Rumors are swirling around the potential exit of Emily Simpson from the popular reality series, The Real Housewives of Orange County. Speculation about her departure has been reignited following reports of Heather Dubrow’s decision to leave the show.

Credit: Bravo

The buzz began when a post on X suggested Emily, who is 49, would not be returning for the upcoming season. This season is set to feature the comeback of original cast member Vicki Gunvalson, now 63. The post proclaimed, “BREAKING NEWS! ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ star, Emily Simpson, has been FIRED ahead of the upcoming milestone 20th season. Fans are ‘cheering with joy,’ one source reports,” according to a Bravo fan page on December 17.

The news has triggered a wave of reactions from fans. While some expressed delight, others offered a more tempered response, with one fan even claiming to have their own insider information contradicting the report.

“BREAKING NEWS! ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ star, Emily Simpson, has been FIRED ahead of upcoming milestone 20th season. Fans are ‘cheering with joy,’ one source reports,” a Bravo fan page wrote on X on December 17.

Following the sharing of the report, fans reacted with mixed emotions, starting with someone who claimed to have insider information of their own.

“WRONG! Contract renewed until season 22 and her appearance on [Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip] guaranteed,” that person declared.

Still, the original poster stuck to their story, saying, “Absolutely not,” and other said they’d heard the same.

“I just Googled it, and everything came up that it’s true, she left the show,” one person shared.

Then, as some expressed approval of Emily’s potential exit, with one person writing, “Finally,” others called Tamra Judge, 58, to follow.

“I will be cheering the day they get rid of the actual poison on that show.. which is Tamra[.] People think she keeps the show interesting when in fact she is the one that drags it down to the very bottom,” someone suggested.

“If Emily is fired (I’ll believe it when I see it) she deserves it for the mean-girl season she had. And Tamra needs to go right out the door with her,” another agreed.

News of Emily’s possible exit from the show comes just weeks after an insider told Bravo and Cocktails that she was “on the bubble” for season 20, along with Katie Ginella, 41, and Gretchen Rossi, 47.

As for the rest of the cast, the source alleged, “Vicki Gunvalson will officially be joined by Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow, Shannon Beador, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Jennifer Pedranti.”

The Real Housewives of Orange County season 20 is expected to go into production sometime early next year.