Monica Garcia did not see the finale to the “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” coming.
Hours after the season 5 final aired on Bravo on January 15, Garcia posted to Instagram to react to her former co-stars’ shocking cell phone burn book segment. After noting that she feels “vindicated,” Garcia added, “Well, damn. I did not see that coming at all. I have so many thoughts but cannot even begin to put them into words yet.”
Garcia added, “I am shook.”
Garcia was a cast member on the 4th season of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.” Her tenure was short-lived, as she wasn’t asked back for season 5.
Fans Think Monica Garcia Will Return to RHOSLC Next Season
BravoThe RHOSLC season 4 finale ended with Garcia being exposed as the mastermind of the troll Instagram account Reality Von Tease. Garcia later brought a burn book to the reunion. She not invited to return for season 5 amid the betrayal of her castmates.
But season 5 ended on an even meaner “Mean Girls” note. “We made fun of Monica for having a burn book, and we all have our own burn books,” RHOSLC star Heather Gay said in the season 5 finale episode, titled “Burn Books Revisted.” “But our burn books aren’t a curated copy like ‘Mean Girls.’ They’re in our phones, and none of us, none of us, are without fault. “
“We’ve all said horrible, hurtful things about each other when we should have been honoring and celebrating and keeping this space sacred and private,” Gay explained. “We thought we got rid of the problem last year, but we didn’t,” she added in reference to Garcia.
The castmates then went around the table and read horrific text messages about each other before letting the hatred go. Elsewhere in the episode, Whitney Rose admitted that she reached out to Garcia “out of desperation” after being labeled a “liar” by some of the other cast members.
Fans reacted on social media. In a thread on Reddit, some felt the finale could pave the way for Garcia to return. “Maybe this was a lead in for Monica,” one Reddit user wrote.
“That’s what I’m thinking,” another agreed.
“Monica was one of the best housewives to ever do it, she will be back especially when Andy would like to see it himself 🥰,” a third chimed in.
On X, other fans noted that season 5 started with “nonstop flashbacks to Monica Garcia” and the season finale was “right back to Monica Garcia.”
“Monica Garcia is coming back next season #rhoslc,” another X user wrote.
Andy Cohen Has Not Ruled Out Monica Garcia’s Return
BravoWhen Garcia was first put on “pause” in January 2024, Bravo producer Andy Cohen spoke out on his Sirius XM show “Andy Cohen Live.” At the time, Cohen explained that a “cooling off period” was needed with Garcia because she didn’t use her time at the reunion to fully explain her past actions.
“We all discussed it ad nauseum that it would be best to kind of let this one breathe for a while,” Cohen said. “She’s obviously really compelling television. Maybe she’ll be able to build some inroads with some of the women on her own off-camera. And we’ll see if that happens.”
He also told Variety he would welcome Garcia back to Bravo in the future. “Anything can happen,” Cohen said in January 2024. “And I love a comeback. And so, it would be very cool to find a path forward for her.”
Cohen was also asked about Garcia during the summer of 2024. At the time, he told Parade he hoped to see the mom of four back on the show. “I think that Monica Garcia will, I hope that Monica is back in some form,“ he admitted.
In November, Cohen told Deadline that he didn’t want any talk about Garcia’s potential return to distract from the season 5 cast. The season 5 cast included Gay, Rose, Meredith Marks, Lisa Barlow, Angie Katsanevas, Mary Cosby, Bronwyn Newport, and Britanie Bateman. “I’m a big Monica fan, but I think that’s kind of a conversation for the future,” Cohen said.
Garcia also shared her thoughts on the subject. In an October 2024 interview with Us Weekly, the former RHOSLC star said she would only consider a return to the Bravo reality show if there were changes to the cast. “Housewives is all about bridges and mending relationships and seeing the other side of things. But [with] how things played out, I don’t know how they do it as long as certain other cast members are there,” she told the outlet last fall. “So, I could see myself coming back if, maybe, there was a cast shake-up.”
