No one can hold a grudge quite like a Real Housewife. From the East Coast to the West Coast, every Housewife series has an iconic feud (or five) that leaves fans forced to pick sides.
Over the years, Real Housewives of Potomac viewers were shocked to watch Candiace Dillard‘s relationship with Monique Samuels turn into a physical fight because of a miscommunication. After initially forming a bond when Candiace joined the Bravo series during season 3, the twosome found each other at odds two seasons later. Their rocky friendship quickly turned into Monique pulling Candiace’s hair at a wine tasting and later attempting to run back to continue the fight.
“Anytime you get physical, that’s taking it to a whole other level. That’s real life,” Monique explained during an episode of Us Weekly‘s “Getting Real with the Housewives” podcast in September 2020. “I took that [moment] very seriously, because I’ve not been in any physical altercation since I was in grade school. I’m 36 years old. I have three kids and a whole husband. So, I’m like, ‘This is insane.’ It allowed me to go on a journey of just looking at certain things from childhood or just trying to figure out what are my triggers.”
The costars ended up filing lawsuits against one another on the grounds of second-degree assault. Although both assault charges were dismissed in December 2020, Monique announced after the season 5 reunion that she would not be returning to the show.
Candiace, for her part, reflected on still struggling with the altercation one year later.
“This is never somewhere that I saw myself being at any time. I’m not a fighter. It’s not what I do and having gone through this and having dealt with the trauma of it — it’s not what I see my legacy being,” the former pageant contestant said on The Wendy Williams Show in September 2020. “I don’t want this to be representative of me or Black women at all. It’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed.”
Meanwhile, in Salt Lake City, fans were introduced to a rift in Jen Shah and Meredith Marks‘ friendship as soon as season 1 premiered in November 2020. Although Jen and Meredith’s bond seemed solid at the beginning of the season, things took a turn when Meredith started to befriend Mary Cosby later on. Meredith was also not thrilled with the way Jen tweeted about her son Brooks as the first season was airing.
After the RHOSLC costars seemingly made up during the reunion, Jen’s legal issues — she was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering in March 2021 — created more distance between her and Meredith in season 2.
“I can’t fathom any attorney advising that she should have [kept filming], which is why I was so surprised. I can understand why she might want to because she might want to get her story out there or profess her innocence or whatever it may be,” Meredith exclusively told Us in September 2021. “She may want to have a voice. I just can’t get my head around any lawyer under the sun ever advising a client in the same circumstances.”
Before viewers watched Meredith and Jen at odds, the jewelry designer revealed whether they were able to work out their differences.
“Innocent until proven guilty at the end of the day,” Meredith shared with Us at the time. “My friendship with Jen is a different standard, it’s not held to legal standards, but in terms of a crime, it is innocent till proven guilty and you know, the court of friendships a little bit different.”
Scroll through for an update on where some of the biggest Real Housewives feuds stand today: