Vicki Gunvalson’s son, Michael Wolfsmith, is opening up about his distant relationship with sister Briana Culberson.
“I’ve never been invited out there, and she doesn’t visit CA,” Michael, 41, wrote via Instagram when sharing a clip from the Thursday, July 30, episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County. “I was living in Hawaii and now Spain. A couple years ago, I said I wanted to visit when I was fairly close to Oklahoma, and she said it wasn’t a good time because of her husband, who I don’t get along with very well 🤷♂️.”
When another fan asked whether he at least FaceTimes with his only sister, Michael said there is some virtual conversation.
“Ya we are in a group chat with my mom and have friendly personal convos,” he wrote. “I would prefer if we could see each other in person! We were sending each other pugs we want a couple days ago.”
During Thursday’s episode, Michael met up with Vicki, 64, for a scene filmed at Rose Canyon Cantina & Grill in Trabuco Canyon, California. As cameras rolled, Michael revealed he hasn’t seen Briana, 39, “in, like, eight years.”
“It absolutely sucks that my kids live far away. Mike’s in Spain. Briana lives in Oklahoma,” Vicki shared in a confessional interview. “They talk all the time. They FaceTime, but it’s definitely better to be in person, and I definitely see other families with their kids over for Sunday dinner, and I don’t have that. It’s not what I ever planned, but it’s their life. I have to sit back and have a cigarette, and I don’t even smoke.”
Mike Wolfsmith, Vicki Gunvalson Courtesy of Vicki Gunvalson/Instagram
Fans were quick to comment on Michael’s confession that he hasn’t seen his sister in years. After all, the pair helped launch The Real Housewives of Orange County with their mom when it premiered in 2006.
“You need to go see your sister!” one fan wrote. “You only have one ❤️.”
Ryan and Briana Culberson Courtesy of The Culbersons/Instagram
Michael replied, “I was ready to book a flight a couple years ago and it wasn’t the right timing for them. They can come visit CA too when I’m there. I was staying at my mom’s + her desert house for 3 months this year.”
Briana is currently raising four kids with her husband, Ryan Culberson, in Oklahoma. The couple have a joint Instagram account to document their “healing journey.”
When celebrating the premiere of season 20, Vicki exclusively told Us that Briana was a bit nervous about having her mom return to the franchise after a brief break.
“My daughter is very protective over me,” she said on June 30. “Michael is very supportive. I got incredible kids, and they got their lives. Briana’s got four kids. … Her and Ryan are happy and happily married, and they’ve got an online Young Living business, and she’s a nurse to over 7,000 patients, and I’m just so proud of her. She’s just a great person.”
When asked whether she wishes they lived closer to California, Vicki replied, “Of course I do. Every time I bring it up, she says it’s never gonna happen. I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll talk about you with you next week.’”
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET. Stream new episodes the next day on Peacock.
