Bravo stars Brandi Glanville and Caroline Manzo joined the cast of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip season 4 but left the show earlier than their castmates. Their January 2023 exits occurred after The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum allegedly sexually harassed Caroline. Now, Brandi lawyered up and is demanding production release the audio from the alleged incident.
Caroline, for her part, broke her silence on the entire ordeal, revealing that she initially went back into the Bravo franchise “with the highest of hopes, to do something fun.” However, things “didn’t work out for me that way,” she added during a March interview with New York Live.
“I can’t say much, only because it’s not good for my headspace, but it took a lot for me to go back,” Caroline added. “I came home early. And at this point, I just truly don’t have the space in my head to talk about it. So, I’d rather not but I would imagine it would unfold on the series when it airs and there’ll be a lot said then.”
Keep reading to find out why Brandi and Caroline left RHUGT early and where what they have said about the accusations.
Why Did Brandi Glanville and Caroline Manzo Leave ‘RHUGT’ Early?
The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum and Brandi stopped filming in Marrakech, Morocco, after an “unwarranted” kiss occurred between them, a source told People on January 30, 2023. They were the first to report the news.
“Caroline’s distress over the matter did not seem to stop Brandi. Things escalated and physical boundaries allegedly were crossed that Caroline felt were serious and uncomfortable,” the insider told the publication at the time.
The incident allegedly occurred while Brandi and Caroline were in the bathroom of a private home with two costars, one being RHONY alum Alex McCord. Production cameras did not capture the alleged moment since they were in a restroom. However, their mics were on.
Production considered the interaction as “inappropriate” and asked Brandi to leave, a second source told People.
Reps for Caroline and Brandi did not immediately respond to Life & Style‘s request for comment in February 2023.
Caroline, however, decided not to continue filming and left on her own terms. “She needed to process this outside of the reality TV environment,” the first source told the publication.
Did Brandi Glanville and Caroline Manzo Publicly Address Their Feud?
More information about their alleged bathroom incident came to light after a source told Page Six that Brandi “put her hands on Caroline’s Breast area and vaginal area” on February 6, 2023. The same day, the “Brandi Glanville Unfiltered” podcast host seemingly responded to the reports via Twitter.
“Check your sources people!!!!” she wrote alongside a poop emoji.
One month later, Brandi’s lawyer, Duncan P. Levin, exclusively told In Touch that the former Housewives star was “very upset” about the accusations.
“This is devastating and frankly it’s so unwarranted,” the attorney said. “She is very committed to making sure that the truth comes out.”
Caroline, on the other hand remained tight-lipped about the situation prior to her March statement. However, her sister-in-law and RHONJ alum Jacqueline Laurita shed light on the situation during a February 23, 2023, appearance on the “Two T’s and a Pod” podcast.
Although she didn’t go into great detail, Jacqueline revealed that Caroline has remained silent because the incident was being “investigated.”
“It was really traumatic for [Manzo]. Whatever happened was very traumatic. … She said it was just very traumatic. She’s trying to process it all,” Jacqueline told co-hosts, Tamera Judge and Teddi Mellencamp-Arroyave.
Was Brandi Accused of Sexually Harassing a RHUGT Producer?
The RHOBH alum was accused of verbally harassing an RHUGT producer the same night as the alleged incident with Caroline. Brandi allegedly addressed a producer by name, asking, “Do you want to f–k me tonight?” a source told Page Six on February 15, 2023.
Although Brandi has not officially released a statement, her reps claimed she was innocent of the accusations.
“Brandi has been prohibited from sharing her side of the story and in turn, people have only heard unsubstantiated versions,” her rep told People on February 28, 2023. “Brandi maintains her innocence and vehemently denies any wrongdoing.”
Did Peacock and ‘RHUGT’ Production Release a Statement About the Incident?
Peacock and Real House Ultimate Girls Trip production company, Shed Media, broke their silence on the allegations on February 5, 2023.
“The safety and security of cast and crew while shooting is extremely important and we take all reports seriously,” the companies said in a joint statement to People. “In this situation, production immediately launched a comprehensive review and is taking appropriate action.”
Brandi Glanville’s Lawyer Demands Incident Audio Release
Brandi’s lawyer sent Warner Brothers a letter demanding they release the audio captured during the alleged bathroom incident.
The California native’s lawyer accused the company of not releasing the tapes as a “cynical ploy for ratings,” according to the legal document obtained by Page Six on March 7, 2023.
“In that bathroom, as the audio will confirm, nothing inappropriate or illegal whatsoever occurred. As you know both from your [investigation] and the audio and video that you possess, the four women washed their hands before returning to the party where they enjoyed some food and chatted,” Duncan wrote to Warner Bros. attorney Demian West, Esq., Warner Bros. investigator Samantha Mirabello and Lisa Shannon, Shed’s SVP of programming and development.
Duncan went on to state that costars Alex and Gretchen Rossi were eyewitnesses to the incident and a third eyewitness is still unknown, according to the document.
“Not only did the eyewitnesses ask Ms. Manzo if she was OK, to which she responded with a smile and thumbs up, but, after the alleged bathroom incident, when the group returned to the dinner table,” the letter continued. “Ms. Manzo made a lighthearted comment to the eyewitnesses about having been kissed by a girl before but never having ‘kissed back’ until now.”
Furthermore, Duncan claimed RHUGT production “egged on” Brandi’s extreme behavior by “encouraging” her to bring “excitement to the party.”
The lawyer also accused the company of “attempting to insinuate that Ms. Glanville engaged in sexual harassment with an entirely different individual, a producer” to justify her removal from RHUGT.