Cruel joke that got Real Housewives star Dorinda Medley fired

A mean joke about a fellow cast member and a kitchen tool was reportedly the last straw for Real Housewives producers after six seasons.

The joke’s on her.

Dorinda Medley’s off-colour quip about former Real Housewives Of New York castmate Tinsley Mortimer using a kitchen tool to get pregnant didn’t sit well with her TV network boss Andy Cohen, an insider told Page Six.

The cruel comment, dished out over dinner during an episode of the reality TV show, “offended” the longtime Watch What Happens Live! host and Real Housewives executive producer so much that it factored into Medley’s firing last week, the source said.

“It was part of sealing her fate.”

Initial reports pinned Medley’s ouster on her tendency to become a “mean drunk” while on the set of the show, which streams on Binge.

Dorinda was one of Real Housewives’ most unpredictable stars.

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Rumours that the 55-year-old former housewife, who starred in six seasons of the franchise, would be welcome back on the reality series are also apparently just for show.

“I think (US TV network) Bravo is trying to just placate her,” the insider revealed.

The unsavoury remark was directed at Mortimer, 44, after the socialite revealed that she was leaving New York City to live with her now-fiance, Scott Kluth, in Chicago.

“I’ve got a turkey baster – maybe try and have a baby,” Medley said while cackling and doling out high-fives.

Mortimer has been open on the show about her fertility struggles and ultimately decided to freeze some eggs in 2018.

“You just look like an evil, mean person,” Mortimer calmly responded to her nemesis.

The exchange did more than anger Cohen, 52, who welcomed his first child, Benjamin, via surrogate in February 2019. Medley’s comment also stoked the ire of fans who took to Twitter to vent their fury.

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Dorinda Medley, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Luann de Lesseps on Real Housewives. Picture: Heidi Gutman/Bravo

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“Dorinda making snarky comments about Tinsley’s fertility is disgusting. Women need to support other women. Cannot wait for the world to drag her for that,” one person tweeted.

“What if your daughter had fertility issues, Dorinda? Would you not be furious at someone making the comment you did tonight towards her for that? Where does your hate for Tinsley stem from? Do you even rewatch yourself on the show? Vindictive and vile behaviour,” another viewer wrote.

Representatives for Cohen and Medley could not be reached by Page Six for comment – but Cohen did slip into Page Six’s Instagram thread to write, “This is not true.”

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission