Katie Rost made a memorable return to Season 4 of “The Real Housewives of Potomac” with her bad wigs and unfiltered remarks. But producers still did not invite her to this year’s reunion, which airs later this month.
“Everyone knows I should be on that couch,” Rost, 39, wrote on Instagram July 31. “You want to exploit my image and life and not give me my time to shine?”
A source close to Rost wondered whether the reality star’s explosive social media posts this year — about her miscarriage, child custody battle and allegations of abuse against her ex — may have influenced the decision to leave her out of the reunion. A spokesperson for Bravo, however, told us there is “absolutely no truth to this, it’s completely false information.”
Before filming for Season 4 began, the source close to Rost said the reality star was approached by Truly Original, the production company behind the show, asking her to come back to the series following an almost two-year hiatus.
“He had [co-star] Gizelle [Bryant] inquire whether she was interested in coming back, and [Katie] told them what going on in her life,” the source said, speculating that producers thought they could “dance around” her custody issues on camera.
Rost previously detailed allegations of physical and verbal abuse against her ex-husband James Orsini, with whom she shares three children, in an exclusive interview with Page Six and in court papers.
Orsini has denied those domestic violence accusations, previously telling Page Six, “Katie Rost has begun a one-sided smear campaign against me through social media. She has made horrendous false allegations regarding our past relationship and her accessibility to the children. I have continued to abide by court orders set in place. I would love nothing more than to have the truth revealed; yet would actually prefer the lives of my children, my wife, my stepdaughter and myself to remain private.”
A source close to Rost said it was “strange” that producers “wouldn’t want that drama.”
A source close to production previously told Page Six that Orsini’s attorney had sent a letter “making sure that our legal team knew what was in [Rost and Orsini’s] agreement” not to disparage each other — so perhaps the network was attempting to avoid a legal dispute.
This is not the first time Rost has been at odds with production.
In March, the reality star’s mother, Rynthia Rost, told Page Six that her daughter was not invited as a full-time Housewife after Season 2, claiming producers “didn’t like that she wasn’t sharing enough of what was going on in her life.”
A source close to production previously told us in response, “It had absolutely nothing to do with any issues with her ex-husband. We had decided she was just going to be a ‘friend of’ at that point, not a full ‘Housewife.’ She didn’t want us to shoot anything in her personal life, including her home, anything she was doing. She was shutting everything down anyway.”
Despite the alleged limitations, Rost joined Season 4 as a “friend of” the cast and did not discuss her custody issues in-depth on the show. During filming, she effectively immersed herself back into the group.
The reality star’s wigs, in particular, sparked a lot of chatter from viewers and the cast due to their disheveled appearance.
The source said Rost intentionally used the wigs as a device “to be funny” and “get attention” since producers were not giving her additional air-time in confessionals.
“Katie has many beautiful wigs and she has a fantastic stylist, so it was her decision,” the source said. “They said we want you to be light and fluffy, so she put on a damn wig and said, ‘How’s this? Is this light and fluffy enough for you?’”
The source said Bravo told Rost at some point during filming that they “loved everything that she was doing, even the bad wigs,” adding that even after the show wrapped “everything was good.”
However, the source said they believe Rost’s posts on social media and her exclusive March interview with Page Six caused producers to be “concerned.”
“I think they’ve just been really angry that she gets ahead of them as far as how to present her own things going on in her life,” the source said. “They can control a lot of things, but they can’t control someone who isn’t under contract, has her own life and her own agenda.”
Once Rost learned the reunion would be filming soon, the source said Rost thought it was “strange” they had not reached out to her.
According to a separate source, cast members Candiace Dillard and Monique Samuels were “really upset” Rost was “dissed and not invited.”
When fans learned the news, many also rallied behind Rost and speculated that she may have not been invited because of comments she made about Ashley Darby’s husband, Michael Darby, who was involved in a sexual assault case throughout the season.
The charges against Darby have been dismissed.
“That doesn’t make any sense to me,” our source said, pointing out that other cast members have also commented on Darby’s case.
“There was always support and concern for Katie’s wellbeing,” a spokesperson for Bravo told Page Six. “Housewives go to reunion and there’s no guarantee that friends of Housewives are invited.”
Reps for Truly Original did not respond to requests for comment.
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