Bravo turning ordinary women into household names on The Real Housewives has not only helped the stars’ businesses outside the franchise thrive—it’s boosted the economies of the areas where they film.
“These fans are unbelievable,” Kathy Hilton, from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, told Newsweek at BravoCon. “If they love you, they are loyal to you. They will buy.”
Since premiering in 2006, Real Housewives has featured dozens of women across 31 locales and has sparked countless business ventures. Like their franchises, the success of their businesses is built on “authenticity,” according to the Housewives, and with the help of their fans, they’ve built businesses beyond what they thought possible.
The Hiltons Realize Bravo’s Value
While most Real Housewives stars are relatively unknown before coming on the show, Hilton was a household name long before she joined Beverly Hills as a “friend of.” Had you asked her five years ago if she’d join Housewives, she would have said no. But it became a business opportunity she didn’t want to turn down.
“That was the main reason that I did it,” Hilton said of the ability to reach the fan base. “I’m a businesswoman. I thought it would be fun.”
Along with meeting fans, Hilton was at BravoCon to promote her jewelry collaboration with Anna Zuckerman. Inspired by her own fine jewelry, Hilton’s line harnesses all the sparkle of fine jewelry while using sustainable, precious metals, so people don’t have to spend thousands of dollars.
It’s not enough to just be on the show, Hilton has learned. You can’t just ask fans to buy your perfume or clothes; you have to interact with them, something she attributes to why people watching the show love her.
At BravoCon, Hilton squashed the rumor that her daughter, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, was joining The Real Housewives of New York. She explained that Rothschild was attending the event because she’s a businesswoman who saw the opportunity to reach thousands of potential buyers for her new jewelry line.
Rothschild’s line, Theo Grace, launched earlier this year, and she told Newsweek at BravoCon that there was no better place to launch the Hilton collaboration than the largest gathering of Bravo fans. And, like her mother, Rothschild’s opinion on joining the Bravo world has shifted.
“If you had asked me a few years ago, would I ever be at BravoCon, I couldn’t even dream of it but at the end of the day I am a businesswoman and I understand the gravity of the Bravoverse and the eyeballs and exposure,” Rothschild said. “To do this Theo Grace popup has been incredibly successful in every sense of the world.”
A Reality Television First
Like Hilton, Lisa Vanderpump had a successful business before she joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as part of the original cast. She then used the opportunity to do something never seen on television before. During an episode of Beverly Hills, viewers were introduced to wait staff from Vanderpump’s restaurant, SUR, during a party.
The storyline from Beverly Hills seamlessly transitions to Vanderpump Rules, a new show set at Vanderpump’s restaurant, without breaking for a commercial. It wasn’t until about 15 minutes in that people realized they were watching an entirely new show. But Bravo had viewers hooked, and Vanderpump Rules would go on to be a wildly successful show.
“[Vanderpump Rules] has had such a far reach, even know,” Vanderpump told Newsweek at BravoCon. “It’s been a wonderful experience.”
SUR has seen a huge influx of fans flocking to the restaurant over the years, and there are even Vanderpump Rules tours people can take that visit several restaurants featured on the show.
Pushing Each Other in Business
While Housewives are using their platforms to promote their own businesses, it’s also about inspiring others, including the women on their shows. Cynthia Bailey of The Real Housewives of Atlanta told Newsweek she wanted to be “intentional” about becoming an entrepreneur, in part to inspire and motivate other Black women to embark on business ventures.
“We inspire each other,” Bailey said. “These ladies are such bosses. Like when I think I got it going on, I look on Instagram and I’m like, “Whoa, Phaedra [Parks] just opened another business, lord have mercy, I gotta catch up.”
Both Parks and Bailey said that part of what helps them be successful in business is surrounding themselves with successful women. And when it comes to their businesses, they “respect and support each other,” even if the rest of their interactions are a little bit messy.
Set Jetting
The Real Housewives hasn’t just been a profit-maker for the women on the show; it’s helped local economies through a new form of tourism called “set jetting.” Exactly as the name implies, “set jetting” is when people travel to a place because of a television show, like The Real Housewives, or a movie was filmed there.
A 2025 trend report from Expedia found that two-thirds of travelers’ trips were influenced by movies and TV. After The Real Housewives of Dubai aired in 2022, Expedia saw a 30 percent year-over-year increase in interest in Dubai.
Caroline Stanbury first joined the Bravoverse on Ladies of London, then helped launch The Real Housewives of Dubai after moving to the city with her now-ex-husband. She told Newsweek at BravoCon that being on the show is both a “blessing and a curse” in terms of business. Some people doubt her business savvy, and being on reality television isn’t a guarantee for success outside of the show.
Stanbury showed the ups and downs of running a business on Ladies of London. Her luxury e-commerce company, Gift Library, was initially very successful. But, in season 2, fans watched as Stanbury’s meeting with investors went poorly and she was forced to close her company.
She’s since started a podcast, become an influencer and is opening a boutique hotel in Bali that’s slated to open in 2026.
“Bravo fans are so loyal. They wanna get behind you, they wanna support you, they wanna root for you,” Stanbury said.
Thousands of miles away from Dubai, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City are also helping boost tourism in Utah. One of the newer franchises, it quickly became a fan favorite, with the season 4 premiere among Bravo’s most-watched.
Visit Salt Lake, a private, nonprofit corporation responsible for promoting Salt Lake City as a tourist destination, published an article giving Housewives fans a list of businesses and restaurants where the women filmed.
Without Salt Lake City, Meredith Marks said she might not have expanded into the areas of her business she did, because she wouldn’t have the “broad reach” she has now. Having ventured into caviar, jewelry, clothing and now, a DJ career, Marks admitted she was “absolutely” concerned about the show’s potential to negatively impact her business. But, so far, that hasn’t been the case.
One website, The Real Hotels, lets people see lists of hotels where Housewives stayed on the show and book a vacation there themselves.
The latest show in the franchise, The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, filmed over the summer and is set to premiere in 2026. Governor Dan McKee said in a statement that he was “excited” to welcome the “millions” of Real Housewives viewers to his state, calling it “perfect for the spotlight.”
“This is a great opportunity to support our local economy and bring national attention to all Rhode Island has to offer,” McKee said.