The backlash to Michael Rapaport’s appearance on Season 4 of The Traitors has been swift and loud. Now, Dorinda Medley has weighed in.
The Real Housewives of New York star has largely kept a low profile throughout Season 4, hoping not to repeat the mistakes of her short-lived run on Season 3. However, during a recent Watch What Happens Live appearance, Dorinda had plenty of thoughts about Michael’s time on the show, and she made it clear the two aren’t as “close” as it may have seemed.
Dorinda Medley spoke on the Traitors Season 4 cast during WWHL
Michael got banished in Season 4 Episode 5, following a homophobic comment aimed at Colton Underwood. Most of the cast joined together to kick him out of the game, while Dorinda stayed quiet and cast her vote for Ron Funches.
While many fans were already upset about Michael’s casting, the incident in Episode 5 sparked a fresh wave of criticism. Andy Cohen addressed the controversy on the January 26 episode of WWHL, asking Dorinda about her relationship with Michael.
“Since you’re close with Michael Rapaport, and since I think you—” Andy said, before Dorinda cut in.
“Well, I don’t think we’re close,” Dorinda clarified. “What it is, he’s part of the Bravo universe. We know him through Bravo and BravoCon and that kind of thing, but we’re not having dinner or anything.”
After Dorinda distanced herself from Michael, Andy asked for her reaction to the backlash he received from fans. It sounds like she didn’t see it coming, and she wasn’t fully aware of just how polarizing he would be. According to her, she never looked at his Instagram and only knew him from his frequent appearances on Bravo.
“I had no idea he was so aggressively vocal, so it was a little bit overwhelming for me,” Dorinda admitted.
Meanwhile, Dorinda has slowly been getting caught up in some backlash of her own. Her on-screen rival Ron accused her of showing “conscious bias” towards him during their time in the castle. He claimed the editors left some of the “terrible things” she said about him on the cutting room floor. So, with all of this tension and controversy, you can bet this reunion will be interesting.
The Traitors is streaming on Peacock, with new episodes dropping on Thursdays at 9/8c.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK DORINDA IS TRYING TO DISTANCE HERSELF FROM MICHAEL? WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE BACKLASH HE HAS RECEIVED?
