Bravo fans have resided themselves in the fact that they will never be able to see the season of the Real Housewives Ultimat Girls Trip with Caroline Manzo and Brandi Glanville. During filming, there was an alleged altercation between the two housewives that caused the network to bury the seasons forever. But Now, Gretchen Rossi, who was on the series, is sharing her side.
What happened between Caroline Manzo and Brandi Glanville
In January 2024, Caroline sued Bravo and its affiliates over claims of sexual assault. This came a year after it was revealed that Caroline and Brandi left filming of the Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip early. In her lawsuit via NorthJersey.com, Caroline alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Brandi, who “forcibly fondled my vagina.” The lawsuit also claimed an “intoxicated Glanville spread Manzo’s legs. And laid her head on her inner thigh, with Manzo pulling away and moving to the other end of the couch.” Bravo had said they were investigating the matter, and Brandi denied any wrongdoing.
Caroline noted in the affidavit, “When Glanville was sexually assaulting me on the sofa, she was rubbing her vagina on me. The producers just watched and kept filming. They saw that I was in distress, and yet, they continued to film.” The former RHONJ star claimed that the producers “did not separate Glanville from me.” But “continued to feed her alcohol and allowed her to follow Manzo into the bathroom.”
Caroline Manzo’s claims are very serious
Caroline went into detail in the legal documents. The mother of three explained, “When I tried to escape the bathroom, Glanville then threw me against the bathroom door, hitting my head, and locked me in the bathroom where she forcibly fondled my vagina against my will.” Caroline added that producers saw her struggling and didn’t step in to help. Caroline noted, “I understand one of the producers tried to open the door to get in because he knew that I was being sexually assaulted. The producers certainly saw when I tried to escape from the bathroom. And yet they allowed Glanville to bang my head against the door. And lock me in the bathroom and assault me.”
In June 2024, Brandi fought back against the allegations, claiming she had evidence to prove the allegations were “nonsense.” Brandi took to X to note, “If at any point she felt uncomfortable, she could walk 5 steps away into her own private house.” In July 2024, Brandi filed her own lawsuit against the network. She accused Bravo of causing her stress-induced illnesses that rendered her unable to work. So far, neither Brandi nor Caroline have had a settlement offer from Bravo.
Gretchen Rossi is telling her side of the story
Bravo fans were not ready for former Real Housewives of Orange County star Gretchen to speak out on the matter. But that’s what happened in a recent podcast interview. Gretchen suggested a different version of events. She claimed that Brandi, on the trip, did “what Brandi’s always done.” According to Gretchen, Brandi is known to “deliver” what the “network and production asks of her.” Gretchen answered very matter-of-factly about the incident.
She explained, “I’m not going to take away from whatever Caroline maybe felt and experienced in that because I’m not in her shoes. However, all of us as a cast and a lot of production felt that the accusations being made … we were all very confused by it.” Gretchen shared her first-hand account noting, “Because when we were there in that moment, Caroline gave no inkling to the fact that she was in duress, that she was upset, that she was uncomfortable with it.”
Gretchen Rossi was in the bathroom, too
What was a bigger surprise was when Gretchen admitted to being in the bathroom with Caroline and Brandi. The mother of one shared, “I was in there. Now, don’t get me wrong. I was drinking, so I wasn’t really like completely coherent to paying attention to every little detail that was happening.” Gretchen continued, “But what’s weird to me is whatever supposedly happened in the bathroom — that I don’t remember seeing or you know being a part of.” Also, remember, she was imbibing alcohol and would probably not be deemed a reliable narrator.
Gretchen continued, “I feel it was way worse than the living room when Brandi was like kissing her and like doing nothing with her, and there were 50 people in that room between cast and crew and everything that was going on and video village watching from down below.” The segment ended with Gretchen saying, “So if it was really that bad and it was truly at that level, I would have thought at that point that somebody would have stepped in or somebody would have said, ‘Okay guys, this is being taken too far.’”
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF GRETCHEN’S TAKE ON THE EVENTS?
