Real Housewives

'Real Housewives of Dallas' star D'Andra Simmons is bedridden in a hospital due to COVID-19 -- the first cast member from the Bravo shows who's gotten this ill.

Simmons' condition was first announced by podcast host Kate Casey, who says ... "Just heard from D’Andra and she is asking for your prayers. She’s in the hospital and struggling."

A rep for D'Andra has confirmed she's in bad shape.

The rep says D'Andra's been admitted into the COVID ward at UT Southwestern Hospital. It's unclear when she contracted the virus, or how long she's been at the hospital ... but her team says her oxygen levels have been borderline, and she's starting Remdesivir.

That's one of the anti-viral drugs President Trump was given when he came down with COVID -- part of the cocktail of therapeutics he says helped him recover quickly.

Simmons' diagnosis and health status is noteworthy -- as she appears to be the only 'Real Housewife' who's had to get checked in and treated for coronavirus. Others have had it -- including 'RHOBH' stars Kyle Richards, Kathy Hilton and Dorit Kemsley, but none required hospitalization.

As we've reported ... Bravo production crews have taken several steps to help keep the different 'Housewives' sets as safe as possible. They're requiring masks on everyone who isn't on-camera, they're doing temp checks, they're mostly shooting outdoors ... and everyone's encouraged to spread out. Still, despite that, some stars and others on set have caught it.

"The Real Housewives of Potomac" reunion special got real when Monique Samuels accused Pastor Jamal Bryant of having an inappropriate relationship ... and she's not backing down, despite his threat to sue her.

ICYMI ... Monique threw major shade at the pastor last week on part 1 of the special -- claiming she had proof he was involved with a woman in his congregation while dating Gizelle Bryant. She even put his phone number on blast.

Jamal fired back at Monique with a cease and desist letter -- obtained by TMZ -- accusing her of "maliciously spreading inaccurate and unfounded information" on TV that defames him ... and claiming dropping his phone digits puts him in danger.

According to Bryant's letter ... he plans to sue her if he doesn't get a quick response assuring she's stopped making false statements.

Monique responded all right -- her lawyer sent the pastor a letter doubling down on her comments about him on the reunion special, saying she "has irrefutable proof of your egregious sexual conduct with a woman you have been seeing for the past eight years, as well as others."

Further, the letter refutes Pastor Bryant's claim the phone number did him harm ... because Bravo edited it out before the reunion show aired.

But wait, there's more. Monique's husband, former NFL lineman Chris Samuels, is also firing back at Pastor Bryant with a cease and desist letter of his own.

Samuels claims Bryant has been spreading lies and disparaging remarks about him on social media ... claiming he's abusive to Monique because he has CTE, that he cheated on her and verbally assaulted another woman.

'RHOBH' star Erika Jayne's estranged husband has had his assets frozen and a judge now wants prosecutors to have a look at what he allegedly did.

A federal judge said Tom Girardi conducted himself in an "unconscionable" manner ... finding that he misappropriated at least $2 million in client money. Even more ominous ... the judge is referring the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office for possible criminal investigation.

The money was intended to compensate the families of victims of the Boing 737 Max, Lion Air crash. Lawyers for Girardi said their client didn't currently have the $2 mil he owes his clients ... shockingly announcing Girardi's firm has a measly $15k in the bank.

And, get this ... Girardi's lawyers said they had concerns about his mental competency, adding they were unsure if he understood the seriousness of the case. One of his lawyers told the judge she wanted Girardi to undergo a mental evaluation ... this according to the L.A. Times, which first reported the news.

As if the legal fallout couldn't get any worse ... Girardi's facing TWO more lawsuits -- one from Robert Keese, the other named partner in Girardi's firm, who claims Girardi owes him $506k for using his name per a deal they struck. Keese says Girardi made some payments but then stopped.

In the second lawsuit ... Girardi's partners in a venture called 1126 Wilshire filed legal docs to dissolve the partnership ... claiming Girardi fraudulently encumbered property the partnership owns worth around $7.5 million.

Braunwyn Windham-Burke is beyond happy in her new relationship -- and totally down for major PDA -- after becoming the first real housewife to come out as lesbian.

Sources close to Braunwyn tell TMZ ... the 'Real Housewives of Orange County' star met her girlfriend, Kris, on a dating app back in September and instantly hit it off, and they have been seeing each other romantically ever since.

We got pics of Braunwyn and Kris on a date last month, before Cali went back into lockdown, and they were all over each other during a lunch date at Conservatory in West Hollywood.

Hot and heavy as they are ... our sources say you won't see the relationship covered in season 15 of 'RHOC,' because Kris came into the picture after they were done filming.

As you know ... Braunwyn came out this week, telling GLAAD she's finally feeling comfortable with her truth.

Braunwyn's still married to her husband, Sean Burke, and says they have no plans to divorce after 20 years of marriage. They have 7 children together, including 20-year-old Bella, 18-year-old Rowan, 15-year-old Jacob, 7-year-old twins Caden and Curran, 4-year-old Koa and 2-year-old Hazel.

Our sources say Braunwyn's younger kids don't really understand she's dating Kris, and think she's just Mom's friend -- but the older kids know the deal.

The COVID concerns pausing production on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" run way deeper than an infected crew member ... we've learned several cast members also have the virus.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kyle Richards, Kathy Hilton and Dorit Kemsley have also tested positive for COVID-19. We're told they are all recovering at home and none of the women had serious symptoms.

The series started filming its new season toward the end of October, and our sources say there were safety protocols in place including testing and temperature checks ... but that couldn't stop a COVID outbreak from impacting production.

As you know ... 'RHOBH' shut down production last week after a crew member tested positive for the virus. Turns out even if the crew member was COVID-free, production would have shut down because nearly half the stars contracted the virus.

Our sources say Kyle, Kathy and Dorit did not contract COVID on set, but Kathy and Kyle were hanging out together -- after all, they're sisters -- and Dorit was along for the ride.

Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi funded a lavish lifestyle with money intended for plane crash victims and now they're hiding assets with a sham divorce ... according to a new lawsuit.

The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star and her lawyer hubby are being dragged into court by the law firm Edelson, which is suing him for allegedly embezzling money from a settlement intended to compensate the families of victims of the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Edelson -- which also represented the plaintiffs in the Lion Air litigation -- claims Tom used the settlement money to fund his "outrageous lifestyle" with Erika.

Edelson claims Girardi also needed the money to help keep his own law firm afloat, claiming it was is in financial peril from various loans.

And, then there’s this ... Edelson also claims Erika filed to divorce Tom in order to help him hide assets, claiming it believes the November divorce is nothing more than a sham.

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" is known for some steamy scenes, but apparently season 13 gets so wild ... one woman's walking away mid-season.

Tanya Sam -- who's not an official Housewife but a "friend" of the show -- has officially bailed on filming the rest of the current season ... production sources tell TMZ.

As for why ... well, we're told it revolves around Cynthia Bailey's bachelorette party and what Tanya and Porsha Williams did with a male stripper while cameras were rolling ... and what they may or may not have done when cameras shut down.

Our sources say Tanya's not happy about the alleged stripper sex incident being so heavily promoted for the upcoming season, so she stopped filming about halfway through.

We're told she had other issues too -- like her relationship with her fiance and his alleged cheating taking center stage on season 12 -- but the stripper scandal was the last straw.

Our sources say she hasn't officially quit 'RHOA,' but she's done for the new season ... so viewers will notice her drop out after a few episodes.

We're also told that as of right now, Tanya's so ticked off she's not even considering doing the reunion show when the season wraps up.

Retired MLB star Jim Edmonds is pissed at his estranged wife for being reckless with COVID -- he claims her partying and jet-setting ways put his family in danger.

Jim's estranged wife, "Real Housewives of Orange County" alum Meghan King, says she's isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. Jim's rep, Steve Honig, tells TMZ ... Jim thinks Meghan has a lot of explaining to do because she attended a major Halloween event in St. Louis before jetting down to Miami, where she continued to party.

So, he says Jim's hardly surprised she announced she tested positive ... but he is pissed.

Videos and pictures from the Halloween bash show Meghan rubbing elbows with tons of people, the vast majority of whom are not wearing masks.

And, photos from Meghan's trip to Miami again show her with lots of maskless folks. She says she loves feeding her "wanderlust spirit" ... even in a pandemic.

A source close to the situation claims Meghan came over to Jim's house after her Miami trip to pick up their kids ... after allegedly being exposed to the virus. The source claims Meghan was hugging and kissing the kids, putting not only their children at risk, but also Jim's girlfriend.

Our source claims Meghan's lying about the timing of everything to make it seem like her reckless partying has nothing to do with her positive COVID diagnosis.

We're told after Meghan went public with her diagnosis Sunday, Jim reached out to her directly and expressed disappointment with her lack of responsibility.

Joe Giudice is glad his ex-wife is moving on with her life ... and tells us he's happy Teresa's got a hot new boyfriend. Okay, "hot" is our word, not his.

The ex 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star tells TMZ ... he's known for some time Teresa's been dating Luis Ruelas, and he's happy to see her with someone new. Joe says his ex-wife's equally happy to know he's moving on too.

Teresa revealed her new flame's identity Monday, and sources close to her tell us she met Luis a couple of months ago at the Jersey shore. We're told they're taking things slow ... not living together, but very happy as a couple.

Remember, Joe and Teresa recently finalized their divorce after 20 years of marriage. They'd separated following his prison release and deportation to Italy.

And, get this ... things are going well enough with Luis that Teresa's already introduced him to her 4 daughters with Joe.

Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi's marriage is over ... or at least she wants it to be, 'cause Erika just filed for divorce.

The singer and 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star filed divorce docs in Los Angeles County this week -- seeking a dissolution of marriage from her powerhouse attorney hubby -- who's more than 30 years her senior.

It's unclear what she's seeking at this point in terms spousal support -- if anything at all -- but we're working on getting more info. It's pretty shocking news considering they've been together for so long now ... the two got hitched in 1999. Last millennium, folks!

They share no children, but probably have a ton of assets between the both of them after all these years -- they're incredibly wealthy.

Erika became a regular 'RHOBH' cast member starting in season 6, and Tom's made several appearances as well.

President Trump is garnering public support from some black celebrities and hip-hop artists, but Claudia Jordan and Too Short want everyone to know they're not part of that group ... despite a very misleading press release.

Here's the deal -- a press release went out Monday about Trump inviting a "prominent group of African-American actors and entertainers" to the White House in December to discuss issues facing the Black community and the President's proposed Platinum Plan.

According to the announcement, the December meeting would be attended by the stars of an upcoming documentary called "Trump vs. Hollywood" -- including rappers Eric B., Money-B, actor Isaiah Washington and the film's director, Daphne Barak. The documentary seems to be very pro-Trump.

That's where Claudia and Too Short come in, as their names are listed as being part of "Trump vs. Hollywood" alongside names of some well-known Trump supporters ... like Kid Rock, Dean Cain and Scott Baio.

It definitely reads like all of the celebs are endorsing the Prez, but as both the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star and the rapper point out ... that's not the case.

They both say they were asked to do an interview by Barak and agreed to it, but in no way does that mean they support Trump. Claudia says the film director presented it as talking to people on both sides of the political aisle.

Too Short adds that he's about to go vote -- NOT for Trump -- and says in the past few weeks he's also been asked to fly to D.C. to meet with Trump or hop on a phone call with someone on his team.

He says he rejected both offers and, without naming names, throws some serious shade at fellow rappers who have taken the Trump meeting for what he believes is just a photo op.

Too Short's claim echoes what Rich The Kid recently said too -- that Trump tried to send him a private jet to fly him to his Michigan rally to buy his support.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" just became even more of a family affair ... because Kathy Hilton is officially joining the show.

The sister of 'RHOBH' star Kyle Richards and former star Kim Richards -- and of course, Paris and Nicky's mother -- finalized her deal in the last week ... production sources tell TMZ.

We're told Kathy's signed on to be a "friend of the show," which means she'll make regular appearances and possibly do confessionals ... but isn't considered a full-time cast member.

We broke the story in September ... after making brief appearances in past seasons, 'RHOBH' producers made an offer to Kathy to join, but she was mulling it over. Clearly, she decided to pull the trigger.

It's unclear if her addition will lead to any appearances by her children, but production for Season 11 is underway ... so fans will find out shortly.

The Kathy news isn't the only big development on the show -- it was also just announced that Crystal Kung Minkoff will be added to the Season 11 cast list. She's the wife of "Lion King" director Rob Minkoff ... and the first Asian American to join the show.

Cynthia Bailey's wedding had all the makings of a classic episode of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," but production pulled the plug on filming it at the last minute thanks to the weather ... and coronavirus.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Bravo was set to have a camera crew on location for the 'RHOA' star's nuptials -- which was a planned, outdoor event -- but 2 days before the wedding, Cynthia decided to make it an indoor affair because Hurricane Delta was bearing down on the region.

But, it became a house of cards, because the indoor venue made the network wary due to COVID-19 concerns, and Bravo decided it wasn't safe or appropriate to send staff to film with limited space and an expected 181-person guest list.

The good news -- for Cynthia and 'Housewives' fans -- Bravo still plans to work with her to showcase her wedding in the upcoming season.

We're told the bride had her own camera crew on hand at the Governors Towne Club in Acworth, GA last Saturday, and she'll provide footage of the ceremony to production.

Cynthia's pleased with this arrangement, and there was less drama with the way things worked out ... so she's totally fine with it.

As for how Cynthia and her new husband, Mike Hill, dealt with the coronavirus risk at their large gathering ... our sources say they took several precautions.

There were temperature checks at the door, guests were required to wash hands upon entry, masks were required unless eating or drinking ... and all confirmed guests had to have negative COVID tests within 5 days of the wedding.

The "Real Housewives of New York City" is making a little history ... now that producers have hired their first Black cast member in the show's 13-year run.

TMZ's learned the Bravo series hired Eboni K. Williams to join the Big Apple ladies for season 13, which is already in production. The attorney and TV host is ecstatic about her new gig, telling us ... "NYC is filled with successful and dynamic Black women. I’m excited to join this legendary franchise as the first Black housewife. Can’t wait to share a slice of life in this city that hasn’t been seen before."

She added, "Anyone who’s aware of my work knows I don’t hold back. I’m going to keep it just as real here as I do everywhere else."

The 37-year-old Charlotte native co-hosted "FOX News Specialists" before leaving FNC at the end of 2018. For a short time, Eboni co-hosted a talk show on WABC Radio in NYC and currently co-hosts "State of the Culture" on Diddy's REVOLT TV.

Eboni earned her law degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law -- and she clerked for Louisiana's Secretary of State and the state's Attorney General. Bottom line ... she can hold her own in an argument, which should come in handy.

As we reported, the show's producers also shot with Bershan Shaw, another potential Black housewife. In the end, they decided Eboni was the better fit as a full-time cast member. We're told it's still possible Bershan will make appearances.

The long-nailed woman who allegedly stole Kyle Richards' ring has pretty solid proof she's been wrongly accused, and wants an "I'm sorry" from the 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star.

Diana French is a retired pharmacy clerk from L.A. who went viral -- well, her hands did anyway -- after, for some strange reason, actress Diane Keaton shared a photo of her hands ... calling Diana's black nails "too much" and claiming she's a fortune teller.

The nails are up for debate, but Diana says the fortune teller thing is untrue.

Anyway, Richards saw Keaton's post, and believed she recognized one of the rings Diana's wearing as her mom's stolen ring ... which got swiped back in December 2017 when Kyle and her husband's home was hit by burglars.

After Diana went viral for all the wrong reasons ... her granddaughter took to TikTok to clear her name.

She also defended herself by going on "Inside Edition" with even more proof the ring belongs to her ... including old photos of her wearing it, and the original appraisal from FORTY years ago.

Kyle had gone public with her search for the stolen ring, but to be fair, she never accused French of theft. She thought French might have purchased the ring from a pawn shop, and was going to offer to buy it back from her.

Kyle Richards and her husband, Mauricio Umansky, aren't split, separated or heading for divorce, because -- brace yourself for this -- sometimes social media rumors are just that.

Sources directly connected to the couple tell TMZ ... "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star and her real estate agent hubby are not only doing well in their marriage -- they feel closer than ever due to the pandemic.

If ya hadn't heard ... a single tweet by a reality TV fan speculated Kyle and Mauricio were separated, and that's why her sister, Kathy Hilton, is in talks to join the cast. The unfounded theory caught fire 'cause that's what the Internet does.

We're told the fan is just dead wrong, and the couple has been happily spending more time together since COVID-19 changed the way we all live. Well, not all of us live this way -- while they're working from home together, they've been bouncing between their pads in L.A., Palm Springs and Aspen.

In fact, Kyle and Mauricio were all over each other Monday after a bike ride in Aspen. They also recently took a trip to Cabo together.

Our sources say Kyle's enjoying a break from shooting 'RHOBH' as well because production of the show takes up so many hours -- so she and Mauricio are making the most of it.