When The Real Housewives of D.C. first premiered in 2010, the show had all the ingredients for another addictive Bravo hit.
Cameras were able to follow a group of successful Washington D.C. women — including Mary Amons, Lynda Erkiletian, Cat Ommanney, Michaele Salahi and Stacie Scott Turner — who were focused on perfection, prestige and politics.
But exactly 14 years after Bravo premiered the show, which ran for 11 episodes and wrapped up with a two-part reunion in October 2010, some fans still question what caused the show to be canceled after just one season.
According to Andy Cohen, the drama surrounding Michaele, 58, and then-husband Tareq Salahi allegedly crashing then-President Barack Obama’s first State Dinner proved to be a little too dramatic.
“Frankly, I really wanted to bring D.C. back for season 2,” he shared on a 2018 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “When the FBI is asking for raw tapes of your show, [a] good thing to maybe not move forward?”
While the Salahis said they were welcome to attend the dinner and “did not party crash the White House,” the incident caused a Secret Service criminal investigation, congressional hearings and an Obama administration internal review. (Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs claimed the Salahis were not on an invitation list of guests.)
“When the FBI subpoenas your raw tapes, there ain’t no way,” Cohen, 56, reiterated on his SiriusXM radio show Andy Cohen Live. “This was such a big internal [shanda] at NBCUniversal that there was no way this show was coming back.”
In April, NBCUniversal made The Real Housewives of D.C. available to stream on Peacock. At the time, some cast members reflected on the series that was initially created to give a unique look at the nation’s capital.
“I felt like our show was very authentic,” Mary, 52, told the Washington Post in April. “As much nonsense and ridiculous behavior that was conducted by the Salahis that basically crashed the show, I still feel like it was a great snapshot of D.C.”
Lynda, 66, added, “I never believed that it was going to be canceled until I actually read about it being canceled.”
In a separate interview with Bravo, the pair said they are both still in touch with Cat, 52, and have remained friendly long after cameras stopped recording.
“The three of us have a very fun WhatsApp chat,” Mary shared in May, adding that the group text chain became more active after the show dropped on Peacock. “We’ve had some really fun moments.”
