Real Housewives franchise is an institution of pop culture. Equal parts Dynasty, Desperate Houswives, and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, it’s all camp, glamour, and drama, which has earned it a loyal queer fan base.
And yet surprisingly, it has never featured an out full-time housewife until now, when the latest season of the revamped Real Housewives of Miami introduced audiences to Julia Lemigova, former model, beauty entrepreneur, farmer, and wife of tennis icon Martina Navratilova.
For Lemigova, making queer history on the franchise is both exciting and overdue. “It’s about time!” she tells The Advocate.