While discussing the current drama surrounding "The Real Housewives of Potomac" star Robyn Dixon, former “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member Nene Leakes told "The Breakfast Club" the entire current "Real Housewives" franchise is "star-less." Leakes, who departed "RHOA" after Season 12 in 2020, added that she has no idea who Eboni K. Williams ("The Real Housewives of New York") is.
Leakes went on to say that “there’s a difference between being famous and being known,” and even though she labeled Kandi Burruss "famous," her words have since sparked a conversation about which housewives truly can be considered famous.
Whether you think of them as being true celebs or just “Bravolebrities,” here’s a list of the ladies who were notable before they held a peach, diamond, flute of champagne or apple.
Kandi Burruss ("The Real Housewives of Atlanta"
Kandi Burruss is one of the most famous and successful housewives to have ever graced the “The Real Housewives” franchise. The award-winning singer-songwriter is most known for being a member of female R&B Xscape, and winning a Grammy for Best R&B Song in 2000 for writing “No Scrubs” at the age of 24. She’s also worked with Hollywood’s biggest musicians, including Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, Pink, Whitney Houston and NSYNC. Burruss joined the “RHOA” during its second season.
Kyle Richards ("The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills")
As of 2022, Kyle Richards is now the last remaining original cast member of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hill,” which premiered in 2010. Before her life as a housewife, the mother of four began her career in Hollywood as a child actress, making appearances on “Little House on the Prairie” as Alicia Sanderson Edwards. She also played had roles on several TV series, including “7th Heaven,” “Beverly Hills", "90210” the "Halloween" film franchise and “ER.”
Kim Richards ("The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills")
Just like her sister Kyle, being on television isn’t new. Before she was five years old, Richards had already appeared in 20 TV commercials. She made her TV series debut at age six on the show “Nanny and the Professor.” She went on to have reoccurring roles on “James at 16” and “Hello Harry.” Her most famous role came when she played a psychic alien girl named Tia in the film “Escape to Witch Mountain.” Richards’ stint on “RHOBH” lasted from Season 1 to Season 5.
Lisa Rinna ("The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills")
Even though Lisa Rinna’s time on “RHOBH” has come to a close after eight seasons, she already had a well-known name in Hollywood. From 1992 to 2018, Rinna starred on “Days of Our Lives” as Billie Reed, and played Taylor McBride on Fox’s “Melrose Place” from Season 5 to Season 7. Rinna’s other roles include starring in “Baywatch,” “Entourage,” “Veronica Mars” and more. Rinna also earned four Emmy nominations during her time as host of Soapnet’s talk show “Soap Talk.”
Eileen Davidson ("The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills")
Eileen Davidson is another soap star who joined “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” The Emmy award-winning actress, and producer has played Ashley Abbott on “The Young and the Restless” since 1983, and the character crossed over to “The Bold and Beautiful.” As mentioned on “RHOBH,” Davidson shared screens with Rinna on “Days of Our Lives” while under her role Kristen Blake. She joined the cast of “RHOBH” for Season 5 before leaving after three seasons.
Denise Richards ("The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills")
Before joining the cast of “RHOBH” for Season 9, Richards had a more than decade-long career as a fashion model. In the late '90s Richards starred as Carmen Ibanez in “Starship Troopers,” “The World Is Not Enough” and “Wild Things.” She also had roles unpopular '80s series “Saved By the Bell” and “Married With Children.” During Season 10 of “RHOBH,” Richards stopped filming the show after a clash with former cast member Brandi Glanville.
Garcelle Beauvais ("The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills")
From fashion modeling to playing fan “The Jamie Foxx Show” fan favorite Fancy, Garcelle Beauvais’ Hollywood career spans over 30 years. Beauvais has maintained her status on “RHOBH” since joining the franchise for Season 10, when she made history as its first Black housewife. Her resume is jam-packed with acting roles from films and TV series including “Coming to America” and “NYPD Blue.”
Kim Fields ("The Real Housewives of Atlanta")
In 2015, Kim Fields signed on for Season 8 of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” However, prior to her one-season-wonder, Fields was sitcom royalty during the '70s and '80s with roles as Dorothy “Tootie” Ramsey on NBC’s “The Facts of Life,” and as Regine Hunter on “Living Single.”
Kenya Moore ("The Real Housewives of Atlanta")
Before Kenya Moore was dubbed the Queen of Twirl after joining “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” for Season 5, she was named Miss USA in 1993. She made history as the second Black woman to ever hold the title. Her career led her to acting roles in “Deliver Us From Eva,” and she also starred as a video vixen in Jay-Z’s music video “Money Ain’t a Thang.”
Yolanda Foster ("The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills")
Fans were introduced to Yolanda Hadid in Season 3 of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” and she left after three seasons. Prior to joining the show, Hadid was a high fashion model, having signed to Ford Models at the age of 16. Her modeling career lasted nearly 15 years, and she’s since passed along her modeling chops to her two daughters Bella and Gigi Hadid. While she’s no longer on the series, she made an appearance on “The Real Housewives of New York” during Season 6.
Heather Dubrow ("The Real Housewives of Orange County")
The actress-turned-businesswoman started her time on “The Real Housewives of Orange County” from Season 7 to Season 11 and then came back for its 16th season in 2021. She is most known for acting in “Stark Raving Mad,” “That’s Life” and “Hawaii Five-0.”
Carole Radziwill ("The Real Housewives of New York")
For nearly two decades, Radziwill worked as a journalist and producer for ABC News, where she earned three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and a GLAAD Media Award. After her exit from the network, she wrote a memoir called “What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love,” which was named a New York Times best-seller. Radziwill joined the “RHONY” cast in 2012 and made her exit in 2018 after Season 10.
Eboni K. Williams ("The Real Housewives of New York")
Eboni K. Williams became the first Black housewife in the history of “The Real Housewives of New York” when she joined the cast for Season 13. Prior to “RHONY,” Williams was recognized as a lawyer, who served as a public defender and eventually moved on to operate her own private practice. Williams was also a correspondent for CBS News and contributed to Fox News, appearing on “Hannity” and “The O’Reilly Factor.”
Claudia Jordan ("The Real Housewives of Atlanta")
Claudia Jordan gained fame from being popular participant on “Celebrity Apprentice." Her Hollywood career consists of starring roles in music videos for artists, including Backstreet Boys’ “As Long As You Love Me” and Joe’s “I Wanna Know." She is best known for being a briefcase model on "Deal or No Deal," as well as a model on "The Price Is Right." In October 2014, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” welcomed Claudia Jordan to the cast, but she only stayed for one season.
Cynthia Bailey ("The Real Housewives of Atlanta")
At the age of 18, Cynthia Bailey moved to New York to pursue modeling. While there she signed on with Wilhelmina Models for a five-year contract. In addition to performing as a runway model in Paris and Milan, she’s also earned acting roles in “Without You I’m Nothing,” “For Love or Money” and “The Cosby Show.” She was added to the cast of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” in 2010 for its third season and left after 11 seasons on the show.
Cynthia Bailey ("The Real Housewives of Atlanta")
Regarded as one of the most-missed housewives, Phaedra Parks signed up for “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” during its third season. Before she had her peach, she owned her own legal firm and worked as an attorney representing high-profile clients like Bobby Brown. She also acted as a legal analyst on shows for NBC and Fox News, and served as television producer for BET’s “The Tiny and Toya Show.” Parks left the show after six seasons. However, she came back into the Housewives universe when she appeared on the second season of “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” on Peacock.
