59
Credit: Instagram
Heather Dubrow is reacting to rumors claiming The Real Housewives of Orange County season 19 would be her last and admitting to being left “shook” by the finale.
As she addressed Katie Ginella‘s questionable behavior on the show, including her secret recording of Shannon Beador, 61, and responded to the suggestion of racial undertones and gang-ups, Heather, 56, shared her thoughts on whether Katie, 41, had a future on the show, looked back on the cast’s lie detector test, and more.
“If there’s an [exit] announcement to be made, you’re gonna hear it from me, and there’s no announcement,” Heather confirmed of recent rumors during a July 24 interview with Entertainment Tonight.
Looking back at the finale, which has been described as “shocking,” Heather said that while she appreciates the platform she has on the show, what went down made her question her role.
“There were things that happened that shook me, that made me go, ‘This hurts why I’m here,’” she revealed.
Although the women have been known to fight and make up frequently, Katie’s mistruths about the cast and communication with bloggers have been a sticking point with the cast, who, for the most part, have refused to forgive her and move on.
“I think it’s all dependent on what the offense is. The paparazzi stuff was silly. It’s annoying, but it’s silly. And it doesn’t involve children. But when you listen to Katie’s side of it, she felt like she had been wronged as well. But is it okay to retaliate like that?” Heather asked. “None of it’s good.”
As for where they stand today, Heather said she’s “confused by Katie.”
“I thought that she was making an effort. I thought that we were going in the right direction, and I was really trying to give her grace, and things didn’t go that way,” she noted. “And when we have people come into our group that want to treat it like a game of Survivor, and alliances, and trying to do things on the side and all this, it leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths.”
While some have suggested that racial undertones have played a role in the cast’s feud with Katie, Heather denied any such thing.
“That’s completely untrue, and I heard someone saying we’re bullies and we’re attacking Katie,” Heather shared. “I didn’t know Katie, and she came in with a lot to say about me, and even still, I tried to give her grace this season.”
“But the problem is you can’t change someone,” she added.
Then, regarding allegations of gang-ups, Heather noted that everyone wanted to like Katie.
“The unfortunate thing is Katie brought this on herself. She created these problems,” Heather stated. “Trust me, no one wanted these problems. No one wants to be lied about. No one wants to be talked about to bloggers. No one wants to be recorded.”
In the sneak peek at the season, fans saw the women undergoing lie detector tests. But even after, Heather admitted that she didn’t feel satisfied with the results.
“Without giving away too much, I would say that I was unsatisfied at the end of it. I have questions, and I think people needed to say things that weren’t said,” she explained.
Heather also shaded Katie for recording Shannon without her knowledge and refusing to own up to her mistakes in a timely manner.
“She clearly shared it with people, and the hard thing with Katie is her convictions,” she said. “She’s so strong in her convictions … And you want to believe her, but then you saw last week that she was very strong in her convictions. ‘I didn’t call that blogger. I don’t even know how to do.’ And then went to Tamra’s house and said, ‘Oh right, I did do that.’”
Also during the interview, as she admitted that she was not surprised by Katie’s current relationship with Tamra Judge, 57, which is friendly, Heather said, “you just never know,” when it comes to Katie’s potential role on season 20.
“There have been times where I have thought, ‘Oh, those two will never speak again.’ And then all of a sudden, ‘They’re my best friend,’” she reasoned.
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 19 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
