Katie Ginella may be the newest face on The Real Housewives of Orange County, but she’s already making waves, and not always the kind that come with welcome champagne toasts.
After a relatively smooth first season, the Bravo star found herself under fire at the season 18 reunion when castmate Emily Simpson brought up her past legal troubles. The moment, Katie admits, was deeply isolating.
“I felt very alone on an island,” Katie shared in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. “I felt very outed, and it’s a very familiar feeling for me, so it was very difficult.”
Katie, 41, has a theory about why she seems to be a lightning rod for criticism among her castmates.
“I think these women were looking for anything to point out that I’ve done wrong,” she explained. “I think I was really well received [in my first season]. I’m so thankful for everybody being so kind, and I think that was like, ‘OK, well, we’re going to point out things she did wrong if she’s so well received.’”
It’s a dynamic she knows all too well. As the first Asian American, and specifically, the first Korean American adoptee, to ever join the franchise, Katie believes her identity places her in a unique and sometimes vulnerable position.
“Being the new person, being the first Asian American on Housewives, being the first Korean American and adoptee, that puts me in a different category, I think,” she said. “I also grew up in a predominantly white community as the only Asian American, so this is just a very familiar feeling.”
Despite the tension and public scrutiny, Katie’s grateful for the support she’s received from fans who’ve embraced her authenticity and strength. “I’m so thankful for everybody being so kind,” she said.
And while the reunion might have left her questioning her future with the show, it also became a turning point.
“Sitting on that [season 18] reunion stage, I said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll go back for a second season,’” she recalled. But when Bravo came calling, Katie made a decision, one based not on the drama, but on self-worth. “When they called and asked me to do a second season, I thought, ‘I’m going to do this for myself to prove that I’m strong enough to do this.’”
It wasn’t always easy. Throughout filming, Katie leaned on her husband, sports journalist Matt Ginella, admitting there were moments she questioned whether she could continue. “But I reminded myself that the hardest things in life can be the most rewarding,” she said.
Her resilience has paid off, in self-discovery if nothing else.
“I’m just going to keep pushing through,” Katie concluded. “I’ve learned more about myself in the last two years of doing this than my entire 41 years of existence, so it’s been really helpful.”
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