Season 15 of RHOBH just wrapped up earlier this month. The season was full of drama, especially between former friends Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley. A casting rumor for the next season teases that actress Lori Loughlin is joining the show. If the rumors are true, she’d fit right in with the ladies currently going through divorces. The Full House star split from her husband in 2025. Keep reading for more on who is allegedly returning for Season 16 and which veteran cast member is out.
Rumors That Lori Loughlin Is Joining Real Housewives Resurface
Lori Loughlin has more in common with the stars of the Real Housewives than just her impending divorce. Like RHONJ‘s Teresa Giudice and Jen Shah (RHOSLC), the When Calls The Heart actress has a rap sheet. Lori Loughlin was indicted in 2019 for her role in the so-called “Operation Varsity Blues” bribery scheme. She later admitted to paying $500,000 to have her two daughters accepted to the University of Southern California. The actress served two months in jail.
Her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, also pleaded guilty and served five months. The scandal allegedly played a role in their 2025 separation. Neither has officially filed to end their marriage.
Rumors swirled in 2020 that Lori Loughlin was joining RHOBH after getting out of jail. Andy Cohen shut down the speculation at the time. “Lori Loughlin is a very nice person, she’s going to have quite a story to tell. And she’s always been lovely. So anyway, that is not true,” he said about the rumors at the time, according to PEOPLE magazine.
Lori Loughlin is close friends with Kyle Richards, Kris Jenner, and many in Hollywood. She is allegedly joining Season 16 of RHOBH to replace a longtime cast member who is being put on pause.
RHOBH Veteran Out For Season 16?
Kyle Richards is the only original cast member left on RHOBH. She butt heads with former friend Dorit Kemsley last season and especially in Season 15 over Dorit’s divorce from Paul “PK” Kemsley. In fact, Dorit made the shocking accusation during the reunion that Kyle has the power to get the co-stars she doesn’t like fired.
An anonymous tip sent to Bravo & Cocktails backs up Dorit’s accusation if the information is right. An alleged insider claimed that Dorit Kemsley has been put on pause by Bravo and won’t return for Season 16. Instead, Lori Loughlin will take her place, along with newbie Emma Grede, a businesswoman with close connections to the Kardashian family.
Who else is back? According to the anonymous source, Kyle Richards, Erika Jayne, Sutton Stracke, Boz Saint John and Rachel Zoe will be back full-time, along with Jennifer Tilly in a friend role. The source claimed that controversial Season 15 newbie Amanda Francis was asked back but likely won’t return.
The source also claimed that former RHOBH star Crystal Kung Minkoff is in talks to return. She was on the show for three seasons and left after Season 13. Nothing is official until Bravo announces it, but share your reaction to the possibility of Lori Loughlin replacing Dorit Kemsley for Season 16.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
