Season 15 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills returned last week, but the shocker was not a flashy feud or a headline-grabbing cameo. It was the ratings.
Once the franchise’s undeniable MVP, the series hit an all-time low with only 600,000 live viewers tuning in. The premiere centered on the group processing Garcelle Beauvais’ abrupt departure after her friendship with Sutton Stracke unraveled behind the scenes.
Guess the Garcelle fans stood on business#RHOBH
— Wendy (@Wendysfunplace) December 10, 2025
While live ratings are no longer the only metric, Bravo now relies heavily on streaming and on-demand numbers from Peacock, and the dip still raised plenty of eyebrows.
Fans quickly took to social media to speculate on what went wrong. Many argued that Garcelle’s exit changed the chemistry of the ensemble and may have pulled a loyal slice of viewers with her.
During the premiere, Sutton claimed to have no clue as to why Garcelle walked away from their friendship.
“She’s not speaking to me, she’s not speaking to you, she’s not speaking to you,” she said. “So, we don’t know. We can play the guessing game for eternity. Because of that, I had to really just take a couple of months to be quiet and be calm and remember who I am.”
In March, Garcelle didn’t completely shut the door to a possible return to the show.
“The door will always be open, so you never know,” she said in a statement. “I might pop back in some time. To the fans, I want to say, thank you so much. You guys have cheered me on, supported me and sometimes even fought for me or on my behalf. It means a lot, and I hope you guys will continue on this journey with me. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later.”