Since her 2015 debut on The Real Housewives of New York City, Dorinda Medley has made a huge impact on the popular franchise. Even though her first season saw her competing for airtime with seven other Housewives, Dorinda's big personality, warm and generous spirit, and signature catchphrases quickly made her stand out from the crowd.
As she spent more time on the show, Dorinda unsurprisingly became involved in her fair share of conflicts. While in some cases, she was in the right, there were plenty of instances, particularly in more recent seasons, where Dorinda's temper got the best of her. Although she hasn't been on the show since season 12, her iconic moments will live on in fans' memories, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.
Updated on November 20th, 2022, by Lynn Gibbs: Dorinda Medley left RHONY after season 12, claiming to be on “pause” per Andy Cohen. While Bravo fans laughed at Dorinda’s break from the show, they were excited to see if and when she’d be back. Now that season 14’s cast has been revealed and Dorinda was not a part of that cast, fans are excited to see her in the RHONY spinoff currently titled Legacies. Until then, rewatching Dorinda’s best and worst moments in the series is the best thing fans can do.
Times That Fans Supported Dorinda
When She "Made It Nice"
Any RHONY fan knows how much Dorinda loves to entertain, and the Housewives' getaways to Blue Stone Manor made for some of the best vacations on The Real Housewives of New York. The Season 8 stayover was particularly disastrous and resulted in Dorinda coining one of her most well-known catchphrases, "I made it nice!"
Dorinda said those infamous words after Luann made fun of a homemade birthday cake Dorinda had in her kitchen. What Luann didn't know was that the cake was baked by Dorinda's mother. When Dorinda heard Luann mocking her mother, all hell broke loose. She admonished the other Housewives for their bad behavior in her home and threatened to kick them out. Viewers empathized with the frazzled hostess.
Sonja Compared Her Divorce To Richard's Death
One of Sonja and Dorinda's more memorable fights over the years occurred in season 10. When at a lunch with Ramona and Luann, Sonja compared her divorce to Dorinda surviving her late husband Richard's death. Dorinda scoffed at the comparison and noted that nothing will ever match the death of a spouse.
Unfortunately, Sonja complained about hearing about Richard's death too many times, which deeply hurt Dorinda. This was one fight Sonja started on RHONY that didn't sit well with Bravo viewers. Fans supported Dorinda during this time because it was clear she was still in pain.
It Was In Her Best Interest To Split Up With John
Since his introduction in season 7, John Mahdessian has been a divisive figure to RHONY fans, as well as to the Housewives themselves. His brash personality, disrespect of personal boundaries, and penchant to get into fights with his girlfriend's friends attracted the ire of Bethenny Frankel, Ramona Singer, and others.
In season 12, Dorinda discussed how she felt let down by John, telling her makeup artist how she had wanted to spend quality time with him but he preferred to party. Later in the season, their breakup was officially announced. Seeing as they'd been together for seven years, it was a painful development, and fans could sympathize with Dorinda's heartache.
When Luann Refused The Fish Room
Season 11's Blue Stone Manor trip quickly became derailed by drama over the infamous "Fish Room," the guest room in Dorinda's Berkshires home that is defined by the three big sharks mounted on the walls. When Luann found out that Dorinda had planned for her to stay in that room while she reserved her daughter Hannah's room for Bethenny (upon the latter's request), Luann freaked out.
Dorinda was perplexed by Luann's outrage, which was strong enough that it led the Countess to leave in the middle of dinner. It was one of Luann's more shocking decisions because it was so childish. But as Dorinda rightly pointed out, the women stayed in a huge mansion and should have been appreciative of staying in any room.
Sonja Accused Dorinda Of Drug Use At The Reunion
In the aftermath of season 8's infamous bra party, where John and Bethenny got into a huge blowout, the subject of drug use was brought up at the reunion. While Bethenny confirmed that something she had said during the bra party fight was referencing drug use, Sonja directly accused Dorinda of participating.
It was an accusation that was uncalled for, as the conversation didn't have to do with Dorinda's behavior but with John. While Sonja and Dorinda had their history of hurting each other in public, Sonja's interjection felt like a low blow in front of the cameras, and it generated a long and awkward silence at the reunion.
Dorinda’s Support Of Carole Radziwill’s Loss
As different as Dorinda and Carole were during their time on the show, they had a massive thing in common: they were both widows. Losing both of their husbands to illnesses that were out of their control, Dorinda and Carole respected each other for the pain they had endured, thus making fans support the two as well.
In season 7, Carole went to London to get her late husband’s ashes. Instead of letting her go alone, Dorinda joined her. Together, the two shared the highs and lows and grief, along with memorable stories about their relationships. It was emotional and heartfelt. Dorinda was an amazing friend for being by Carole’s side during this time.
Times That Dorinda Went Too Far
Dorinda’s Drinking Got Out Of Hand
In this case, it wasn’t just one moment that fans couldn’t support — it was a series of events. While every Housewife has been guilty of drinking too much on occasion, Dorinda’s drunk self went from zero to 100.
A drunk Dorinda created hilarious content, but it also came with dark moments and unnecessary drama. A large part of why Dorinda was put on “pause” from the show was because it looked like she was spiraling, and she needed time to regroup and catch her breath.
When She Chanted "Jovani" At Luann's Show
One of the most iconic moments in the show's entire history took place at Luann's cabaret when Dorinda infamously heckled Luann for her love of the designer Jovani. Luann's cabaret show turned into a successful Real Housewives business. But after hooking Luann up with multiple gowns from Jovani to be worn at her show, Dorinda seemed to grow resentful that the Countess wasn't drawing attention to her contribution.
To make matters worse, she was offended that, to her understanding, Luann hadn't invited John to the show. From her front-row seat, Dorinda shouted "Jovani!" in an increasingly aggravated manner. A season later, Dorinda didn't own up to heckling her friend.
Her "Clip, Clip, Clip!" Moment Was Hilarious (But Insulting)
One of Dorinda's most memorable moments on The Real Housewives of New York came during lunch in season 9 when she took issue with Sonja implying that Dorinda had a part in her ill-advised Tipsy Girl retail venture.
When Sonja suggested that both Dorinda and Ramona had expressed interest in partnering with her on the brand and that John had communicated to her that Dorinda was "in," Dorinda became furious. She leaped up from her chair, hurled insults at Sonja, and infamously and animatedly told her to "clip" her mouth shut. She took her aggression too far in this scene despite it being funny.
She Verbally Attacked Tinsley For No Reason
One of season 12's most mystifying storylines concerned the animosity between Tinsley and Dorinda. For nearly Tinsley's entire appearance in the season, she appeared to be scared of Dorinda, and Dorinda continuously ragged on Tinsley for not sharing enough about her life on TV. The feud was particularly brutal during the trip to the orchard, but Dorinda's accusations of Tinsley being closed off always felt disproportionate to how much anger Tinsley seemed to cause her.
At the reunion, Tinsley suggested that John's struggle with money without Dorinda's knowledge was what motivated Dorinda's dislike of her all along.
Dorinda Shamed Kristen Taekman For A Doing A Nude Photoshoot
One of Dorinda's least flattering moments came in the season 7 reunion when she was upset with Kristen Taekman for bringing up John's odd behavior. When Kristen was asked by Andy Cohen if she thought John was too handsy, and she expressed that he was, Dorinda immediately went after the former model.
Dorinda brought up a nude photoshoot Kristen had done in the past, implying that she shouldn't take issue with John putting his hands on her because of her comfort with her body. It was a nonsensical and offensive moment of slut-shaming.
When She Brought Up Luann's Arrest
The Housewives' trip to Cartagena is remembered for a variety of reasons, including the terrifying boat ride on choppy seas that the cast and crew endured. But one of the trip's low points was the fight between Luann and Dorinda that broke out at a restaurant dinner.
After a recently sober Luann suggested that Dorinda was "turning" (adopting a mean and combative disposition after a few drinks), Dorinda immediately began mocking Luann's arrest and mugshot. Although Luann arguably should have kept her thoughts to herself, Dorinda's response was uncalled for. In this case, fans supported Luann and were mad at Dorinda.