Real Housewives Who Went Bankrupt (2024)

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Updated November 29, 2022

While the Real Housewives are known for their affluent lifestyles, you might be surprised by how many of these women and their significant others have had to file for bankruptcy. From Sonja from The Real Housewives of New York to several of The Real Housewives of Orange County, see who’s had money problem from coast to coast.

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Lynne and Frank Curtin

At least fiveReal Housewives of Orange Countyhave dealt with some form of bankruptcy or foreclosure to date – certainly more than any other city and enough to make an all stars cast of OC wives with money woes (though would we really want to watch that?).

The most uncomfortable cash-strapped sitch of the bunch is certainly that of Lynne Curtin, whose daughters famously answered the door to their home on camera only to receive an eviction notice. Lynne only flirted with bankruptcy – it appears she and her husband Frank never ended up filing – but her money problems, which were notable enough to earn ink in The Wall Street Journal, seemed to only get worse after her exit from RHOC. In 2013, TMZ reported on legal documents in which Lynne, then newly divorced from Frank, claimed to have just $100 in total assets and $3,000 in income per year.

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Tammy Knickerbocker

Years before Heather Dubrow was building obscenely-sized mansions, Tammy Knickerbocker was known for having one of the biggest homes in Coto de Caza. Tammy made her money via International Beauty Supply, a company she created with her late husband, Louis. According to Tammy, the company once pulled in annual sales of $68.3 million per year, but after what she called a “series of misfortunes” the company was forced into bankruptcy in 2000 and, as a result, Tammy and Louis lost their fortune and their coveted mansion.

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Alexis and Jim Bellino

In 2010, RHOC's Alexis Bellino’s now ex-husband Jim filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection via his company, Global Marine, Inc. According to The Orange County Register, Jim was listed as president of the single-asset company, which held the title for the couple’s Newport Beach home. (That same year, Jim was also sued for fraud over another property he owned.)

The OC Register reported the couple defaulted on their $4.6 million dollar loan, but ultimately avoided foreclosure. Jim took issue with the report, claiming the Chapter 11 reorganization was “commonly done” and went so far as to defend himself on a section of his website that he’s dedicated to myth-busting rumours of alleged shady business dealings.

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Tamra and Simon Barney

2010 was a rough year for Orange County. It saw not only Lynne’s foreclosure and Jim’s real estate troubles, but also Tamra Judge’s ex-husband Simon Barney’s bankruptcy. According to court documents obtained by both Radar Online and Jezbel, Simon petitioned for Chapter 13 (a filing that allows for financial reorganization supervised by a bankruptcy court) due to, among other things, substantial credit card debit.

The filing was the culmination of a no good very bad year for Simon that started with his split from Tamra and also included an arrest over domestic violence.

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Peggy Tanous

Peggy Tanous rolled onto RHOC in a Bentley, flashing bling and flaunting an expensive lifestyle, but the ride came to a serious halt in 2013 when she declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy. According to court documents, Peggy claimed she had no cash in the bank and that she was living on an annual income of $30,000.

Real estate troubles have long plagued Peggy. In 2011, there were reports she may lose her mansion in Irvine, California. She managed to hold onto it, but four years later she was still struggling with the same problems. After viewing court documents, Radar Online reported she still owed $1.54 million on the house – which was way more than it was worth after the real estate market took a dive and its value sunk to $840,000.

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Teresa and Joe Giudice

RHOC may lead the bankruptcy tally, but New Jersey’s not far behind – and the garden state surely has the most famous case in Housewives history. Joe and Teresa Giudice filed for bankruptcy the very year RHONJ premiered in 2009. Not long after the filing, the government took a closer look at the couple's bankruptcy record and spotted some pretty glaring inconsistencies, including an allegation in their eventual indictment that Teresa did not disclose her Housewives salary in the filing.

Things famously snowballed from there, leading to a 2014 sentencing and lengthy prison stays for both Joe and Teresa. In June 2018, People reported the couple was finally no longer in the red, though they were still on the hook for regular payments to the IRS and the NJ Department of Treasury.

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Jacqueline and Chris Laurita

Jacqueline and Chris Laurita got tied up in a bankruptcy via a business they were involved in called Signature Apparel Group; an apparel company which once designed and created a Jr. line for Jay Z's Rocawear. That bankruptcy led to a $7.8 million dollar lawsuit accusing both Jacqueline and Chris of draining company funds to fund their family's lifestyle, including "private jets, limousines, extravagant parties, premium automobiles, designer clothing, shopping sprees, ostentatious home furnishings and lavish vacations," as per HuffPost.

According to Jezebel, Chris has a very long history of money trouble that dates back to the eighties. The site reported that in 1988, the United Jersey bank won a judgement against him for more than $18,000 and American Express won another in 1990 for nearly $3,000.

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Danielle Staub

In 2012, Danielle Staub filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, citing more than half a million dollars in debt. After the filing, she paid $35,000 to creditors for debts owed. The filing got Danielle out of some pretty hefty bills, according to TMZ, which reported her $7,000 debt to Nordstrom, $7,000 to American Express and $30,000 in legal fees were all excused. The biggest of all, though, was the $100,000 she owed to her ex Stephen Zalewski, who had sued her for defamation.

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Lisa Wu and Ed Hartwell

Lisa Wu of RHOA's ex-husband Ed Hartwell filed for bankruptcy protection back in 2007, just before the show’s debut. Two years later, the couple lost their mansion to foreclosure and Lisa left RHOA. It was something of a downward spiral, as the very next year the couple filed for divorce.

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Taylor and Russell Armstrong

The women of RHOBH have been mostly safe from serious financial woes, but Beverly Hills was also the backdrop for one of the darkest incidents in Housewives history. While Taylor and Russell Armstrong put on an incredible display of wealth on RHOBH, Russell was reeling from a 2005 bankruptcy when the couple joined the show. That filing included debts north of $1 million dollars, including credit card debt of nearly $50,000. It was later revealed Russell had a history of money trouble, including a felony tax evasion charge dating back to 1995.

In 2011, Russell and Taylor were sued for $1.5 million dollars over claims that his company had misappropriated funds. The next month Russell committed suicide.

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Michaele and Tareq Salahi

For one strange season, Michaele Salahi starred on The Real Housewives of DC. But she and her now ex-husband Tareq are, of course, now bettered remembered as the White House Gatecrashers. In 2010, the same year RHODC’s sole season aired, Tareq had a slew of money troubles and was involved in two bankruptcies – one for a winery once owned by his parents and another for a polo organization he headed up that was plagued by accusations of unpaid bills and phony sponsorships.

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Sonja Morgan

For quite some time now, Sonja Morgan has been dealing with the fallout from her 2010 bankruptcy. Her Chapter 11 bankruptcy was the result of a business deal gone bad on a movie she was trying to produce starring John Travolta called Fast Flash to Bang Time.

The Real Housewives of New York star told E! News she had to sell her homes in France and Colorado as a result of the bankruptcy, but she was able to hold on to her New York townhouse. While she finally got out of Chapter 11 in 2017, she was still being sued by a legal firm for unpaid fees.

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Dorit and Paul Kemsley

Dorit Kemsley’s husband PK portrays himself as a UK business mogul, but it turns out he had some serious money woes across the pond. According to People, PK filed for bankruptcy in England in 2012 and is also facing some serious legal and financial troubles stateside.

The Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas sued PK after he allegedly did not pay the casino back on a $3.6 million dollar marker he was given back in 2009. PK agreed to make payments to settle the debt, but the casino claims he stopped in May 2018 and is now going after him for the outstanding balance.

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Barbara Kavovit

RHONY's Barbara Kavovit madeheadlines for her history with money trouble. Radar Onlinereported Barbara filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2015, owing more than one million dollars in debt to creditors.

Her debt reportedly included $747,900 in legal fees, $86,000 in unpaid rent and $25,000 in credit card debt. The upside? Unlike some of her OC counterparts, Barbara is raking in serious cash: she reportedly makes $20,000 per month.

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Robyn and Juan Dixon

Unlike her RHOP co-star Karen Huger, who has tried to remain as mum as possible about her husband’s massive tax problems, Robyn Dixon has been open about her struggles with money.

Robyn and her ex-husband Juan Dixon both filed for bankruptcy in 2013, a year after their divorce, and lost their home to foreclosure in 2015. Robyn has brought her setbacks with her on the show and discussed them in the open as she’s tried to rebuild her life.

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Larsa Pippen

RHOM Housewife Larsa Pippen’s basketball star husband Scottie Pippen could be one of the most financially irresponsible players in the history of the NBA. It has been reported that Scottie burned through $120 million, including spending $4 million on a jet that didn't even work. But, despite reports he went bankrupt, Scottie has said that’s not the case and even went so far as to sue outlets who falsely claimed he had.

More recently, however, Larsa Pippen has been spotted canoodling with Michael Jordan's son, Marcus.

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Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has been shaken up over the last few seasons due to legal cases surrounding Erika Jayne and her estranged ex-husband, Tom Girardi. Tom Girardi has been accused of "embezzling money from the families of victims of Lion Air Flight 610 to fund his and Erika's lavish lifestyle," according toScreen Rant. Tom's former law firm, Girardi & Keese, had to file for bankruptcy and, as Screen Rant notes, fans have been speculating whether or not Erika will have to do the same.In fact, the outlet allegedly spoke with an insider who claimed that her "debt has become so bad that she is 'talking about filing for bankruptcy.'"

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