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The hair, the physique, the name all seemed like classic Orange County.
Season 15 saw the departure of Judge and Gunvalson, and the arrival of a whole new Braunwyn.
Suffice it to say, its been a big year for you.
I keep flashing back to, what was I doing at this time last year?
Because right before I got sober wasnt pretty.
No, I dont think I could have.
I had no clue how hard it was going to be.
Theres an inner strength that Ive found that has really gotten me through the hard times.
But theres also built-in accountability being on a reality show.
Did filming make it easier or harder on you?There were some hard moments.
There was a party at Shannon [Beadors] house that I ran from.
The camera crew followed me back to my house.
I had every intention of drinking that day, when I left Shannons house.
I tried to kick the camera crews out.
So on one hand, was it hard to film that?
The other side of the coin is, production stayed with me.
Drinking has been a big part of theHousewivesuniverse for a while.
Were in a very safe bubble.
Were surrounded by people who will take care of us; we know we have a safe ride home.
Were kind of insulated when were filming.
People dont come up to us.
They dont judge us; they just film us, as it should be.
So there was definitely a sense of,I can do whatever I want.
That was quickly replaced with a lot of nights where I blacked out.
Do you agree that youre a different person than you were your first season on the show?Absolutely.
I think this season was a lot of growing pains for me, a lot.
Does that unsettle people like Kelly?
Yeah, of course it does.
A lot of times when you start to get better, people take it as an insult on them.
They look at their own choices.
Its not fake; its not a story line find something else.
This is too important to me and to other people.
Its almost a year.
Lets talk about a more joyous public revelation.
TheHousewivesfranchise obviously has a huge LGBTQ+ viewership.
A lot of the country is not okay with this.
There still is a lot of criticism and a lot of judgment.
And I think a lot of people dont want to be the first ones to rock that boat.
Because I wasnt hiding it.
Kris came out of the closet 12 years ago; I was not gonna push her back in.
How can we do this the best way?
And I really wanted to find a venue that was respectful and that would really tell the story.
Was it hard for me to say it the first time?
If you look at the GLAAD interview, it’s possible for you to see me.
Im shaking through that whole video.
But now that Ive gotten to the other side of it, Im glowing and lighter and happy.
Youve become very politically outspoken over the past year.
I couldnt tune it out.
I thought,I have to postthis.
I had never posted anything on my Instagram that was controversial or would upset people.
I always kept my political opinions quiet.
I didnt want to rock the boat.
But watching a man being murdered was like,Im done.
It just kind of took off from there.
How can I get involved?
What can I do?
[Activists] said, Youre a middle-aged white woman, just show up.
Because your body can keep a person of color safe.
Youre not gonna get beat up or arrested.
And its true, I never was beat up, and I was never arrested.
You also talked to the women on the show about BLM, and why you were protesting.
It seemed like some were more receptive than others.
I want to do whatever I can.
Talking to Kellys like talking to a wall.
Talking to Emily [Simpson], like a wall.
They are so ingrained in their white privilege that they cant even see another side to it.
Kelly throws out, Well, Im Mexican.
Well, youre awarded all the privileges of a white person.
When you were arrested, you were let out.
That wouldnt have happened if you were a Black woman, lets be honest.
When I go to the beach, Im surrounded by Trump signs.
So was I surprised?
Did it make me question why I live here and why I raise my children here?
I think Kelly and Emily are pretty indicative of how most people feel here.
The white Housewives tend to not talk about these things.
I think theyve found their groove.
They have their followers; they have something that works for them.
But I definitely think youre going to get some more young, progressive Housewives.
Thats the direction that Ive seen on the other shows.
And I do hope thatOrange Countydoes that.
There are a lot of young, progressive people here who want change.
That does exist, just not necessarily on our show.
I dont want to.
If homophobia, sexism, and racism arent deal-breakers for you, I dont want to know you.
We will never find a common ground because Im sure weve all been watching the past week.
If you still support Trump after all of this, you are so intrinsically broken.
As far as cast members, well see.
Shannon and I will be fine.
Kelly and I no, I dont think Kelly and I will ever get over it.
Everyone else, yeah.
This show has a way of taking twists and turns you never saw coming.
I think any long-term viewer knows that there are friendships and relationships that you never thought possible.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
