Andy Cohen had some thoughts on where Alexis Bellino stands with The Real Housewives of Orange County just days before her exit was announced.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly days before Bellino’s exit, Cohen, 56, weighed in on her role, saying, “Here’s the thing about the Housewives — and especially the Housewives of Orange County — that is a group of people that is always kind of weirdly in each other’s lives in some dotted line way, or running into each other at Javier’s, The Quiet Woman.”
Cohen noted that Bellino, 47, will “always exist” in the RHOC universe. For now, however, Bellino won’t be on screen after announcing that she “was not asked back” for season 19 after a tumultuous season 18.
“I can’t say it came as a shock, it did not come as a shock,” Bellino said while guest hosting the “Going Rogue” podcast on Friday, December 20. “It was a hard conversation. … I guess I wasn’t really prepared [because] I didn’t think contracts were coming out — like, I thought we had more time. … [So] it was a shock when the call came, but I was never shocked about that information.”
After having an ongoing feud with Shannon Storms Beador, Bellino didn’t expect to last long. “It was a little bit of a relief,” she added. “I mean nobody wants the rejection, and no one wants to [hear] you’re not asked back. But it already happened to me. It happened to me in season 8. I’ve been there, done that!”
Andy Cohen Charles Sykes/Bravo
Bellino originally joined RHOC in season 5 and stayed for four years. After a decade away, she returned for season 18 as a “friend” of the main cast members. Her relationship with now-fiancé John Janssen, who previously dated Beador, 60, was a major point of contention.
Beader had previously told Us that she didn’t see her and Bellino continuing to share the screen.
“I was on Nick Viall’s podcast, and he said, ‘What will you do if Alexis is back on the show?’ And my answer was, ‘I’m not filming with Alexis ever again,’” she admitted in November. “If they choose to bring Alexis back on the show, enjoy, but I’m not filming with you.”
Alexis Bellino Nicole Weingart/Bravo
Beader clarified that she wanted to remain on the show — just without Bellino. “I’ve never said I’m not coming back. I might have done that in my third or fourth year and I’ve never done it since,” she noted. “But if Alexis Bellino comes back, sorry, not gonna be around [her].”
That same month, Bellino expressed frustration with her time on RHOC. The reality star wrote via Instagram that she “never thought” she would be brought back “to be the villain.”
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“If I had known that I never would’ve signed. I live in love. Not anger or hate or villainous. I truly lay awake every night wondering why it was portrayed this way,” she continued in November, claiming the show “made a hit show” at her and John’s expense. “[I plan to] use my own platform to share the truth with you because I do not live in toxicity, falsehoods, hateful behavior, victim hood or lies.”
She continued: “I signed onto reality…. and now I will bring the reality to light. I will never act or become a victim, I will simply live with God and stand in truth. He always prevails. #staytuned 💔❤️🫶🏻.”
As for the rest of the RHOC group, which includes Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow, Gina Kirschenheiter and more, Cohen had thoughts about season 18 being “one of the most loved” in show history, telling Us, “That’s 18 seasons and the highest ratings in many years, over 3 million viewers.”
With reporting by Sarah Hearon