As the OG of the OC, Vicki Gunvalson is not a stranger to controversy. The drama is what kept her on Real Housewives of Orange County for so long, until she got demoted, and then, ultimately, left the show. Even though Vicki is done with the show, she's not done with the controversy. She got into some hot water recently with her remarks, but it's far from the first offense.
Last year, Vicki faced accusations of homophobia after she criticized Braunwyn Windham Burke's kiss with Tamra Judge. During the season 14 reunion, Vicki slammed Braunwyn's "lifestyle" for having threesomes with her husband and eventually she reacted to the backlash. At that same reunion, Vicki threw a temper tantrum because she didn't get her way. She wanted to be on stage from start to finish. However, she was a part-time cast member, so that just wasn't the case. She made a fool out of herself, but, in all honesty, she provided the most entertaining moment from those reunion episodes. Does anyone else remember much about anything else from that reunion? Nope, not at this point. Well, Vicki, once again, is upset that something isn't going her way. This time she's taking aim at the California government for shutting down businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic. And, in response, she is facing some backlash for her remarks.
On Tuesday, Vicki tweeted California governor Gavin Newsom, "Let’s get America who is healthy back to work. We need hairdressers, nail techs, small business’s and restaurants to start reopening May 1st. Please?" One Twitter user responded, "Vicki wants to "WHOOP IT UP" while people are dying. Nice" In true Vicki fashion, she responded to that in the most literal sense possible, writing, "Nope, reread this again. I said nothing about whooping it up. I said we need to get back to work. Been in quarantine for 2 months as I’m sure you have.."
Instead of attempting to explain the global pandemic to the RHOC alum, one person just wrote, "Vicki, no" along with a face palm emoji. She rebutted with, "Never? You think we should stay closed forever?" Vicki's initial tweet made such a splash that the Instagram account @realhousewivesfranchise compiled a montage of outrage-laden tweets. One person told Vicki, "Nail salons? Who gives a shit about nails and hair? Do you understand how quickly this spreads? I care more about the health of my hairdresser than my hair. Good grief. The selfishness here is astounding."
There is no doubt that many small businesses are suffering right now. And, yes, nail techs, hair salons, and restaurants have been hit particularly hard. There's no denying that. Nevertheless, as many Twitter users pointed out, the health and safety of those employees, business owners and their customers are important. No one wants to be quarantined right now. Vicki isn't the only one hoping to return to her typical routine and her desire for normalcy is understandable. Nevertheless, these regulations are in place to protect people and decrease the spread of coronavirus. Real Housewives of Orange County viewers know that Vicki doesn't love it when she's "wrong," but hopefully, she can become a bit more informed before she starts comments again about a global pandemic.
Sources: Real Housewives, Vicki Gunvalson