Heather Thomson returned to The Real Housewives of New York City for season 13, but suddenly stopped filming after not getting along with fellow cast member, Leah McSweeney. Since leaving the series as a full-time housewife after three seasons, viewers have consistently called for her return. Now, she has come back, even if it's only for a short period of time. The reality star quickly became a fan favorite for her funny catchphrases and her modern outlook on life when she first joined the show.
Heather joined the Bravo series for season five alongside Carole Radziwill, Kristen Taekman, and Aviva Drescher. She offered a look into her life as the founder of the shapewear line, Yummie Tummie. Before she began her business, Heather previously worked as a fashion designer for the Sean "Diddy" Combs clothing brand, Sean John. She has worked with other celebrities as well, such as Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez. Even though Heather has quite an impressive and fascinating career background, Leah did not seem to warm up to her this season.
According to a source close to Us Weekly, Heather returned to RHONY to begin filming with the cast again as a "friend of" because of how popular she was with the viewers during her time on the show. "Heather’s popular history with the old cast and the excitement about new cast member Eboni Williams prompted production to maneuver her return," the source revealed, noting she was invited by RHONY cast member Ramona Singer to her home in the Hamptons for the weekend. However, the dynamics went array after Heather and Leah came face-to-face. "Shortly after she arrived, Leah [McSweeney] and Heather butt heads. Their exchanges got messy and included some name-calling."
The sources added that Heather was shocked by Leah's attitude towards her, as they "had minimal interaction" until this year. The women did meet last season at Dorinda Medley's home in the Berkshires, but their exchange at the dinner party was "uneventful," according to the source. "Heather could see Leah was acting up for the cameras and using behavior she considered demeaning and exploitative and frankly crossed a line," the insider said. After Heather saw how Leah was acting towards her, Heather decided she "wanted no part of Leah after she left that weekend." She realized she had no real interest in the show and stopped filming altogether.
RHONY released the upcoming season 13 trailer last week, which allowed viewers to get a glimpse inside the feud between Heather and Leah. The trailer showed Leah calling Heather a "Karen." While viewers do not know exactly what ignited the fight, the reasoning must have been serious enough for Heather to completely stop filming with the cast. Fans will have to wait for May 4 to see what goes down between Heather and Leah.
Sources: Us Weekly