Real Housewives

"Real Housewives of Potomac" star Stacey Rusch is pulling back the curtain on her emotional reunion with Wendy Osefo ... following Wendy's recent arrest on a slew of fraud charges.

Stacey appeared Sunday on "Watch What Happens Live" ... revealing she met with Wendy last week, and the emotional moment led to them holding one another.

She goes on to say she fully supports Wendy and can't wait for her to tell her story.

Wendy Osefo says she’s not the fraudster here -- she’s the victim ... and is claiming cops hit her with an illegal arrest as she fights to clear her name.

According to court docs obtained by US Weekly ... the 'Real Housewives of Potomac' star wants all charges against her and husband Eddie dropped ... arguing there are alleged defects in the charging papers and the search and seizure was unlawful.

The docs also add any verbal admissions, statements and confessions she made shouldn’t count because they were unlawfully obtained.

Kelli Ferrell was a new addition to "The Real Housewives Of Atlanta" last season, but she's already making waves ... her ex is suing Bravo for claims made about him on the show.

In court documents, obtained by TMZ, Chuvalo Mark Ferrell claims Kelli spread lies on the show in a fabricated storyline on the show that he abused Kelli and didn't pay back money.

He says he and Kelli jointly applied for a $420K loan back in 2022 to build out a restaurant called Nana's Chicken-n-Waffles. He says Kelli spent a bunch of the loan money on her birthday and other unauthorized expenses and then fabricated a story that Chuvalo stole the money from her. He says he repaid the loan, but she's still pressing forward with the false claim he stole the $420K.

Denise Richards' estranged husband Aaron Phypers was arrested outside of court Friday ... and now we have his official charges.

According to documents obtained by TMZ, Aaron was charged with 2 felony counts of injuring a spouse, and 2 felony counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat, with his total bail set at $200,000.

Michael Finley, Aaron's lawyer, previously told TMZ ... Aaron was not aware of the warrant ... and Finley accuses Denise and her legal team of "setting him up" at Friday's proceedings.

"The Real Housewives of Potomac" cast is really going through it ... and Keiarna Stewart dished to Andy Cohen about how she really feels about Dr. Wendy Osefo after her fraud arrest.

Keiarna said, "I was shocked, and to be honest, I was also a little bit disappointed ... All I have to say is, thoughts and prayers for Wendy at this time, because it's sad."

As you know, Wendy and her husband Eddie were arrested earlier this month and booked in Maryland on multiple counts of insurance fraud.

Wendy Osefo is speaking out for the first time since she and her husband, Eddie were arrested on a slew of fraud charges and she's leaning on faith and fashion to make her point.

"The Real Housewives of Potomac" star took to Instagram Sunday, posting two glamor shots of herself in a plunging black gown, writing ... "And through it all, GOD remains faithful."

She continued, "Thank you for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers for myself and most importantly my family during this time. We are forever grateful🙏🏾."

"Real Housewives of Potomac" star Dr. Wendy Osefo’s fraud arrest last week shocked fans -- but Claudia Jordan says if you’re a reality star, you better move carefully ... 'cause the spotlight means extra eyes on everything you do!

TMZ caught up with Claudia in NYC on Friday, and she told us Wendy’s bust isn’t about having a target on your back -- it’s simple, you can’t cheat the system. But if you slip up, she says, authorities love turning reality stars into the perfect example.

Catch the full clip -- 'cause Claudia breaks it down even more ... saying she’s actually a big fan of Wendy, and hopes she and her hubby Eddie learned their lesson after the arrest.

Prosecutors charged Wendy with 16 offenses -- including 7 felonies. Eddie was slapped with 18 charges -- 9 of which are felonies.

Andy Cohen is staying in "The Real Housewives of Potomac" star Dr. Wendy Osefo's corner despite her 16 criminal charges ... he had an encouraging message for her when he chatted with TMZ Thursday in New York.

The "RHOP" executive producer tells us ... "I love her and I love her family and I love Eddie. I am hoping that they come out of this really well. I think she's been a really great role model housewife. She's always led with her education and family values, and I was as surprised as anybody was when I woke up to the TMZ news."

As you know ... Wendy and husband Eddie were booked on fraud charges last week, stemming from an alleged burglary they reported in April last year ... the couple claimed they found their bedroom ransacked after returning from a trip to Jamaica. But here's the thing ... county sheriff's deputies allege Wendy was later seen in a social media post wearing a diamond ring she reported stolen.

Kim Zolciak's in a serious relationship -- her first since splitting from Kroy Biermann -- though it's not without its own drama ... 'cause she's dating the guy whose estranged wife subpoenaed her in their own $100 million divorce proceedings.

Here's the deal ... a woman named Jillian Green sent legal documents to Kim calling on her to provide a deposition in her divorce case with Kyle Mowitz -- requesting communications between them, and other information.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Kim and Kyle are an item, which explains her connection to the divorcing couple.

4:30 PM PT -- A rep for Wendy tells TMZ ... "Contrary to recent media reports, Dr. Wendy Osefo was not terminated from a faculty position at Wesleyan University. She formally submitted her letter of resignation prior to any public announcement made by the university."

They added ... "Dr. Osefo made the voluntary decision to step down from her role. This decision was made independently and communicated directly to the university before any external reports surfaced."

1:23 PM PT -- Wesleyan University now tells TMZ that Wendy resigned from her position at the university.

More bad news for "The Real Housewives of Potomac" star Dr. Wendy Osefo ... she and her husband Eddie were booked on fraud charges Friday ... and today TMZ has learned she's also lost her job.

Wendy had been a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Sociology at Wesleyan University, but the school released a statement to TMZ Tuesday, writing simply, "Wendy Osefo is no longer an employee of Wesleyan University."

In addition to Wesleyan in Connecticut, Wendy also taught at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland before resigning in 2024. She has degrees from Temple University and Johns Hopkins, and a Ph.D. in public affairs and community development from Rutgers.

Stacey Rusch's castmates on "The Real Housewives of Potomac" aren't convinced she actually got divorced from her husband Thiemo Rusch ... but TMZ did some digging and it looks like the divorce is legit.

Here's the deal ... Stacey got called out on a recent episode of 'RHOP' by fellow castmates who claimed she was fudging divorce docs, but court records appear to confirm Stacey is telling the truth.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Stacey and Thiemo divorced last year and it says there was a final decree entered on the docket on December 16, although it remains under seal.

Andy Cohen is weighing in on all the drama surrounding Wendy and Eddie Osefo ... calling the felony charges against them "really sad."

The Bravo TV host addressed the arrests of the "Real Housewives of Potomac" couple on the Monday episode of his SiriusXM radio show, "Andy Cohen Live" -- kicking things off saying he was blindsided by the charges just like everyone else.

Cohen also said he was "really sad" about the situation, and said he's still a big Wendy fan. He went on to say Wendy has been a great housewife and a great role model.

Ashley Darby is seemingly poking fun at the news of Wendy Osefo's recent felony arrest ... as she didn’t hold back in a recent video.

The 'Real Housewives of Potomac' star appeared to throw major shade at her castmate during a performance at Mr. Henry’s in Washington, D.C., on Friday night -- following Osefo’s headline-making arrest for felony fraud charges.

The star quips “We’re making melodies, not felonies -- if you know what I mean,” on stage, according to the uploader ... drawing gasps and laughter from the audience.

Drop your 'Housewives' apples and pick up this pumpkin pic of reality TV star Luann de Lesseps. Take a slit out of these two spicy snaps and see if you've got what it takes to score the mishaps!

Hittin' the streets of New York City and giving 60 a whole new look, Luanne leaped into fall with a pumpkin in-tow ... rockin' her bougiest of boots earlier this week!

Use your imagination and branch out to score the minor changes!

Everyone knows one of the biggest attractions of "The Real Housewives of Potomac" is all the drama with the cast members ... some of whom have ended up on the wrong end of the long arm of the law.

There's been plenty of serious charges leveled at the individuals on the hit Bravo show ... including one that resulted in jail time for a cast member.

We're going to take a look back at the legal issues faced by several figures associated with  'RHOP' ... and see how one cast member recently was charged with several felony counts.

Longtime cast member Ashley Darby's ex-husband Michael Darby faced legal trouble on his time on the show, and he ended up in hot water when a cameraman accused Michael of groping him in 2018.

Although Michael was charged with felony assault and misdemeanor improper sexual conduct, the charges were dismissed due to insufficient evidence, according to People.

Michael eventually brought a defamation lawsuit against former cast member Candiace Dillard Bassett, claiming she'd made various allegations about his sex life.

However, a judge dismissed his lawsuit with prejudice -- meaning he can't file the same charges again -- in 2024, People reports.

We all know the Housewives do plenty of things together ... including filing lawsuits, which was the case between Candiace and castmate Monique Samuels.

The reality TV personalities both accused each other of assault in November 2019 after they had an altercation a month earlier, which was filmed for 'RHOP's fifth season, according to People.

Neither lawsuit went forward, as the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office in Maryland informed each side's lawyers they wouldn't be taking on either complaint in December 2019.

It's worth noting Candiace and Monique would have been facing time behind bars if either of them were convicted of assault.

Karen Huger wasn't exempt from legal woes, either, as she was charged with driving under the influence, as well as various other traffic violations, in March 2024.

Huger reportedly reeked of booze and was swaying during the incident. She was found guilty nine months later of seven out of eight charges brought against her.

Huger waited until the following February to learn her sentence ... which ended up being a year in prison.

However, she only served six months before being released ... she's gonna have to serve five years of supervised probation, though. If she keeps her nose clean for three years, the last two will be unsupervised.

Wendy Osefo and her husband Eddie were hit with fraud charges in October 2025.

1:15 PM PT -- Bravo has paused the series premiere of "Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition" ... the Osefos were slated to appear in the first episode, Variety reports. The premiere is pushed back a week following the Osefos' arrests, from Oct. 14 to Oct. 21.

12:03 PM PT -- A rep for Wendy tells TMZ ... “Dr. Wendy Osefo and her husband, Edward Osefo, are back home safely with their family and in good spirits. They are grateful for the outpouring of concern and support from friends, fans, and colleagues."

"The Osefos, alongside their legal team, look forward to their day in court. At this time, they respectfully ask for privacy as they focus on their family and the legal process ahead.”

Dr. Wendy Osefo and her husband Eddie have been booked on criminal fraud charges, TMZ has learned.

According to documents obtained by TMZ, "The Real Housewives of Potomac" star is facing 16 charges -- including 7 felonies, for allegedly making false/misleading info fraud in excess of $300. She's also facing one misdemeanor count of making a false statement to an officer.

The couple was booked Thursday night in Westminster, Maryland.

Here's the deal ... police say the couple reported a burglary in April last year ... the couple claimed they found their bedroom ransacked after returning from a trip to Jamaica. We told you about that incident at the time.