28

Credit: Faye`s Vision/Cover Images/INSTARimages

Rachel Zoe reportedly joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills because her “complicated” split from estranged husband Rodger Berman led to money “[becoming] tight.”

As Andy Cohen, 57, reacted to her recent addition to the show, an insider spoke out, suggesting that Rachel, 53, was prompted to return to Bravo by the desire to secure a paycheck of her own amid her divorce from Rodger, 56, who she split from last year after 26 years of marriage.

“The money has been tighter for them for a while. It’s complicated because essentially, their entire lives are intertwined. He runs all her businesses so there is no separation of work and home life. And there is no separation of his work and hers,” a source told The U.S. Sun on June 12.

According to the report, Rodger is not only the co-CEO of Rachel Zoe, Inc., but he’s also the managing partner of Rachel Zoe Ventures.

“They built this together, which is a big reason she joined RHOBH. She wanted to venture out and do something that didn’t involve him. This will be her first big job post-divorce that does not involve him, it will be hers,” the insider continued. “She needs the money, sure, but even more so, she needs to start branching out on her own now that they are no longer together. It’s important to her.”

As Rachel and Rodger, who share sons Skyler, 14, and Kaius, 11, navigate their split, Rodger will reportedly stay involved in her businesses, but in a different capacity.

“When they finally do divorce, it’s going to cost a fortune, and she needs to be prepared,” the source explained of Rachel, who has an alleged net worth of $30 million.

As for Andy’s reaction to Rachel joining the season 15 cast, which includes Kyle Richards, 56, Erika Jayne, 53, Dorit Kemsley, 48, Sutton Stracke, 53, and Bozoma Saint John, 48, he spoke out on his SiriusXM radio show, Andy Cohen Live.

“We are so excited … to have Rachel, and it’s so wild. She really fits. She knows [Kathy Hilton] well. She knows Kyle. She knows Boz. She was just on Boz’s podcast. She knows Jennifer Tilly, so she really knows. I think that she must know Sutton from being around. It’s just a perfect fit and she’s at a real transitional moment in her life,” he told listeners.

Looking back on Rachel and Rodger’s split, Andy said he was “really rocked by the news” as he recalled a discussion he had with Rachel amid casting.

“I just wanted to make sure in our conversation that she really had her head around it because, you know, it’s bananas … and she’s like, ‘I am excited. I want to be part of this ensemble and I know them, and it seems like such a perfect, you know, moment to come in.’ She’s like, ‘I’m dating, my life is different,’ so I think we’re gonna see the Rachel that we love, but at a really different place in her life, and I’m really excited,” he teased.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 15 is currently in production.