“Now feels like the right time to return to my Bravo family after so many years away. I’m going through a very pivotal moment in my life, and I think it’s important to share my experiences with as many women as possible so they don’t feel alone and can feel supported in whatever they may be facing in their own lives,” Zoe shared in a statement with Vanity Fair.
She continued: “I cannot emphasize enough how essential it is for women to be independent—financially, emotionally, and socially, and to always be prepared for whatever life brings. This has been the most transformative period of my life; I’ve never felt stronger, and that strength comes from my independence. What I hope to bring to the show is my most authentic self, and I hope my vulnerability helps other women. I hope to bring some fun, fashion, and most importantly friendship.”
One episode in, Zoe has already proven her ability to cut through some of the Beverly Hills Housewives’ artifice. In the premiere’s final moments, Zoe tells Richards that she rebuked a potential setup with Richards’s estranged husband, Mauricio Umansky, her disclosure earning a shocked reaction from the other ladies. Bravo maestro Andy Cohen says we’d be wise to remember that Zoe was a former Bravo star, but also an executive producer with a taste for making juicy reality TV—especially about herself. “She had fronted and executive produced her own show, which was really about her business. But this is really showcasing her in an incredibly transitional moment in her life, in a vulnerable moment,” Cohen told The Cut of Zoe’s return. “It was raw and real of her to sign up, and it’s a really interesting place to rejoin her story.”
