Ahead of The Real Housewives of New York’s Season 12 finale, Dorinda Medley announced that she was leaving the series and wouldn’t be returning for Season 13. The news came as a surprise, with the reason for Medley’s departure remaining unclear at the time. However, the former Real Housewives star recently claimed that her exit from the reality show wasn’t a mutual decision at all.
The Real Housewives of New York Season 12 had previously lost Bethenny Frankel, who quit the show days before filming began last year. Frankel was quickly replaced by Leah McSweeney, but at least the decision to leave the show was her own. Such was allegedly not the case for Dorinda Medley, who says that she was feeling pretty optimistic about Season 13, but then got a call from someone at Bravo as she was preparing for the RHONY holiday retreat. Medley was candid about her departure during Frankel’s podcast Just B with Bethenny Frankel. Here’s what she told her former co-star (via E! Online ):
I had a rough season, but that's what we do as Housewives. We have good seasons, we have bad seasons, we come back and we change it up. I was looking forward to coming back this year… I was thinking [Season 13] was going to be my season. I thought I was going to have a great year... I wasn't given that option. At the end of the day, was it mutual? No.
Dorinda Medley says that she was already under a lot of stress while filming The Real Housewives of New York Season 12 because of not only her father’s illness, but also the end of her relationship with John Mahdessian, as well as breaking her rib. While Medley didn’t want to “make excuses” for having a bad season of RHONY, she says she’s in a good place right now and that’s part of why she was excited to return to form in Season 13
All that said, many would likely agree that Dorinda Medley definitely didn’t have a good Season 12. Between the pooping drama, her tensions with Leah McSweeney and Ramona Singer, and her heated response when toasting Tinsley Mortimer, Medley’s run on the show didn’t begin or end on a high note.
However, Dorinda Medley isn’t the only Housewife leaving after Season 12. Tinsley Mortimer announced she was exiting the Bravo series in June to carry on with her relationship with Scott Kluth in Chicago. For Season 13, The Real Housewives of New York is shaking things up and is expected to feature new (and more diverse) Housewives, thought that remains to be seen.
Dorinda Medley’s departure is unfortunate, but she at least got to speak up about the circumstances of her exit to end all that speculation. Whether this will provide some closure for her and viewers is unclear. Either way, it seems that the series is headed in an all-new direction for Season 13 and will hopefully rejuvenate the show’s storylines enough to keep viewers watching.
The Real Housewives of New York Season 13 does not yet have a scheduled premiere date. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates, and be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere guide for more on what to watch.
