Tamra Judge is rumored to be returning to The Real Housewives of Orange County, but will probably be relegated to the position “friend of.”
For now, all the rumors swirling around Tamra’s return are merely conjecture, but there is surely a lot of smoke for there not to be any fire. There was plenty of buzz about Heather Dubrow returning before she was confirmed, and we now know she will be back for next season.
The former OC castmate has been doing press since she was dismissed last year, throwing shade at former castmates and hinting she may come back but she has really ramped up her efforts as of late.
Both she and Vicki Gunvalson haven’t shied away from speaking out about their former cast and the Bravo franchise in general, and her latest effort to stay relevant is no less thirsty.
Tamra Judge invokes Nicki Minaj to tease fans about her return
She shared a cryptically cheeky video to Tik Tok and Instagram on Thursday, offering some vague implications that she is ready to, once again, get her Housewives on.
In the clip, the ex-Housewife is sitting in a glam chair, with hair and makeup artists fussing over her, drinking a cocktail through a straw, while lip-synching to Nicki Minaj. The voiceover plays, “I took some time off to rest,” and Tamra mouths “and it’s game time, b***hes.”
Although she doesn’t come right out and say she’s coming back, it’s pretty obvious she wants everyone to at least think she is.
Podcaster, blogger, and general pop culture know-it-all, Zack Peter, reported the news on Twitter with confidence that suggests he may have some kind of inside scoop. He tweeted, “I can confirm that Tamra Judge has signed her contract to return as a ‘Friend’ next season on RHOC.”
But how can anybody really be sure Tamra is returning to RHOC?
His followers were as incredulous as we are, and demanded he reveal how he is so certain.
Peter screenshotted and cited an ET Online article in answer to the comments, but maintains he has some info outside of the Tik Tok video she posted. He responded “I’m told she WILL be filming for OC. Whether or not that was today, idk. But I’m told she will be making an appearance next season. My info is NOT related to her TikTok video.”
Comments about the rumor from in-the-know fans came rolling in with stories of alleged confirmation citing an interview she did with Jeff Lewis and an Instagram Q & A she did last year about both her and Heather Dubrow’s return.
APic credit:@tamrajudge/Instagram
Although Heather Dubrow has been confirmed for Season 16 of RHOC, there is little evidence to prove Tamra will be returning as well. However, it is highly likely that more casting news will start to trickle out as the premiere date draws closer, likely in the early months of 2022.
One thing is for certain, however. Tamra and Vicki’s departure left the show in a very different place than it has been in previous years, and it’s obvious producers are trying to regain some of that magic from earlier seasons. Kelly Dodd has also been dismissed from the upcoming season, so where the final decisions land on who will come or go is anybody’s guess.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is currently on hiatus.