The Real Salaries Of The Real Housewives

If you aren’t a reality TV junkie, you still may have seen these Real Housewives’ names in the news. Whether they have been involved in a viral scandal, or are making an impact with their businesses, these women know how to stay relevant in the media.

While most of these ladies got their rise on the Bravo show, they have certainly branched out into other ventures and have multiple sources of income. You might wonder how they are raking in millions each year, so we have broken down the housewives’ lucrative businesses.

Dorit Kemsley

One of the newer cast members on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Dorit came onto our screens and immediately confused audiences with her British twang, despite being born and bred in Connecticut, something she blamed on British husband Paul “PK” Kemsley.

Dorit is said to be earning around $100,000 per season, but recently she started her own line of swimwear and athleisure, named Beverly Beach by Dorit. Despite showing off her wealth on the show, Camille Grammer still questioned if the Kemsley’s net worth was legitimate.

Dorinda Medley

Medley never fails in bringing the drama on The Real Housewives of New York and her reputation earned her around $250,000 per season. However, this money was nothing in comparison to Dorinda’s personal brand.

Having created a successful clothing company called DCL Cashmere when living in London, Medley won over royals and celebrities including Joan Collins and Princess Diana with the line. After moving back across the pond, Dorinda set her sights on fundraising for a number of important charities.

Kyle Richards

A housewives veteran, Kyle Richards Umansky has been on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills since the very first season. As well as bringing in an estimated $270,000 per season, Kyle owned a number of clothing stores in New York and Los Angeles named Kyle by Alene Too.

Despite the stores being featured on the show, they still were forced to close down. Lucky that her husband Mauricio runs an incredibly successful luxury real estate empire called The Agency.

Lisa Rinna

Lisa Rinna burst onto the scenes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, never biting her tongue or holding back in spilling the tea. The ex-soap star split fans with some loving her while others hating her, always staying true to herself in the process.

With a $450,000 paycheck from Bravo, it is clear why Rinna is never one to shy away from the drama. On the side, Rinna created a fashion line called the Lisa Rinna Collection, sold on QVC.

Ramona Singer

Ramona Singer is one of the original housewives, appearing on the New York franchise since its inception. Singer has laid it all out on the TV screen, documenting her divorce, plenty of arguments with her fellow housewives and trying to find love once more.

With a $500,000 payday from Bravo, it is clear why Ramona can stand alone, her jewelry line has also added to the total net worth. Recently, Ramona was seen around with her ex-husband Mario, perhaps a reconciliation is on the cards?

Tamra Judge

Tamra joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County in season three of the show. From going through a very public divorce to finding love again and marrying now-husband Eddie Judge, Tamra sure knows how to hustle between her wedding special spinoff and $600,000 paycheck from the Housewives.

Tamra and Eddie started a joint-venture in their personal training business and have both competed in bodybuilding competitions, much to the delight of her fellow housewives in the audience.

Melissa Gorga

The Real Housewives of New Jersey know how to bring the drama and Melissa Gorga has often seen herself at the center of it. After joining in season three, Melissa quickly established herself as one of the bigger personalities, increasing her paycheck to around $750,000.

Originally a stay-at-home mom, Melissa saw the business opportunities that came with her newfound fame and opened her own clothing boutique called Envy by Melissa Gorga. Things were suspicious for Gorga last year when she was caught selling fake Chanel bags in her boutique.

Vicki Gunvalson

As the only original cast member from The Real Housewives of Orange County, you would assume that Gunvalson would be one of the biggest names and earners, especially considering she was at the center of a terrible lie, faking cancer, conjured up from her ex Brooks Ayers.

Gunvalson was earning around $750,000 in her peak, but has recently been demoted to a “friend” of the housewives and not a main biller. Due to this, Vicki’s future with the reality show hangs in the balance.

Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave

As one of the newer castmembers on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the daughter of rockstar John Mellencamp, Teddi, was expected to be quiet and take a while to get her voice heard. Well, this wasn’t the case and Teddi jumped right into the drama, often finding herself voicing her opinion when she wasn’t involved.

While Teddi’s paycheck is estimated around $100,000 from Bravo, Teddi’s main business is her fitness plan named All In by Teddi. The business has grown vastly over her time on the show, but it doesn’t stop Teddi from admitting she’s tight with money.

Teresa Giudice

Perhaps one of the most controversial housewives of all the franchises, Teresa Giudice is The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s resident bad girl. Teresa and husband Joe found themselves in trouble with the law when they were both imprisoned for bankruptcy fraud.

Nonetheless, it was reported that Teresa was earning close to $1 million as the only original housewife on New Jersey. Now out of prison, Teresa is rebuilding her life while her husband is still in prison and their marriage is up in the air.

Erika Girardi

In 2015, Erika Girardi joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Coming into a group of strong, opinionated women was quite the easy task for outspoken, independent and outrageous Girardi.

Married to lawyer Tom Girardi, the couple’s 33-year age gap raised a few questions but they have remained strong. After being a bored housewife, Erika birthed her alter ego, Erika Jayne. The performer now tours the country and has been a hit on the dance charts, as well as earning around $500,000 per season from Bravo.

Denise Richards

Famous actress Denise Richards joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills this season. The actress has been in some notable movies including James Bond and Starship Troopers, but perhaps is best known for her marriage to the troubled actor Charlie Sheen with their messy divorce plastered all over the tabloids.

Now remarried to Aaron Phypers, Denise brings a different dynamic to Beverly Hills, all while earning an estimated $1 million per season for the next four years. Denise doesn’t quite understand the housewives’ designer outfits on the beach, but she probably will soon enough.

Porsha Williams

We can always rely on The Real Housewives of Atlanta to bring the no holds barred drama. Porsha Williams has been a big part of this since season five of the show, bursting onto the scene and having a huge argument with Cynthia Bailey at an event for Feed The Homeless.

Porsha also showed her divorce on the show as well as her music career. After plenty of drama with producers, Williams was reinstated as a full-time housewife in 2015, earning a nice $1.25 million per season.

Bethenny Frankel

Bethenny Frankel has come a really long way since the first season of The Real Housewives of New York. Going through a horrible divorce and an even harder custody battle over her daughter, along with recently losing her boyfriend.

Frankel is simply not one to mess with and her $1.5 million paycheck from Bravo reflects that. However, that is pocket change for Frankel as her Skinnygirl beverages and lifestyle brand was recently sold for a reported $100 million. Not bad for a housewife!

Cynthia Bailey

Cynthia Bailey has acted as a true friend to all of the Atlanta housewives. Bailey has appeared on the show since 2010, with her storyline primarily focusing on her marriage to club owner Peter Thomas and her friendship with fellow housewife NeNe Leakes.

Bailey was said to have been earning a huge $1.7 million per season, but this was only second to Bailey’s wine business. Using the show as her platform, Bailey opened a wine tasting venue named The Bailey Wine Cellar.

Kim Zolciak

Kim Zolciak was one of the most controversial cast members on The Real Housewives of Atlanta since the very first season. Her on-off friendship with Nene Leakes got rather bitter and ended up in the tabloids when they weren’t filming.

Kim ended up leaving the show as a result of the other housewives turning on her, but that didn’t end Kim’s career. In fact, Kim earned around $1.8 million per season on The Real Housewives and went onto star in her own reality show with her family as well as launching multiple lucrative businesses.

Camille Grammer

The ex-wife of actor, Kelsey Grammer, went through their bitter divorce on the The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in season one, as well as a health battle and losing her house in the recent Woolsey Fires. It’s fair to say Camille has been through it all, but thankfully has come out on the other side.

She recently married David Meyer and although being demoted to a housewife friend, Camille remains at the forefront of the drama. Camille is estimated to earn around $100,000 on the housewives show.

Nene Leakes

There’s not many housewives that can command the attention that Nene Leakes does. Getting her start on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Nene was outspoken, controversial and her huge personality quickly got her noticed by Hollywood TV executives.

Despite earning around $2.75 million per season on Bravo, sitcoms came calling and Nene was cast in shows including Glee and The New Normal by Fox. Nene also takes charity work very seriously and has earned a reputation for being compassionate.

Yolanda Hadid

The mother of famous models Gigi and Bella Hadid appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills between season 3 and 6. During this time, she was married to multi Grammy- winning music producer David Foster and her daughters were just starting out in modelling.

Yolanda was said to have earned $100,000 per season on the show, nothing compared to her $45 million net worth. She was at the middle of a controversy where her co-stars suggested she faked suffering from lyme disease. Hadid left the show after being demoted to a friend of the housewives.

Luann de Lesseps

Luann de Lesseps has certainly had a rollercoaster ride while starring on The Real Housewives Of New York City. The Countess has had several rehab stints, but has also blessed us with her music career, churning out hits including “Money Can’t Buy You Class,” and “Chic, C’est la Vie.”

It was reported that Luann demanded $20,000 per scene of the show, which is already a lot of money, but decided to demand and increase for season 12. The Countess believes she deserved $3.5 million for the next season of the show so we will see how that one plays out.

Brandi Glanville

Never one to shy away from shaking things up, Brandi Glanville was one of the most controversial and argumentative housewives on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Throughout her time on the show, she had an issue with almost every one of her cast members.

The ex-wife of actor Eddie Cibrian earned $175,000 for her time on the show, stirring up drama between the women. After being fired by producers, it was recently reported that she was offered $500,000 to return.

Heather Dubrow

Heather Dubrow was known as one of the most sophisticated and opulent housewives on The Real Housewives of Orange County. The mother-of-four is married to plastic surgeon Terry Dubrow, star of reality show Botched.

Dubrow was said to earn around $300,000 per season on the real housewives. On the show, Heather had a long, on-off feud with co-star Kelly Dodd which also got quite bitter off-camera. In 2017, Heather quit the show to focus on her family.

Meghan King Edmonds

Meghan King Edmonds went through a series of struggles on The Real Housewives of Orange County. Between the drama between the ladies, having IVF treatments in season 11 and then becoming a new mom Meghan dealt with plenty.

For opening up her life, Meghan was said to receive around $300,000 per season on the show, but this number was said to have increased during her pregnancy. Meghan left the show in 2018 and later on found out her husband was having an affair.

Kim Richards

Sister of Kyle Richard, Kim was known for her erratic behavior on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She went through plenty of struggles including shoplifting, alcoholism and had a lawsuit over her dangerous dog.

Throughout her time on the show, she constantly went at it with Lisa Rinna and also went through a rough patch with her sister Kyle. Kim was not a main castmember but for her recurring appearances on the show she earned around $100,000.

Jacqueline Laurita

For five seasons, Jacqueline was a big personality on The Real Housewives of New Jersey She ended up leaving the show recently due to an unresolved issue with Bravo, but prior to this was earning around $400,000.

Laurita’s final season on the show documented some personal struggles as her youngest son was diagnosed with autism and then her and her husband lost the majority of their fortune. The couple were forced to start a new business venture to try and pay off their debts.

Dolores Catania

Dolores Catania joined The Real Housewives of New Jersey in 2016 as a friend of Jacqeline. Almost immediately she was shown being a friend to Teresa when Joe was going to prison, but just as quickly flipped on her friend.

She is a mother, philanthropist, entrepreneur and started out with a salary of $30,000 but was quickly raised when she became a hit with the fans. Dolores just tells it like it is and has no time for other women who want to be catty.

Kandi Burruss

As a fan favorite and one of the most liked castmembers on The Real Housewives Of Atlanta, Kandi Burruss made a name for herself as an R&B start in the 1990s, before transforming into a glamorous housewife.

On the show, Kandi had an ongoing feud with Nene Leakes which then translated onto social media. Due to her popularity, Kandi is said to have had a salary raise and is now making around $2.3 million per season.

Tinsley Mortimer

In 2017, Tinsley Mortimer joined the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City. Originally from Virginia, Tinsley came from a wealthy family but her fellow housewives have claimed that she doesn’t have all she claimed to.

They suspected that there was someone behind the scenes showering her in lavish gifts, something that Mortimer vehemently denied. According to sources, Tinsley has a net worth of $35 million and it is said Bravo pays her around $300,000 per season.

Adrienne Maloof

For the first three seasons, Adrienne Maloof was one of the main castmembers of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills. Businesswoman Adrienne was a co-owner of the various business holdings of Maloof Companies, which include a 2% stake in the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada; Maloof Productions and Maloof Music.

Her salary of $200,000 per season was nothing in comparison to her net worth of $350 million. Maloof had some serious arguments on the show which led her to sue Brandy Glanville and showed the breakdown of her marriage to Paul Nassif.

Aviva Drescher

The Real Housewives Of New York City’s most entertaining and iconic moment belonged to Aviva Drescher. When the other women were questioning whether her constant health issues were real, Aviva lost it with the women.

She shouted “The only thing fake or artificial about me is this,” before taking off her prosthetic leg and hurling it across the table! The housewife was only on the show for one season, but earned a paycheck of a reported $100,000.

Brandy Glanville

Perhaps the most controversial and fiery housewives in the history of the show, Brandy Glanville brought plenty of drama. In the two seasons Brandy was on the show, she managed to get into an argument with every one of her castmembers.

The ex-wife of Eddie Cibrian was not scared of spilling secrets and speaking whatever was on her mind. She was eventually fired by Andy Cohen but earned $136,000 as a full-time housewife. There are rumors flying about Brandy returning to the show after Lisa Vanderpump’s departure.

Kelly Bensimon

Kelly joined the cast of The Real Housewives Of New York City in season 2 and immediately clashed with Bethenny Frankel after the Skinnygirl businesswoman called Kelly “Madonna”.

Kelly was known for her hilarious misuse of clichés like “Stop making lemonade out of lemons!” and “Have you ever heard of the mountain and the molehill?” She was only on the show for two seasons but was said to be making $30,000 per episode. She claimed Andy Cohen never liked her.

Jill Zarin

Jill Zarin was one of the main housewives on the inaugural season of The Real Housewives Of New York City. Zarin quickly established herself as loud, dramatic and always around to cause problems.

As two of the main cast members, Zarin had a very close relationship with Bethenny Frankel but as the show went on they fell out and their relationship became irreparable. Zarin was said to be making around $200,000 per season, but after leaving, she ended up launching a shapewear like sold in Macy’s and other major department stores.

Sonja Morgan

Sonja Morgan joined The Real Housewives Of New York in season 3 and quickly made it known that she runs in social circles that include European royalty, business moguls, high society and top designers.

Sonja is said to be earning around $20,000 per scene on the show. Morgan also works as a movie producer, has had many TV appearances and launched her own fashion line. Sonja’s ex-husband was the great grandson of the founder of J.P Morgan.

Taylor Armstrong

Taylor Armstrong was a main cast member on The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills from seasons one to three. Sadly, Taylor went through some horrific times on the show, she dealt with domestic violence, filing for divorce followed soon after by her husband, Russell, committing suicide.

Taylor was then left with all of her husbands huge debts which she had to pay off. It was said that Taylor was earning around $175,000 per season on the show.

Phaedra Parks

Phaedra Parks came onto our screens in The Real Housewives Of Atlanta in season three of the show. Parks has a number of different jobs including being an attorney, TV personality, a bestselling author.

She is also a faithful advocate for African American young men and women through her nonprofit organization Save Our Sons. Parks was fired from the Real Housewives but before that, she was earning $1.3 million per season.

Eileen Davidson

Before coming onto our TV screen in The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills, Eileen Davidson was best known as being a soap star. Eileen had a very close relationship with Lisa Rinna, but had her fair share of problems with Lisa Vanderpump after the latter questioned her on how she got together with her husband, and questioned her on having an affair with him.

Eileen ended up leaving the show in 2017 due to having anxiety from the drama, but had a nice $750,000 paycheck to keep her on it for so long.

Lisa Vanderpump

The self professed Queen on the housewives, Lisa Vanderpump is truly so much more than a cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. From season one, the show was nothing without LVP, her restaurant empire and famous dog Giggy, earning her a cool $1 million, but nothing in comparison to her $75 million net worth.

Lisa Vanderpump expanded her hospitality brand to Vanderpump Rosé last year and this year has focused on her dog advocacy, even opening a shelter for adoption. Unfortunately LVP won’t be returning to the housewives next season after the women turned against her.

Read More: The facts you never knew about these reality stars