Most of the Bravolebrities featured on our shows develop quite a high opinion of themselves due to overnight fame and a couple of new checks in their bank account. While they may not be revered thespians or artists trained at Julliard, they do reach a certain status thanks to appearing on reality television.
It’s no secret actual celebrities follow Bravo shows and we know Real Housewives is watched by so many. Sometimes viewers get a special treat and a real, actual famous person will pop up in the wild. Even if the moment is fleeting, it’s still fun to get a glimpse of a VIP movie or music star in our midst. Let’s look back on some of the famous faces that have graced our humble Housewives shows.
Aretha Franklin / Real Housewives of New York
In the second season of Real Housewives of New York, fans were still getting used to Ramona Singer watching and learning from the northern OG cast. Episode 3 found the ladies traveling to the Hamptons for a fancy equestrian show. The massive event had a red carpet leading into the main area, filled with famous folks who apparently like horses. Thankfully, there was some pretty heavy star power on that carpet and Bravo cameras managed to catch a glimpse of actual royalty. Bow down fair subjects, Ms. Aretha Franklin has just blessed your tv screen. Did she speak to anyone? No. Was the appearance less than 30 seconds? Maybe. Does Bravo get points for including the Queen of Soul? Absof–kinglutely.
Andrea Bocelli / Steven Tyler / Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds / Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has no shortage of celebrities – but it’s not like they are exactly dying to get on RHOBH. We’ve seen Jamie Lee Curtis pretty much every season when Kyle Richards’ hospital charity party is filmed. And Kris Jenner shows up every once in a while to remind us she paid more for her handbag than many of us did for our homes. Yolanda Foster might have left the Bravoverse, but her ex-husband David Foster did provide a shit-ton of music stars during filming. I know most people find David sketchy af, but his career has been quite unbelievable. Thanks to David, fans of the Beverly Hills franchise received more than one distinguished music entertainer. Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds found himself fully humiliated and singing one of Brandi Glanville’s more poetic lines during a dinner party. Superstar and singer of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler appeared at a charity dinner in Canada. But the cherry on top really has to be when the legendary Andrea Bocelli showed up as a guest of David’s to sing to Yolanda’s group of friends in the private room of a restaurant.
Patti LaBelle / Real Housewives of New Jersey
Speaking of icons, it doesn’t get much better than Patti LaBelle. Side-note, if you haven’t tried her apple pies, I strongly advise you to run and not walk to your local grocery store and pick one up. You’re welcome. Real Housewives of New Jersey isn’t exactly known for its outpouring of class and sophistication during production. But that’s okay because a brief appearance from Ms. Patti in Season 4, Episode 12 classed up the joint for a good decade to come. Greg Bennet is a friend of Chris Manzo and Albie Manzo and he is a big fan of Ms. Patti. When attending a fancy food festival, Greg saw his mark and knew he had to go meet her. As Greg maneuvered the massive crowd and grew closer to Patti, he was almost prevented from reaching her due to the colossal size of her Louis Vuitton scarf. But a mere scarf will leave Greggy undeterred. Unbeknownst to Greg, Patti is a RHONJ fan and knew exactly who he was. It was one of the only pure moments in the history of this show, as cameras captured Greg’s ascent into enlightenment.
Candace Bushnell / Real Housewives of New York
Back to RHONY for another famous face, this time we have… a writer! A very famous and prolific writer. Maybe Candace Bushnell hasn’t won a Pulitzer, but her books were the basis of the mega Sex and the City franchise and made her about $40 million richer. With the addition of Dorinda Medley to the cast, her Season 9 dinner party gave us, “I’ll tell you how I’m doing, not well bitch,” and a bemused expression from the novelist. Candace is also friends with former RHONY star, Ramona, but I’m not sure if she is listed as one of Ramona’s fifty closest girlfriends. Luann de Lesseps also has a relationship with the author, but if you think Candace would be willing to sacrifice her dignity for a tagline, you would be incorrect.
Betty White / Real Housewives of Orange County
I have saved the best for last and the best of the best is obviously going to be Betty Marion White and I will hear nothing else. I don’t find myself thankful to Heather Dubrow for many reasons, but the Real Housewives of Orange County star managed to snag a co-star stint on Hot in Cleveland. Heather was thrilled to return to acting when she was offered a guest starring role. RHOC was able to catch some of her rehearsal table read. Thank sweet baby Jesus the Bravo production cameras didn’t break when an actual saint appeared in front of them. The one and only Betty was present at the read and sweetly greeted Heather, who was not worthy of this honor. In Heather’s defense, there are few people who deserved such a privilege. The Real Housewives world is not often favored by such a magnificent presence, but Heather did us a solid when fans were able to witness such a sacred moment. Bonus celebrity spotting in this episode is the very cool Valerie Bertinelli, who also appeared on Betty’s show. If Heather never does anything else for Bravo, we can thank her for being a friend this one time.
TELL US- WHAT CELEBRITY CAMEO WOULD YOU ADD TO THIS LIST? WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE REAL HOUSEWIVES CELEBRITY CAMEO? WHAT CELEBRITY APPEARANCE WOULD EXCITE YOU THE MOST?
[Photo Credit: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images]