Former “Real Housewives of Potomac” star Mia Thornton was recently called out for seemingly using AI to pass off someone else’s photos as her own. Now that her mishap has become a social media trend, her former “RHOP” co-stars, Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon, are revealing their humorous reactions.
This comes after Thornton recently announced a career pivot following her “Housewives” departure.
Bryant and Dixon recently appeared on their “Reasonably Shady” podcast to react to the photo controversy surrounding Thornton. For context, the former “RHOP” star has been accused of taking a photo of influencer Sophie O’Neill‘s body and adding her head to pass the image off as her own.
They began discussing the topic, with Bryant saying, “Speaking of not growing, are we gonna talk about Mia and the AI of it all?” Dixon then joked about their former costar, “AI has gotten Mia.”
After that, they explained the situation, stating that many other social media users are creating their own takes of the photos, with even some Bravo stars joining in, including “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Tamra Judge.
The ‘RHOP’ Stars Pointed Out Flaws With Mia Thornton’s Photos
As Bryant and Dixon continued discussing Thornton and her use of O’Neil’s photo, they began to discuss some of the issues fans had pointed out with the social media content. Dixon stated, “She AIed herself onto this woman’s body.”
She continued, “Mia didn’t take her whole hips. The picture, you can see Mia looks slimmer than the girl.” They also highlighted that the photo features a rare Hermes handbag that Thornton does not herself own. Dixon also mentioned how Thornton’s photo included the same background as O’Neill’s original photo.
After that, the pair reacted to Thornton’s threat of legal action over the criticisms she faced for the doctored image. According to them, “Mia, just stop talking. The legal notice should be going to you, Mia. Why are you sending anybody legal notices? There is no way this is fake news.”
Toward the end of the clip, Dixon said, “You definitely superimposed yourself- it’s the same background, same hands, same… Why are we doing this?”
‘RHOP’ Fans Are Having Fun With The Controversy
“The Real Housewives of Potomac” fans are weighing in not only on Thornton’s photo controversy but also on her former co-stars’ take on the situation. One person said of Dixon and Bryant, “I love them together! Gizelle and Robyn are my favs!”
Someone else said, “Mia cut it out.” Another person reacted to Bryant’s comments about the changing of the hips in the photo, stating, “Didn’t take her whole hips. lol.” A different “RHOP” fan mentioned Bryant’s prior issues with Thornton, noting, “Gizelle never misses an opponent’s to put Mia in her place.”
A different social media user chimed in, saying, “This is why we need Mia back on the show. She’s the perfect amount of delusional. She brought a balance to ‘RHOP’ that’s been missing.”
Lastly, another fan said, “Gizelle and Robyn gave me such a laugh.”
Sophie Also Called Out Mia Thornton
According to Page Six, Thornton posted the now-deleted photo to Instagram in June 2026. After being called out online for the picture appearing to have been edited, the “RHOP” alum received a reply from O’Neil herself. The model said, “@mrsmiathornton — super imposing yourself onto my picture. The world is a very scary place these days — this is just sad.”
She added, “Please can you remove the picture of ME with your head on it. Thanks.” Later, Thornton posted another photo of herself wearing the same white dress. This time, she could be seen sitting down at a restaurant. She captioned the post, “Never needed clout. My name carries enough weight on its own.”
The former Bravo star then said, “Let me guess, what’s her name has a photo sitting down inside the restaurant too.”
Mia Recently Announced Her New Career Venture
Thornton announced her departure from “The Real Housewives of Potomac” in April 2025. Since then, she hasn’t had the best go of things and, according to PEOPLE, was arrested in November 2025 for theft at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The arrest came after she was accused of removing furniture from a rental property “in the middle of the night.” However, following the one-day jail stint, she’s seemingly on the path to greener pastures. Thornton took to Instagram in June 2026 to share her latest career feat, becoming a Marketing Executive.
She said in a caption, “Stepping into my next season—and doing it boldly. I’m proud to officially announce my work with HITCloud as a Branding and Marketing Executive. This isn’t just a move… it’s a mindset. It’s about growth, elevation, and owning every room I walk into.”
The former “RHOP” star added, “To every woman watching this: you don’t have to wait your turn. Build your own table. This is only the beginning.”
