It sounds a little cliche but it really is the end of an era for Evelyn Lozada as she bids goodbye to Basketball Wives. Evelyn is one of the most recognizable faces on the long-running VH1 series and has been with the show since Season 1.
However, over the past few seasons, she has come under fire for her behavior on the show with some touting her as a bully. During Season 8, cast member Ogom “OG” Chijindu accused Evelyn of colorism after the 45-year-old called her aggressive and made disparaging comments about her appearance.
The drama between OG and Evelyn has since resulted in an ongoing lawsuit, one which Evelyn filed against her costar for defamation.
The show took a hiatus after Season 8 but returned earlier this year to mediocre reviews. Furthermore, Season 9 had only seven episodes and for the first time since its premiere, there was no reunion.
It’s not clear which direction producers will go if they do decide to bring Basketball Wives back, but if it does return, Evelyn will be noticeably absent from the cast.
Evelyn Lozada announces her departure from Basketball Wives
The Basketball Wives star had a recent chat with Justin Sylvester on his podcast Just the Sip where she first shared the news about her decision to leave the show.
“So my announcement today is that I am no longer going to do Basketball Wives. I think that It’s time for me to open up the universe to other things,” shared Evelyn.
“And it’s been a hard decision because I could do it with my eyes closed. But at the same time… it’s so difficult and it takes so much energy and it’s not the most positive energy and…I want to open it up to the universe to allow other things to flow in and sometimes you just have to say ‘alright I gotta walk away from this,’ yeah I have to close the door,” she continued.
Evelyn Lozada has been conflicted about leaving Basketball Wives
The Basketball Wives star continued to dish about her decision to leave the VH1 series and admitted that it’s been on her mind for quite some time.
“I’ve been feeling conflicted for the last couple of seasons” confessed the mom-of-two. “Miami days — we would have scenes I didn’t care what happened in that scene…I was good to go. But now I have a conscience about what I say and what I do and what my kids are going to see. Although I’ve always delivered, but I walk away from it feeling heavy.”
After news broke about her exit, Basketball Wives fans took to Twitter to give their take on the news.
Will you miss Evelyn on Basketball Wives if the show makes a return without her?
Basketball Wives is currently on hiatus on VH1.