Everything I Know About Divorce, I Learned From ‘The Real Housewives’

It’s always been a stress-reliever, but I didn’t know I’d see myself in these women. by Molly Wadzeck

Since my separation, I’ve found myself turning to Bravo as a go-to stress reliever. Okay, fine, it’s always been my main source of entertainment, but I never imagined I’d ever see myself in these women. On the surface, The Real Housewives is anything but relatable (that’s kind of the whole point). There are no spare mansions just for hosting parties in my life, no private jets (I mean, “PJs”), and certainly no diamond-studded dinners gone wrong.

But lately, especially while watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, something has shifted. My escapism feels strangely familiar. The drama may be dialed up for TV, but the emotional undercurrents hit surprisingly close to home.

In fact, so much of what I’ve learned about divorce has come from watching these women navigate their relationships, friendships, shifting identities, and finances post-separation. While my ex-husband wasn’t hiding assets or embroiled in any financial fraud scandals, I still found myself grappling with the issues and challenges many of these women face — particularly the power dynamics between women and men, the complications of financial independence, and the emotional rollercoaster of a life-altering transition.

Many of the women on these shows come from or marry into wealth, but even within that luxury, the gendered and financial imbalances are evident. As a former stay-at-home mom, I recognized that moment of reckoning:when the illusion of security begins to fade and you realize how precarious your footing truly is. To watch someone who seemingly has it all still wrestle with uncertainty is both sobering and comforting. It reminded me of what it feels like to stand at the edge of your own life, wondering what lies ahead.

I watched as Erika Girardi downsized from her opulent Pasadena estate to a 2,000-square-foot Spanish-style home, even bringing in a celebrity interior designer to reimagine the space. She may have had less, but she made that home entirely her own—something that reflected her personality, her style, her presence.