In Beverly Hills, friendships come and go, but no one expected this one to implode. Sutton Stracke is finally breaking down what really happened between her and her former assistant, Avi Gabay, and why letting him go professionally ended up ending their relationship altogether.
Following the season 15 premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Sutton used the December 4 RHOBH: After Show to address the fan-fueled frenzy around Avi’s sudden absence from her life. Sutton insisted the move wasn’t personal — at least not on her end.
“We had a great run. But things come to an end. It was just a business decision for me,” Sutton explained, noting that her home life and work situation had changed. She added, “But I was coming to a point in my life where no children were going to be in my house, I didn’t have a storefront that needed tending to. So, it was just time. And you know, we had run our course.”
According to Sutton, the need for constant in-home help just wasn’t there anymore. “I just didn’t need anybody in my house all the time,” she said, questioning why this became such a major storyline. “I don’t know why this has become such an issue because people let staff members go all the time.”
But even Sutton admits she didn’t see the next part coming.
“I don’t talk to Avi, I think I was surprised that in letting him go, that it was going to terminate the friendship as well. That was a surprise for me,” she revealed.
Kyle Richards, who has watched Sutton and Avi’s quirky dynamic for years, admitted she didn’t expect a total cutoff.
“I knew that they were very close and they had this sort of funny dynamic together,” Kyle shared. “I could see that she could be a little challenging at times. But he seemed to know how to respond to her in a sort of funny way and brush it off, so I was surprised.”
Bozoma Saint John echoed the sentiment, saying she couldn’t imagine Sutton functioning without her longtime right-hand man. “Avi seemed like such an integral part of her day-to-day life, and so I couldn’t even imagine that she would be able to operate without him,” she said. “Not saying that she’s incapable of it, but I was just shocked that something crazy detrimental had to have happened.”
Jennifer Tilly believes fans reacted so strongly because Avi felt like part of the Sutton Stracke universe.
“You two were so funny together and I think that the fans liked to see the two of you laughing and dancing,” she said. “So maybe they perhaps thought of Avi more as a member of the family as opposed to a staff member.”
If Sutton thought ending her working relationship with Avi would quiet the noise, Garcelle Beauvais had other plans. The cast reacted to Garcelle bringing Avi as her guest to the premiere of her Lifetime series Taken at a Truck Stop: A Black Girl Missing Movie — and jaws dropped.
“Oh, you gotta be kidding. Oh sh*t,” Dorit Kemsley immediately responded.
Kyle didn’t hold back either, suggesting there was strategy behind the pairing. “It seemed like there was an absolute agenda,” she said. “They both, Garcelle and Avi, knew that taking that photo together, it would go everywhere and it would spark questions and commentary.”
Sutton herself admitted she was blindsided. “I had no idea that Garcelle liked Avi so much,” she shared, though she acknowledged, “But apparently they have a good long-term friendship.”
Jennifer Tilly was just as thrown. “Obviously, Garcelle can invite whoever she wants to her premiere,” she said. “But it did seem a little bit deliberate.”
With Sutton and Avi no longer speaking, Garcelle stepping in, and the cast divided over motives, this quiet assistant drama has become one of the most unexpectedly explosive RHOBH storylines in years.
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