Vicki Gunvalson is opening up about her emotional return to The Real Housewives of Orange County — and sharing a heartbreaking update on longtime friend and former RHOC costar Jeana Keough amid her cancer battle.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live, Vicki spoke with host Jeff Lewis while promoting RHOC Season 20 and revealed that she was genuinely unsure when Andy Cohen surprised her with an orange at BravoCon.
Jeff brought up the moment Andy handed Vicki an orange and asked her to come back as a full-time cast member for Season 20, noting that Vicki accepted before a contract was officially in place.
“Well, I had a lot of faith and I also said if this doesn’t work out, I just say the orange rotted and I wasn’t able to keep it,” Vicki said.
Vicki explained that she was surprised by the offer because she had only signed on to do Ultimate Girls Trip at the time.
“But I also said to Andy, ‘I don’t know what’s going on here. I just signed, you know, just doing the Ultimate Girls Trip.’ And he goes, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ll take care of you.’ And I thought, ‘Yeah, right.’ So, I trusted Andy.”
Still, Vicki admitted she was unsure if she wanted to reenter the RHOC world because she does not want toxicity in her life anymore.
“I looked him straight in the eye and I said, ‘Listen to me. I don’t know if I’m up for this. I don’t want toxic in my life. I just, I’ve grown past it as we age out in reality life. Like, you can’t keep bringing s–t into your life and expect you to have a beautiful life.’”
Vicki said she made it clear to producers that she was not coming back to fake fights or force drama.
“I told everybody at the very beginning I sat down Luke, all the producers. I said, ‘I’m not the same person I was years ago where I’m going to, I really never really started fights. I just wanted to keep everything respectful.’”
Vicki added that certain behavior is simply not who she is.
“Like I would never call anybody a c–t ever. It would never come out of my mouth. I would never throw something at somebody. It’s just not who I am as a human.”
The OG of the OC said she told producers that if they wanted her back, she was going to be herself.
“So I told them if you want me back I’m going to be me. I’m not going to fake a fight. I’m not going to do this. I’m gonna exit out when I don’t want to be in a scene. And I do. I exited out a lot, by the way, this year if you watch me.”
When Jeff asked if she really walked away from scenes, Vicki confirmed she did.
“Oh, yeah. You’re not going to be able to find me. Where’s Vicki? And then the car’s driving away,” she joked. “Because I got so frustrated with stupid quote unquote story lines. I just would leave. I just would leave.”
Vicki admitted she was shocked when Andy offered her the orange.
“I never thought that I was going to get that orange,” Vicki said.
She said she had mixed emotions in the moment.
“Shocked. And I wanted to laugh and I wanted to cry and I thought, ‘Holy s–t what am I going to do to my life now? I got a decent man that’s not going to want to be proud of this.’”
Vicki also shared an emotional update on Jeana Keough, who recently revealed through her daughter Kara Keough’s GoFundMe that she is battling tongue cancer.
Jeff said he always liked and connected with Jeana before asking what was happening with her health.
Vicki explained that she and Jeana are very close and used to live just two doors down from each other.
“Misdiagnosis by a doctor because Jeana and I are very very close,” Vicki said.
Vicki then detailed how Jeana’s cancer diagnosis unfolded, explaining that Jeana initially had a sore on her tongue that she believed was related to her tooth.
“She had a tongue sore and she went to the dentist,” Vicki said. “They said, ‘Oh, your tooth is shifting in the back. We’re just going to shave it down.’”
According to Vicki, Jeana returned multiple times because the issue did not go away.
“Three months later, went back again, ‘My tongue is still touching the back of my tooth.’ Shave it down again. Three times she went to this dentist, whoever it may be, and he said, ‘I don’t really like the way it looks.’ Goes to another dentist, comes back, they did a biopsy. It’s tongue cancer.”
Vicki said that by the time Jeana was diagnosed, she had to undergo major surgery.
“So by that time that she had to have half of her tongue removed from the back to the front,” Vicki shared.
Vicki recalled seeing Jeana at the RHOC finale party, where Jeana was worried about how she sounded after surgery.
“She was there talking kind of funny. She’s like, ‘Do I talk bad?’ I said, ‘No, Jeana, we love you. Like you’re good.’”
Vicki said doctors initially believed they had removed the cancer, but later wanted to check Jeana’s lymph nodes.
“Then her doctor called her and said, ‘We want to look at your lymph nodes in your neck. See if it didn’t spread.’ Well, of course it spread.”
According to Vicki, Jeana then underwent lymph node removal and is now receiving intense treatment.
“So now they went and did lymph node removal,” Vicki said. “So it came back where stage three, I believe it was, cuz it spread and she’s at UCI. Pray for her.”
Vicki said Jeana has been unable to eat for weeks because of the effects of chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.
“She hasn’t been able to eat in three weeks because she’s doing chemo radiation and immunotherapy, which is slapping her body,” Vicki shared. “Now she’s riddled with sores in her mouth, in her throat. Can’t eat anything. Can’t drink. Can’t take her pills.”
Vicki revealed that Jeana had a feeding tube placed so she can get nutrition.
“Yesterday put a feeding tube in her which is so detrimental, my dad had a feeding tube. It’s not good. But she needs nutrition,” Vicki said.
Vicki added that she spoke with Kara and is hoping Jeana will be able to leave the hospital soon.
“So talk to Kara. Hopefully she can get out this weekend from the hospital in a feeding tube getting her some nutrition. She hasn’t had any nutrition in three weeks.”
Jeff then asked about Jeana’s family starting a GoFundMe, noting that Jeana had been a successful real estate agent and asking what happened.
Vicki explained that Jeana’s medical care is covered but said her current financial situation has still made things difficult.
“Well, so her medical care is covered because I called Kara. I said, ‘What’s going on? What does she need?’” Vicki said.
Vicki said she wanted to be respectful of Jeana’s privacy but explained that Jeana owns two houses in Florida, has limited equity, receives a small pension from Matt Keough and collects Social Security.
“It’s not enough to support her rent in Coto De Caza. She rents a house there and her life,” Vicki explained.
Vicki said Jeana’s family asked for some help because Jeana has not been able to work during treatment.
“So, they’ve asked for a little bit of help. I obviously helped and people are questioning the same thing and they have a right to question it,” Vicki said. “And she’s commissioned sales just like I am. She hasn’t been able to work and the income stopped.”
