The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City The season four reunion came to a dramatic close on Tuesday night, with the cast letting newcomer Monica Garcia know where they stand with her.
In the season finale, Garcia, 40, confronted her co-stars after being exposed as the person behind Reality Von Tease, an Instagram troll account with a long history of posting negative stories about RHOSLC stars.
Cast member Heather Gay, 49, said she was personally hurt by Reality Von Tease’s posts, including one where she was called a “manatee.”
“Any person on this couch can go through that page and give you 10 personal examples,” Garcia said, outlining the breadth and severity of online attacks.
Monica Garcia.
Gizelle Hernandez/Bravo via Getty
Garcia defended her actions, claiming that her primary goal in posting on Reality Von Tease was to “expose Jen’s abusive behavior.” The “Jen” she was referring to is Jennifer Shah, the original RHOSLC cast member currently serving a 5.5 sentence in prison for her role in a long-running telemarketing fraud scheme.
“You’re not the hero in this story, Monica,” Gay shot back.
“I’m fine with being the villain in this story, Heather, because you’re the clowns in mine,” Garcia replied.
Monica Garcia leaves The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City After the breakthrough of the debut season (exclusive)
Later at the reunion, Gay explained why it was difficult for her to overcome Garcia’s “red flags”: intentionally befriending and working for someone — in this case Shah — to monitor them and expose all their secrets online.
“She thinks she’s an icon,” he said Bad Mormon said the author about her newest co-star. “It’s not iconic to be a bully. This ruined my experience as a housewife… every housewife in every franchise would say the worst part is the trolls and the bullies.”
When the reunion ended, host Andy Cohen asked the other housewives — Lisa Barlow, Angie Katsanevas, Meredith Marks and Whitney Rose — if Garcia’s betrayal was “too insurmountable” for the women to move on.
Barlow, 49, and Gay agreed there was “nothing” Garcia could say to fix things.
Rose, 37, joined her colleagues and added: “I don’t trust Monica…and I can’t put myself in that situation now. So I don’t have a clear answer for you other than ‘no’. ”
“I think it is very problematic to move forward in a situation where trust is completely decimated,” concluded 52-year-old Marks.
RHOSLC: Andy Cohen chastises Monica Garcia for spreading rumors on camera as Costars ‘discredit’ her (Exclusive)
Cohen then allowed Garcia to clarify everything that came up, to which she responded, “I feel like there was a lot that was misunderstood.” When asked to give the last word, Garcia had nothing left to say.
On Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen after the reunion, Gay credited Garcia with providing the opportunity to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast to grow closer to each other.
“What Monica never realized was that it was a show about friendship. And she wasn’t interested in being any of our friends.” Gay shared with Cohen, “I’m just looking forward to shooting with Whitney and Meredith and Lisa and Angie. They’re real friends of mine and we have a great time together.”
Gay reiterated to Cohen (55) how much she loves her colleagues. “I love these women. I love them all. Deep, true, on a yes level – there’s nothing like a common enemy to bring you together.”
“And they had my back on the beach,” Gay recalled of the moment she exposed Garcia. “They could have blown me off, they could have said a thousand things, but they said, ‘I’ve got your back.’ It was a pivotal moment for all of us as friends.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1030x0:1032x2)/heather-gay-reacts-to-monica-garcia-012324-1-efa6e22c14eb4df4b955a54a7f0a60eb.jpg)
Heather Gay on “Watch What Happens Live” January 23, 2024
Well done Watch What Happens Live/Instagram
Before the reunion aired Tuesday night, PEOPLE exclusively reported that Garcia will not be returning to the The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
The executive producers confirmed the news on Tuesday night in an interview with Diversity, saying the cast needed time to regroup. Cohen later, further Watch what’s happening live, suggested that Garcia’s exit could be a “break.”
Garcia did not comment on the departure and did not respond to PEOPLE’s inquiry.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(731x154:733x156)/rhoslc-s4-premiere-recap-cast-tout-090423-04853a8545374cacb0bad0637102b9fe.jpg)
Monica Garcia, Meredith Marks, Heather Gay, Lisa Barlow, Whitney Rose, Angie Katsanevas.
Gizelle Hernandez/Bravo
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
All four seasons The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City episodes air on Peacock.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education