree Whitfield led to yet another memorable moment with Kim Zolciack. Both NeNe and Sheree wanted to speak with Kim, who was gossiping about her “friends” behind their backs. 

Kim and Sheree went back and forth about whether or not the latter Housewife said NeNe was renting her home; things got heated and the ladies began yelling in a restaurant. The ladies continued to discuss rumors they’d discussed about each other’s finances, as Kim got up and called Sheree a “fucking liar” and stormed out of the venue. 

“I’m about to go kick her ass,” Sheree said before following Kim outside as Sheree trailed behind, trying to convince her not to do so. NeNe tried to separate the two Housewives, but they began yelling directly in one another’s face, calling one another liars. As the fight went on, Sheree tugged on Kim’s blonde wig, which she explained in a confessional interview. 

“I felt the need to tug on her wig. I did not try to pull it off, I did not want to pull it off. I just wanted to shift it a little bit,” Sheree said, as more Housewives history (thanks to Atlanta) was made!

Many of the moments on this list were coined due to their meme-able status, and this reunion scene between Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson is no different. At the season nine reunion for The Real Housewives of Orange County, Tamra was sharing her thoughts about Vicki’s then-boyfriend Brooks Ayers, specifically how she didn’t think he was “good for you.” 

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We know now that Tamra was in the right (keep reading for more on their relationship), but Vicki surely did not think so. “How do you know what’s good for me?” she questioned, which led Tamra to scream in response, “That’s my OPINION!” It’s a moment that’s been memed too many times to count, one that notably stands out in the Real Housewives franchise. 

One of a few moments where a group of Housewives questioned a medical diagnosis (again, there will be more on that later), Aviva Drescher quarreled with the New York City women during the season six finale about her asthma diagnosis. In an intense moment, Aviva promised the women that there was nothing artificial or fake about her… except for her prosthetic leg, which she took off and slammed on the dinner table, prompting quite the response. 

“Everything else is real!” she proclaimed. “I’m sick of being called fake!” She even threw the prosthetic across the table, asserting that she could “crawl home,” cut to a zoomed in shot of the prosthetic on the floor. It was jaw-dropping, to say the least. Another standout episode title, the episode was named “The Last Leg.”

“There were three shrews attacking me and I wanted them to shut the fuck up and I figured if I slam my leg on the table, that will work,” Aviva told the Dish of why she did it. “And it did!”

Season three of The Real Housewives of New York City saw the infamous Scary Island trip, where Kelly Bensimon and Bethenny Frankel got into it. The episode was actually entitled “Sun, Sand And Psychosis,” chronicling the women’s trip to the Virgin Islands. Kelly acted a bit erratically when she claimed that Bethenny had “tried to kill me so many times before,” and the tension came to a head during that infamous dinner, where Bethenny joked that Kelly was “cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.”

It appeared Kelly really thought the women were out to off her, and Bethenny begged her to “go to sleep!” However, when they realized that she was serious and actually experiencing paranoia, they softened up on her… although the Housewives moment had already been made and cemented in the books.

Most of the moments on this list are rather dramatic, put-on moments for the camera. But showcasing the “real” moments of the Real Housewives was taken to a different level when Vicki Gunvalson found out the devastating news that her mother had died on Orange County’s tenth season. In a very raw moment, Vicki fell to the floor with the phone in hand, physically crumbling, and crying out in agony.

Her co-stars rushed to her aid, in what could be considered one the most life-altering moments of the Real Housewives to date.

Nowadays, it’s routine for a Housewife to join the Bravo series on rocky terms with their husband, and a few seasons in, divorce said husband. But no one has called it quits, baring literally all up to the moment of literally asking someone for a divorce on camera, like Tamra Judge. Another finale moment, this time for season five Orange County, Tamra and her ex-husband Simon were en route via limo for the final party of the installment when they began arguing about how much time she spends with their kids. 

Simon brought up a specific instance when Tamra opted to spend time with Vicki Gunvalson instead of taking their children bowling, which she pointed out was for an event. “I had an event to go to. I take my kids daily, I’m with my kids everyday!” she asserted. “We know both that you’re not,” Simon responded. “Really? If you were working, making money, we wouldn’t fucking be in this situation. You’re an asshole,” she said. “You are a nasty, vile person. … You know what? You can go fuck yourself… I want a divorce. Fuck you!” 

Simon tried to level things out after they exited the limo, but it was evident Tamra meant what she said. They ended up splitting, marking one of the wildest real moments to play out while cameras were rolling.

One of the most outlandish lies to be told on the Bravo reality franchise was when Vicki Gunvalson’s now ex-boyfriend Brooks Ayers lied about having cancer. Brooks went as far to forge medical documents to try to convince The Real Housewives of Orange County cameras that he was a patient at the City of Hope cancer research and treatment center. He claimed that he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013, although even Vicki’s OC co-stars questioned his claims. 

In November 2015, a day before the final part of the RHOC season 10 reunion aired, Brooks admitted to “fabricating documents to ‘prove’ to the world that I, in fact, have cancer,” he told E! in a statement at the time. Still, the major question was if Vicki had any idea about his lies. He defended her in a separate March 2016 statement, telling People that “Vicki was not ‘in on any cancer scam or created storyline.’ There is no scam. I simply didn’t continue to give her information about my illness when I learned of the devious nature and intentions of the cast.”

During season nine of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Porsha Williams alleged that Kandi Burruss and her then-husband Todd Tucker planned to drug her and Shamea Morton to take advantage of them sexually. Porsha revealed the allegation earlier in the season, however it wasn’t until the season nine reunion where Phaedra Parks confirmed she was the one who brought the false claim to her attention. 

Porsha explained that the reason she spoke about the allegation so heavily during RHOA’s ninth season was because Phaedra told her Kandi said that to her first-hand. At the reunion, Phaedra said she “repeated [the allegation because I heard it,” not because Kandi made those claims to her personally.

Porsha was instantly taken aback by Phaedra’s omission, telling Kandi, “I would never, ever say something like that to you if it wasn’t told to me in truth in confidence.” 

That episode, part four of the RHOA season nine reunion, aired on May 7, 2017, with it being reported the next day that Phaedra had been fired from the series. A source told Page Six at the time, “The entire cast and Andy agreed Phaedra would not be coming back next season. She dug her own grave. She’s considered a liability and will not be returning. Andy is upset.” 

However, Phaedra ultimately returned to Atlanta for season 16, alongside Porsha in her Housewives return. 

Sometimes, context isn’t needed to explain a great Real Housewives moment; and that pertains to NeNe Leakes’ hilarious Rolex moment from season four of Atlanta. But here’s the scoop: NeNe was separated from her husband at the time, and she briefly dated a man named John, who randomly gifted her the expensive watch. The moment is one of the most popular, memed moments from the franchise, due to NeNe’s reaction when she received said watch.

While they were on a date, John gifted NeNe the Rolex, which she was gleefully surprised by. “You giving me a Rolex. Does that mean something?” she questioned. “What do you think it means?” he asked. “Oh,” NeNe replied.

“A Rolex is timeless. If you let it and you rewind it and you rework it, it can last forever,” he explained. 

“Okay,” NeNe said. “Whatever that means.” Cut to a confessional interview clip, where NeNe candidly shared her thoughts on the gifting situation. “It’s getting weird… but I still need to get this watch.” 

Cut to another clip from the sit-down moment with NeNe and John, when the Atlanta OG shared her excitement with the gift. “Bling, bling, bling! Bitches is mad!” she said, creating yet another unforgettable Real Housewives tagline.

Teresa Giudice’s arrest and subsequent jail time is textbook Housewives lore, as her case is the first major legal scandal to play out for the cameras. After joining the first season of the fourth installment in the franchise (where she notoriously paid what looked to be $120,000 in cash for furniture on-camera), the former couple filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2009, a few months after season one finished airing. Fast forward to July 2013, and the Giudice’s were charged with bank and bankruptcy fraud. 

The fallout of their indictment was captured on season six, including when they entered a plea deal in March 2014 and their months later October sentencing. Teresa received 15 months in prison while Joe was sentenced to 41 months. Filming on RHONJ paused while Teresa was away for 11 months and resumed on the morning of her release on season seven, which in itself is one of the most emotional Housewives scenes as well.

(Giudice spoke about this time period in a rare moment for THR’s cover story. Read that here.)

Teresa is the first Housewife to serve a sentence while being on the Real Housewives, but she certainly was not the last. Following her 2015 release, Luann de Lesseps, Jen Shah, Shannon Beador, Karen Huger and Wendy Osefo were all arrested during their Housewives tenures. Jen and Karen have both served time for their respective arrests; Jen did not return to RHOSLC, although Karen will reappear on RHOP’s upcoming 11th season. 

But before them all was Teresa, who proved that legal scandal didn’t equal immediate termination from the franchise.

During season two of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Jen Shah nearly got arrested for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering on camera. It’s widely assumed she was tipped off on camera to exit filming a scene with the rest of the cast ahead of a girls trip. Jen took a call after entering the sprinter van outside of Heather Gay’s business, telling the woman her husband was in the hospital suffering from internal bleeding.

He was, in fact, not. In a now notorious moment, Jen locked eyes with the camera when on said phone call, asking co-star Whitney Rose to remove her mic mid-call. Flash forward a few minutes, and Homeland Security arrived, in search of none other than Jen. A few minutes later in the edited episode, Whitney read off the chilling headline “Real Housewives Star Charged With Massive Fraud Laundering Scheme,” changing the course of Salt Lake City, and sparking the largest legal scandal of the Real Housewives yet.

One thing you should know about Lisa Rinna; don’t ever go after her husband, Harry Hamlin. During The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ renowned season five trip to Amsterdam, tensions boiled over between Rinna and Kim Richards. The Traitors star, on her first season as a Housewife, opened up about how her sister died due to an alcohol overdose. Rinna was in a vulnerable spot, but that led to conflict between her and Kim, whose sobriety Rinna had been discussing with cast members, specifically due to their infamous car ride from hell. 

Kim shared her frustration with Rinna speaking about her sobriety with the other women, and sharply quipped, “I’m concerned about you. First of all, let’s not talk about… I’m concerned about you, at your situation at home. You wanna bring out my stuff? Let’s talk about your home life.” It’s safe to say this caught Rinna off guard, leaving her wide-eyed, mouth ajar. 

The other Housewives attempted to shut Kim down, which is when she infamously called Eileen Davidson a “beast.” That led Kim to start arguing with her sister Kyle Richards, whom Rinna tried to defend. “It’s not okay to talk to your sister or anyone like that… It’s not okay to talk to anyone like that, Kim. It’s just not okay. Your behavior’s not okay” Rinna offered. 

“Why don’t you have a piece of bread and maybe you’ll calm down a little,” Kim responded. Yolanda Hadid then tried to steer the conversation in the right direction, to no avail. She mentioned speaking with Rinna about her husband being sober for a few years, to which Kim butted in, “Let’s talk about the husband.” 

“Excuse me, did you just say let’s talk about the husband?” Rinna said. “Let’s not talk about what you don’t want out there,” Kim responded. And then, Housewives history was made as Rinna hit her breaking point. “Let me tell you something, don’t you ever touch my husband,” she said, as she leaped across the table and nearly grabbed Kim’s neck. 

The fighting continued, as everyone started getting up out of their seats. “You better watch what you talk about me or everybody will know,” Kim threatened. “You will never go near my husband,” Rinna replied, while throwing a drink towards Kim. “Don’t you fucking understand that,” cue glass throw, “Don’t ever go after my fucking husband!” 

Many glasses have been thrown across the franchise, but not with as much vitriol and iconography as Lisa Rinna. Legend has it, no one’s talked about the husband since.

There will likely never be a moment that stands out more in the Real Housewives canon than Teresa Giudice’s New Jersey table flip. Picture this: It’s the season finale of the fourth franchise, and the cast is discussing Cop Without a Badge, a book about Housewife Danielle Staub’s ex-husband. Danielle asserted that only two things in the book were true (that she changed her name and had been arrested), asking Teresa to “pay attention, puh-lease.”

It was after that moment that viewers could see the wheels start turning in Teresa’s head. The New Jersey mainstay shared her discontent with Danielle’s comments in a confessional, before asserting in real-time, “I am paying attention. Obviously, there has to be something else. It’s just not name change and arrested.” 

Danielle attempted to stand her ground, speaking over Teresa, which fired the latter Housewife up to the full extent. “Prostitution whore! You were fucking engaged nineteen times!” Teresa screamed as she slammed her hands on the dinner table. And then came the table flip heard across pop culture. 

Teresa was whisked away in that moment as she continued to yell toward Staub, but little did she know she had just created the most iconic Housewives moment that people are still talking about. Reflecting on the moment on her daughter’s podcast, Teresa said, “Let me tell you the truth: after I did it, I was like, ‘Oh my God, what did I just do?’ Like, I wasn’t proud of it. I really wasn’t.”

However, she had no choice but to embrace the moment. Teresa explained, “Afterwards, everyone loved it. So then I embraced it. I don’t like the picture that everybody posted with that mean face… I should have been smiling, but everyone loves it. So, you know, because everyone else loves it. I’ve embraced it.”

There are more dramatic moments to have arisen from the Real Housewives, but no one moment has likely been referenced or culturally remembered in the way Teresa’s table flip has. A-listers recognize it instantly. Redditors have written essays on its impact on reality TV. And it also set the standard for Housewives antics, cementing Teresa as one of the franchise’s forever bona fide stars. 

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