Bravo’s Real Housewives franchises may be all about the women – or, as Andy Cohen himself once put it, a “great feminist tableau,” but what about their husbands?
After all, many of the Housewives wouldn’t have their luxurious lifestyles – or, in the case of Countess Luann de Lesseps, their titles – without a man to thank.
As well as eye candy for viewers, the franchises’ best Real Husbands can be loving, caring, and attentive partners who empower the women in their lives.
But, from Orange County to NYC, Bravo fans have also seen plenty of male toxicity, from lying and infidelity to outright abuse.
We all have our favorite Real Husbands, but which ones are the worst?
A recent thread on a Real Housewives Reddit forum asked fans to weigh in, and their answers did not disappoint.
Is RHOM’s Lenny Hochstein the ‘worst’ man on Bravo?
Among the Reddit users, there was some disagreement as to the worst Real Husband, but many reached a consensus around Lenny Hochstein.
As fans of The Real Housewives of Miami will already know, Dr. Lenny Hochstein, 56, is a Florida-based plastic surgeon also known as the Boob God, as well as the estranged husband of RHOM star Lisa Hochstein.
In May of 2022, Lenny filed for divorce from Lisa after 12 years of marriage and more than 15 years together, citing irreconcilable differences.
His filing – which Lisa claimed was a “blindside” – came just weeks after Lenny was spotted out partying at a Miami nightclub with 27-year-old model Katharina Mazepa.
When asked to name the worst Real Housewives husband, one commenter wrote, “Lenny has entered the chat.”
Their post quickly became the most-liked answer in the thread, as other Reddit users jumped in to agree.
“He’s such a pig,” wrote one person.
“I hate the shape of his head,” another wrote.
Bravo fans also name Russell Armstrong the ‘worst’ Real Husband
A popular second choice for the worst Real Husband was the late Russell Armstrong, former husband of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum and The Real Housewives of Orange County friend of Taylor Armstrong.
Russell, a wealthy venture capitalist, died by suicide in August of 2011, shortly after Taylor had filed for divorce.
In the wake of Russell’s death, more details of his extremely controlling, verbally and physically abusive behavior towards Taylor in the course of their six-year marriage started to come to light.
During their marriage, “I felt like I was dying inside,” Taylor told People at the time. “Now, there’s some sense of peace.”
As one Reddit user put it: “I mean they’re all pretty bad but I think we can agree that Russell takes the number 1 spot.”
Another called Russell the “worst house husband in all Bravo universe.”
Still, Bravo fans weren’t short on options for the worst Real Husband. While Russell and Lenny seemed the most popular choices, fans also threw out other names as well, including RHONY’s Mario Singer and disbarred celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi of RHOBH.
As one person put it: “I think it would be easier to list the ones who aren’t awful.”
There’s no question that are plenty of Real Husbands who could take home the award for the worst. However, Lenny at Russell have earned the top spots on a recent Reddit thread.