Is ‘RHUGT’s Vicki Gunvalson in a Relationship? All About Her Love Life
Vicki Gunvalson is officially back in the Real Housewives orbit with her recent return to The Real Housewives of Orange County and upcoming appearance on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, honoring 20 years of the franchise.
The August 9 premiere of RHUGT will feature Gunvalson hosting the ladies on her home turf in Orange County before the group heads to Beverly Hills, Atlanta, and more, before finishing the trip in New York City. With Gunvalson back in the spotlight, we’re doing a deep dive into her current romance and relationship history.
Scroll down to learn more about Gunvalson’s relationship with boyfriend Michael Smith, her split from Steve Lodge, and much more.
Who is Vicki Gunvalson’s boyfriend?
Smith and Gunvalson started dating in 2022. “I actually met Michael seven years ago, and he gave me his number, and I never called him,” Gunvalson said on Watch What Happens Live that year.
She told Us Weekly that she and Smith connected in January 2022 after being introduced (or re-introduced) by a mutual friend.
Unlike Gunvalson, who lives her life in the public eye, Smith is very private. He is a developer from Texas, but has since relocated to California. He and Gunvalson bought a home together in La Quinta this year, she told Bravo Insider.
While Gunvalson and Smith are in a committed relationship, she has said that she’s not rushing to tie the knot. “I’ve been married twice, he’s been married once, and I don’t really feel the urge or need to get married because I am so loyal to him and so committed,” she told E!
Who was Vicki Gunvalson married to?
Gunvalson’s first husband was Michael J. Wolfsmith. She married him when she was 21, and they divorced when she was 29. The former couple met while they were working at a grocery store: him as a bagger and her as a cashier.
After her divorce from Wolfsmith in 1991, she wed Donn Gunvalson in 1994. They separated in 2010 and finalized their divorced in 2014.
What happened between Vicki Gunvalson and Steve Lodge?
In 2016, Gunvalson started dating Steve Lodge, a retired police officer. They got engaged in 2019, but wound up splitting in 2021.
On an episode of RHUGT in 2022, Gunvalson revealed that Lodge broke up with her. “My heart is broken and I don’t know what happened,” she shared.
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She revealed that she bought a home in Mexico and that Lodge started spending more time there than at their home in California. “Come to find out he had been having an affair, while he’s sleeping with me and going to my family with me. I’m supporting his governorship,” Vicki alleged. “He’s a liar, and he’s a cheater, and he’s a bad guy. And I just wanted to make it work.” Lodge, meanwhile, denied his ex’s claims.
Prior to her relationship with Lodge, Gunvalson dated Brooks Ayers on and off from 2012 to 2015. The relationship was put under a microscope in 2015 when Ayers admitted to forging medical records related to his cancer diagnosis. While he maintains he was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, he admitted that he fabricated documents to prove his diagnosis after it came into question among Gunvalson’s RHOC castmates.
“I acted alone, without Vicki’s knowledge, to produce documents for a reality TV show in hopes of putting doubts about my cancer to rest,” Ayers said. “I never intended to disclose my actual medical records or details about my private and personal medical history, thus the rationalization of presenting documents that weren’t true simply for a ‘storyline’ for the show.”
How many kids does Vicki Gunvalson have?
Gunvalson has two children from her marriage to Wolfsmith. Her son, Michael Wolfsmith Jr., turned 40 in January 2026, and her daughter, Briana, turned 39 in April.
On a recent episode of RHOC, Michael Jr. told his mom that he hadn’t seen his sister in eight years. “I haven’t even met two of her kids. Not good,” he admitted. Culberson lives in Texas with her husband, Ryan, and they have four children. Michael Jr. moved to Spain in 2025.
After the episode aired, Gunvalson clarified that her kids are not “estranged,” telling E!, “They talk all the time, they just haven’t seen each other. He lives in Spain, she lives in another state.”
The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th, Premiere, Sunday, August 9, 9/8c, Bravo
