The "King of Queens" star Leah Remini is set to join the cast of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" for its upcoming 16th season. Remini confirmed the long-standing rumors on Wednesday via an Instagram post. Her team did not specify whether the Emmy-winning actor would be a full-time cast member on the series.
Luxury real estate broker Tracy Tutor, known from "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles," is also slated to join the cast. They will be part of an ensemble that includes returning members Kyle Richards, Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Bozoma Saint John, Rachel Zoe, and Sutton Stracke. Kathy Hilton and actor Jennifer Tilly are also expected to return in a recurring "friend" capacity.
Meanwhile, Amanda Frances, who was part of Season 15, will not be returning. Frances shared the news and announced a forthcoming memoir on Instagram on August 5th, noting she is taking the "spiritual warfare, and the occasional deeply unnecessary dinner party drama" into all that God has for her next. She also commented that a "next move does not require anyone’s approval."
"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" has a notable history, turning 20 this year. It holds the distinction of being the most-watched of its franchise, with "Real Housewives of Atlanta" coming in second after a decade of popularity.
Filming for the new season began earlier this summer. Much of the cast, not including Remini and Tutor, recently traveled to Ghana for Bozoma Saint John’s wedding to Keely Watson. Remini herself is scheduled to begin filming her segments in Los Angeles this week, bringing the production closer to home.
The news of Remini joining the series follows her announcement in 2024 that she and her former husband, Angelo Pagán, were divorcing after nearly 30 years together. In a joint statement released at the time, the couple explained that they had both changed "as people do" over the years. They expressed that their decision came after "a lot of thought and care," and despite the difficulty of divorce, they were approaching it with "a positive outlook because we know it’s what’s best for us." Remini and Pagán had previously shared aspects of their relationship publicly in television specials, including VH1’s "Inside Out: Leah Remini" and her two-season TLC series, "It’s All Relative."