The Real Housewives franchise has seen its share of divorces over the years, with Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann as the latest couple to fall. Kim has joined so many of her former Real Housewives of Atlanta co-stars, there may even be a curse. But some divorces are much more dramatic then others. As Kim and Kroy’s split keeps earning headlines, we’re looking back at the Real Housewives divorces that got the messiest.
Kim Zolciak
It’s only been a month since Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann announced their divorce, and things quite literally get messier every day. Both Don’t Be Tardy stars filed for full custody of their children while claiming the other is unfit to parent. Accusations of gambling addictions and drug use have already been thrown around.
On top of the custody drama, Kim and Kroy are also in quite the financial pickle. Their Georgia home is in foreclosure, but that hasn’t stopped Kroy from trying to legally ban Kim from the property.
Erika Jayne
As shown in Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 11, Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi’s divorce was a mess, and not a pretty one. High-profile lawyer Tom was accused of defrauding his clients and embezzling $15 million, resulting in him getting disbarred and declaring bankruptcy. As questions of how much Erika knew persisted, especially because of her vast jewelry collection, the singer maintained her innocence.
The scandal was turned into a Hulu documentary, while Erika’s infamous “Tom’s house was broken into…” story launched a million memes. Thanks to the persisting lawsuits, this saga is far from over. Though he claimed to have Alzheimer’s, Tom was recently deemed competent to stand trial. As for Erika, she was just rumored to be dating another lawyer…who is already married.
Teresa Giudice
Speaking of legal issues, Real Housewives of New Jersey OG Teresa Giudice and “Juicy” Joe Giudice’s marriage fell apart amid their highly-publicized prison sentences for fraud. This Real Housewives divorce was finalized in 2020, after Joe was deported back to Italy. Teresa is now remarried to walking red flag Luis Ruelas.
Phaedra Parks
Another instance of the RHOA divorce curse, Phaedra Parks separated from Apollo Nida in 2014. This coincided with her firing, and came as Apollo was charged with conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud, as well as identity theft. Phaedra, who shares two children with him, claimed to be blindsided by this. Apollo was sentenced to eight years in prison, and their divorce was finally settled in 2017, when he was still serving time.
After he was released on parole, Apollo appeared on RHOA, slamming Phaedra in a conversation with Sheree Whitfield. Meanwhile, his ex-wife held her tongue for the sake of their children. In addition to his hurt feelings over the divorce, Apollo’s legal troubles are also far from over. He’s been accused of violating parole and failing to pay the victims of his fraud.
Phaedra has moved on with a doctor, and has joined the cast of another Bravo series, Married To Medicine.
Kenya Moore
Kim and Phaedra aren’t the only RHOA stars whose messy divorces continue making headlines. Four years after they initially split, and two years since she officially filed for divorce, Kenya Moore is still battling it out with her ex, Marc Daly. The estranged spouses are headed to court later this month, and Marc is trying to keep the trial under wraps. He has also continued to insult Kenya in the years since their split, just as he did during their marriage.
As awful as the relationship was, it did bring Kenya’s daughter Brooklyn, who she has full custody of. Marc doesn’t appear to be challenging the custody agreement, but he is asking for Kenya to pay his legal fees. He also blames her for the holdup, despite Kenya clearly wanting to be done with what she calls the “world’s longest divorce.”
Bethenny Frankel
Kenya has called her divorce the longest in history, but there’s another Housewife who still holds that record. When Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel got engaged to Jason Hoppy, the fan favorite received a spin-off called Bethenny Getting Married. But Jason was far from the Prince Charming fans hoped for.
This Real Housewives divorce wasn’t finalized for eight years, lasting much longer then their actual two-year marriage. This was partially due to the very nasty custody battle over their daughter Bryn. Things got so bad that Bethenny feared for her safety, especially after Jason would publicly threaten her.
TELL US- WILL KIM AND KROY’S DIVORCE KEEP GETTING MESSIER? AND WHAT WAS THE MOST SHOCKING REAL HOUSEWIVES DIVORCE SO FAR?
