Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County (RHOC) has seen its fair share of bad men. Who could forget Shannon Beador’s ex-husband, David, who cheated on her? Or her most recent ex-boyfriend, John Janssen? He’s now dating RHOC alum, Alexis Bellino.
But none were as polarizing as Vicki Gunvalson’s ex, Brooks Ayers. The pair dated off and on for several years. Their relationship was controversial from the start, with the housewives accusing Brooks of using Vicki for money and fame.
He also didn’t get along with Vicki’s daughter, Briana. But the worst offense of all was when Brooks faked cancer.
Why, oh why, did Brooks fake cancer on The Real Housewives of Orange County? Here, we take a page from Meghan O’Toole King and investigate.
Source: Getty Images
Why did Brooks fake cancer on ‘RHOC’?
For several seasons of RHOC, Brooks was adamant that he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He went to extreme lengths to cover up the inconsistencies surrounding his cancer treatment.
For example, he claimed that he had undergone chemotherapy for stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at City of Hope Medical Center. The center later confirmed that he had never been a patient there.
Brooks also later admitted to forging medical records. He explained that he did so because he didn’t want to disclose his actual medical records,
In a statement to People, Brooks shared that he did, in fact, receive a cancer diagnosis before filming Season 10. He asked Vicki to keep his diagnosis private, but she shared it with her fellow castmates, Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador.
Source: Instagram | @vickigunvalson
“I was not OK with that at all when I found out about it, however, the information about my diagnosis was out,” he shared. “I was approached by a few media outlets to confirm my diagnosis and made a calculated decision to address it via a statement and an on-camera interview in hopes that we would ‘put this to bed’ and allow me to move forward in private.”
Brooks claimed that withholding the truth allowed him to handle his cancer diagnosis in private.
He also claimed that Vicki wasn’t involved in any “cancer scam” simply because there wasn’t one.
Brooks did take some accountability when it came to his actions of covering up his alleged cancer diagnosis. “I have made my share of mistakes which I regret. I pride myself in apologizing when I am wrong or have wronged others either intentionally or unintentionally,” he said.
Brooks Ayers was the biggest villain ever seen on RHOC pic.twitter.com/wNX9twtNYo
— Luannsmugshot (@luannsmugshoot) June 8, 2024
Source: X | @luannsmugshot
He also said that “the antics of Vicki’s friends” put “enormous pressure” on him and Vicki’s relationship. This resulted in their breakup in July 2015.
“Through the first five years of dating Vicki, I was coined as a con man, low life, gold digger, dead beat, etc.,” he wrote. “Nothing could be further from the truth in reality, yet this alone makes for great TV and for controversy.”