Why Gretchen Rossi Said ‘No’ to 'RHOC' 3 Times Before Season 19 Return

Gretchen Rossi’s season 19 return to The Real Housewives of Orange County was the talk of the town — but it almost didn’t happen.

“There’s always been rumblings and talks,” Gretchen, 46, said of her comeback during the Sunday, July 27, episode of iHeartRadio’s “I Do, Part 2” podcast.

Gretchen, who exited the series in 2013 after four seasons, explained that “for a long time, it was an absolute no.”

She said that both she and fiancé Slade Smiley had “no interest” in returning to the franchise because of the hate they received as a couple.

“We definitely needed that break. We got scrutinized a lot,” Gretchen recalled. “This round, they called and approached us. When they called, I actually said, ‘No.’”

Gretchen noted that the producers asked her to “just think about it” and take a meeting with executives when they were in town. After being nudged into the meeting, Gretchen agreed.

“I honestly said no three times. They kept making offers, and I said, ‘No, no, no,’” she recalled of the negotiations. “Finally, they ended up making an offer that we couldn’t refuse, and we felt good about. That’s why we decided to finally say ‘yes.’ That’s the honest truth.”

Slade, 51, chimed in to say there was “more to it than that.” He reminded listeners that Gretchen did film a Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip season in 2023, which has yet to air.

“I did do that. That was fun,” Gretchen said, agreeing with her partner.

Slade added that there were “other projects” that the couple had “in process” with the network, which factored into their decision to return to RHOC.

“It wasn’t just because we had no desire to be involved with Housewives. It was because we had so many other things going on,” he explained.

Slade also revealed that he told Gretchen, “This is probably the right season” to come back because of the cast, which included friends and former enemies for the Housewife. “There’s a lot of authenticity there,” he shared.

“I really, really enjoyed the season so much,” Gretchen said, agreeing that the timing was right. “It was the most fun I’ve had filming that I can remember.”

Gretchen, who initially joined the cast during season 4, pointed to the “different dynamic” of people as the reason for a successful comeback season.

Us Weekly confirmed in January that Gretchen was returning as a “friend” of the cast for season 19 alongside Housewives Emily Simpson, Katie Ginella, Jennifer Pedranti, Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, Heather Dubrow and Gina Kirschenheiter.

During her tenure, Gretchen fell in love with Slade, who was previously engaged to OG Housewife Jo De La Rosa. The couple got engaged during season 8 and both left the show ahead of the next season.

Since leaving the RHOC, Gretchen and Slade have welcomed one child, daughter Skylar Gray, who is now 6 years old. The couple celebrated their 16th anniversary on July 9 and were a united front going into season 19.

While Gretchen was friends with several Housewives going into filming earlier this year, her feud with Tamra, 57, had not simmered down.

The costars previously fought after Tamra called Gretchen a “gold digger” and tried to get her “naked wasted” at a dinner party. Gretchen later accused Tamra of making up “horrible lies” and having “no remorse” for her actions.

“I would say that there’s been this ongoing toxic feud between the two of them since the Jurassic period at this point,” Emily, 49, exclusively told Us last month when asked about Tamra and Gretchen’s relationship. “Personally, I feel like I would have gotten over it, but neither one of them has.”

She teased, “You get to witness a lot of history, a lot of references to the past. I’ll just say that — a lot of past references.”

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. Stream old episodes anytime on Peacock.