Why Monica Garcia won't return to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

Monica Garcia has exited The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City after her first season. The 40-year-old was at the centre of many controversies documented in Season 4 including the Reality Von Tease Instagram account scandal. On Tuesday, People reported that Monica won’t feature in Season 5.

Filming of the next installment will most likely hit the floors in February 2024. Heather Gay, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose, Angie Katsanevas, and Lisa Barlow will return to the cast, but not Monica, even though she was the standout star of this season, owing to the bombshell revelation of her involvement in the Instagram troll account Reality Von Tease known to post negative things about the RHOSLC stars.

News of Garcia's exit came hours before the premiere of the third and final part of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City reunion, where Monica confronted her fellow cast members.

The confirmation of her exit was made on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, which aired directly after part three of the reunion. Host Andy announced Monica is taking a “break” from the show.

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What’s the troll account drama on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City all about?

Shockwaves were sent during the season 4 finale when Heather Gay exposed Garcia to be one of the multiple people posting on the Reality Von Tease Instagram account. For those unaware, the troll profile targeted Jen Shah, who is currently serving prison time for fraud, and other cast members.

After the revelation, Monica was quick to admit that she had access to the Finsta, also confirmed by Heather Gay’s hairstylist Tenesha Luckett. During the episode, Heather yelled:

“I have your perfect formula: receipts, proof, timeline, screenshots, f**king everything to prove that you are a f**king bully and a f**king troll and you do not deserve to be at this table or anywhere near any of us for the way you’ve treated us! Every single one of us has woken up in fear for the s**t that you posted!”

In a confessional, Monica explained that the account wasn’t run by just one person; there were other people involved too:

“It wasn’t just me. There were several other humans involved, but bottom line, our mission was to take down Jen. The other women were just collateral damage.”

Before her break from the show was confirmed on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the makers attempted to figure a way around Monica’s departure after only one season. Producer Noah Samton told The Hollywood Reporter:

"Monica's a great cast member. She’s open and vulnerable and she represents a different kind of person in Salt Lake than we have on the show. But at the same time, there’s the deception, there’s the relationship with the other cast members. It’s a really complicated puzzle.”

He continued:

“From a rating standpoint, you would want to find a way for her to come back. But it’s really challenging in this situation. We’re just trying to figure it out."

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The final part of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City reunion aired on Bravo on Tuesday, January 23, at 8 pm ET. All episodes of the season are available to stream on Peacock.