Rachel Zoe becoming a Real Housewife may at first seem “bananas,” to quote one of her catchphrases. But so far, it’s working out quite well. In June, Bravo announced that the designer and fashion icon would join The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for Season 15, marking her return to Bravo after over a decade. And Zoe is exactly what the show needed.
Unlike many first-time Housewives, Zoe is a reality TV veteran, having headlined her own Bravo series, The Rachel Zoe Project, in 2008, which focused on her business and family with then-husband Rodger Berman. It ran for an impressive five seasons and was also a launching pad for former associates who have become stars in their own right, including Brad Goreski and Jeremiah Brent.
While Zoe’s styling career landed her the show, with clients like Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Garner making cameos, she became a breakout star in her own right, creating viral quotes that Bravoholics endlessly repeat and never mincing words about her own drama. Twelve years after The Rachel Zoe Project ended, she’s bringing that same energy to RHOBH.
Zoe’s presence feels reminiscent of reality TV prior to social media, especially as it pertains to the Housewives franchise. Over the past decade, as social media rumors have become bigger storylines on Bravo shows, many Housewives have come across as guarded on screen, more concerned with preserving their brands and reputations than being truthful about what’s going on in their lives. With Zoe, this isn’t a problem at all.
In her first few minutes on RHOBH, Zoe describes the end of her marriage to ex-husband Berman in great detail, admitting her “greatest regret” and stating he had become “unrecognizable” to her. She opens up about his “tricky” relationship with their sons, 14-year-old Skylar and 12-year-old Kaius, and Berman being spotted with a new girlfriend just days after their separation. “I’ll let you do the math,” she told a producer.
Zoe’s sarcastic sense of humor also shines through, as evidenced by her critiquing everyone’s outfits ahead of the cast’s trip to Sedona and when she was physically disgusted by a man who proclaimed that “Coldplay sucks” during a speed-dating event (indeed, a red flag).
In a season where Kyle Richards admitted to hiding a relationship from the cameras (at the request of her then-partner) and Erika Jayne dismissed questions about her dating life, Zoe’s honesty is refreshing. Fans are in agreement, with one viewer writing on X (formerly Twitter) that they “did not expect her to be this transparent,” and another praising her “quickness and unabashed nature with which she airs out her personal life.”
Arguably, Zoe isn’t obliged to be as forthcoming about her personal drama as her castmates, given how her separation happened before she even joined the show. The fact that she’s willing to be so transparent bodes well for her future as a Housewife and can hopefully serve as a reminder to some of her co-stars to be more candid about their lives on camera.
