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Credit: Janet Mayer/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images
Several notable moments have come from The Real Housewives of New York City. Of course, many of these televised situations are directly from Dorinda Medley. Since leaving the show, she has kept a relatively high profile, and now she’s opening up about her time on the show, being criticized, and some rules of being a ‘Real Housewife.’
Fans of RHONY will recall that Dorinda joined the show during its seventh season in 2015. She remained a full-time cast member for six seasons before famously being put on pause. Of course, she has since appeared on Real Housewives Ultimate Girl’s Trip, and there is a show in development with Bravo that would put her in a role similar to that of Lisa Vanderpump.
Recently, Dorinda appeared on Bravo’s Hot Mic Podcast and discussed quite a bit. One of the first things she talked about was what it was like to join the show and be recognized as a Housewife and not just a New York resident. However, she then goes into the downsides of being on the show.
According to Dorinda, “The praise is easy, the takedown is hard. No one teaches you. It’s like being pregnant. No one really tells you that you’re going to get spots all over your belly button or that you’re going to do this or strange things are going to happen. You’re like, what’s going on?”
She continued, “It’s all a big secret, and then you kind of have to go through that learning curve. Of course, at first, when you’re first on, when you’re first on and you hear all the praise, you’re like, wait a second, I think I’m famous; I might just be somebody.”
Dorinda then goes into how the show changes people to an extent and how new women on the cast don’t realize that a takedown is imminent.
She said, “You start to tweak a little bit. You’re like, wait a second, why do I look like that? You start to get your haircut and lighten it up and thin it down, and the clothes get a little tighter and nicer. That’s human nature, but then no one tells you that as they build you up the mountain, you always got to go back down the mountain, and the down part is where you really have to buckle up.”
Alex Baskin then asked Dorinda if she remembered exactly when the backlash began. She didn’t, but she explained, “I found it fascinating that people really just take everything so literally. One bad mistake becomes a blanket for your whole life.”
The two also discussed rules for being a housewife. Dorinda says that one is that secrets must come out.
She explained, “Well, you know, we grew up with that book, Everything I learned in Kindergarten. You take that book and throw it away. You take everything you learned in kindergarten and throw it out the door and do all the opposite.”
Dorinda went on, “If you don’t like it, you say it. If you have a secret, you tell it. You share, share, share, and you’re right. You have to be thinking out loud all the time.”
The other rule is that you have to be bold on camera, even if that boldness would be considered rude in everyday life. They also discussed Dorinda being put on pause from the show. Notably, she was caught off guard by her firing. In fact, she says she was “hugely” taken by surprise.
According to her, “I thought I was a great Housewife. It was hugely surprising to me and heartbreaking. I cried my eyes out, and on I went. I got the call, and I could hear that it was difficult for them to tell me. But, you know, the phone call wasn’t long, it wasn’t belabored. I was kind of like, ‘okay, you know what? I’m good. I built the cake. I gave you the frosting. I’ll mix up some confectioners, sugar, and water and put a new frosting on this cake. We’ll figure it out. Call me when you need me.”
She then said, “I cried when I got off the phone, but it’s like, okay, what are you going to do?”
Dorinda went on to reveal that she called her mother after she was fired. However, she also said she felt lucky because she was able to spend Covid with her parents.
Fans can listen to the Hot Mic podcast on all platforms.
