Part of being a full-time cast member on The Real Housewives franchise is showing off one's vast wealth. The homes they live in, the islands they vacation on, the cars they drive, and the famous people they know. It's a large reason why viewers tune in week after week. Their lives are so outlandish at times, it's hard to look away.
And while the ladies earn income from other places outside of the show, Bravo pays some of these women a pretty penny to show their lives on-screen. While some popular faces started off earning a couple of thousand dollars per season, that has now grown to more zeros as the seasons went on.
10 Eileen Davidson: $750,000 Per Season
Eileen Davidson was a main Housewife for three seasons (seasons 5 through 7) before leaving on her own accord. She did come back as a guest in seasons 8 and 10 but guests and friends are paid differently than Housewives on the main roster.
As an actress mainly known for her soap opera career, Davidson earns good money working in Hollywood, but she also made $750,000 per season on RHOBH. If that's the number Davidson started out with on season 5, that's $2.2 million for three seasons.
9 Melissa Gorga: $750,000 Per Season
Melissa Gorga was a guest in season 2 of RHONJ but made it to the main roster by season 3. As Teresa Giudice's sister-in-law, Melissa has a solid foundation in the series and doesn't appear to be leaving any time soon. It doesn't hurt that Melissa's husband, Joe, is as entertaining as she is. Together, they're the perfect Real Housewives couple.
While Gorga's salary is sure to have changed over the years (she has been a part of the franchise for almost 12 years), Nicki Swift noted that as of 2020 she takes home $750,000 per season of RHONJ.
8 Denise Richards: $1 Million Per Season
Denise Richards started her time on RHOBH in season 9 and agreed to do four seasons at the time. As a well-known actress and a famous face, Denise signed on for $1 million per season, making her around $4 million by the time her original contract was done.
However, after a bumpy two seasons, Denise had enough and opted out of her contract after two seasons. She still made $2 million out of the deal though.
7 Teresa Giudice: $1.1 Million Per Season
It shouldn't be too surprising that Teresa Giudice earns over $1 million per season on RHONJ these days. She's an OG for the franchise and has one of the rockiest storylines in Real Housewives history. From family dynamics to jail time to deportation scandal — fans tune into RHONJ strictly to see what's going on with Teresa.
Furthermore, she has alliances in the cast that always seems to have her back even when it seems suspicious. In a lot of ways, Teresa earns that $1 million per season because she's the backbone of the franchise.
6 Bethenny: $1+ Million Per Season
Bethenny Frankel was another Housewife who was a part of RHONY from the start. In the first season, Bethenny had no idea what to expect from the franchise or from Bravo and signed on for just $7,250 for the first season. But as the show progressed and Bethenny became more famous, that dollar amount shot up.
According to Reality Blurb, in 2018 Bethenny was making around $1 million per season. And that's just from The Real Housewives. Bethenny also makes megabucks from her Skinnygirl line and other projects she works on.
5 Phaedra Parks: $1.3 Million Per Season
Phaedra Parks came on RHOA in season 3 but in a lot of ways, she feels like a part of the original cast in season 1. She got along with some of the ladies so well and had such a presence on TV. Aside from her relationship with Apollo, Phaedra's career as a lawyer (and beyond) was extraordinary. She was the whole package.
Phaedra also brought the drama on RHOA when her husband was arrested for fraud. Nevertheless, with all of those things tied into a pretty bow, Phaedra's $1.3 million paycheck for season 9 was worth it.
4 Porsha Williams: $1.3 Million Per Season
It's hard to believe that Porsha Williams didn't join the series until season 5 because she's such an important part of the franchise now in season 13. Every Housewife transforms over the years, either for the better or the worse, and Porsha definitely changed for the better. She matured on camera, found herself on the right path, and became one of the most likable Housewives.
With Porsha being such a special part of the series, it makes sense that she's getting paid the big bucks to stick around on Bravo. According to Radar Online, Porsha made $1.3 million for season 12.
3 Cynthia Bailey: $1.8 Million Per Season
Fashion model Cynthia Bailey has a calming presence on RHOA. After joining in season 3, she's been a part of the series every step of the way into season 13. Fans have seen how gracefully she raised her daughter, the rise and fall of her marriage to Peter Thomas, and even her new marriage to Mike Hill.
Cynthia's relationships with the ladies vary but she's a rock that can't be budged. As of season 12, Cynthia got a pay raise of $1.8 million per season.
2 Kandi Burruss: $2 Million Per Season
Like Denise Richards for RHOBH, Kandi Burruss was already a big name when she signed on to do RHOA in season 2. As an award-winning singer and songwriter, Kandi wasn't just known in Atlanta, she was known worldwide. Luckily for Bravo, the network has been able to keep her on the main roster for the past 12 seasons.
What makes Kandi a legendary, current Housewife is how honest she is with the cameras about her life (the good and the bad), which is why viewers tune in. As of June of 2021, Reality Blurb stated that Kandi makes a whopping $2 million per season.
1 Nene Leakes: $2.85 Million For Her Final Season
Nene Leakes may as well be the most popular Houswife in Real Housewives history. Her one-liners, facial expressions, and comedic effects made fantastic reality TV.
Leakes kicked off the franchise in season 1 before taking a break for seasons 8 and 9, but she ultimately came back for three more seasons before calling it quits before season 13. Because of Nene's fame and Real Housewives image, she was earning $2.8 million per season when she was on her final stretch of the franchise.
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June 23, 2021 at 12:00AM
