Heather Rae El Moussa Says It Was a ‘Blessing’ She Wasn’t Called Back for “Selling Sunset”: ‘Very Toxic’
The luxury real estate agent was a series regular on the Netflix reality show until season 7 when she had a reduced role before her maternity leave
Heather Rae El Moussa revealed it was “very toxic” being a cast member on Selling Sunset during Monday’s episode of The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast
The HGTV star was a series regular on the Netflix reality show until season 7 when she was not called back to film after her maternity leave
Heather now stars on HGTV’s The Flipping El Moussas which she co-hosts and produces with her husband Tarek El Moussa
Heather Rae El Moussa has no regrets about leaving Selling Sunset.
While appearing on Monday’s episode of The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast alongside her husband Tarek El Moussa, Heather opened up about what it was really like to film the hit Netflix real estate show that she was a series regular on for nearly seven seasons.
“It was a blessing that I wasn’t asked to come back because I’m so much happier filming my show with Tarek,” she said, referring to the HGTV show The Flipping El Moussas. “We’re co-producers on our show so we pick the hours. With Selling Sunset, I never knew when I was going to be filming. It was last minute, it took over my life, it was hard to do my real job — real estate. It was hard to do anything else.”
Some days were so tough that she “came home crying,” she shared, with Tarek chiming in, “every day.”
Related: Heather Rae El Moussa Makes Solo HGTV Debut on a Fan-Favorite Show After Selling Sunset Exit: WATCH
Heather added that the demanding schedule had her working 12 to 14-hour long days and she was constantly away from her husband and kids.
“It was crazy. They just want more and more and more and you saw me on the show. I pretty much was level-headed almost the whole time. I was kind of friends with everyone and I kept things pretty chill in my life.”
She continued, “Yeah, it’s very toxic. You’re around a bunch of women that everyone wants to be stars on the show, you know, number one. And they’ll kind of do anything.”
Towards the end of season 6, fans watched Heather get caught in the middle of a feud between her good friend Bre Tiesi and their fellow castmate Chelsea Lazkani regarding Tiesi’s relationship with Nick Cannon.
The season ended with Heather confronting Lazkani about saying she was stirring the pot when it came to Lazkani’s rocky relationship with Tiesi. "Don't be two-faced when you're upset," she said to Lazkani at the end of season 6.
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Heather makes a brief appearance on the show during season 7 before going on maternity leave. After having her and Tarek’s son Tristan in February 2023, she revealed that Netflix had not called her back to film during a March 2023 interview with Adrienne Bailon and Keltie Knight for E! News.
"Season 7 is filming right now, but I've been off maternity leave and I've been excited to get back to work and so far I have not been called back," she said, adding, "It's been a little frustrating. I've been there from the pilot, from the beginning.”
Heather had been a full-time cast member on the Netflix docudrama since its first season in 2019. In December, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that Heather would not return to the Netflix show in its eighth season.
While speaking to PEOPLE exclusively in November 2023, the HGTV star shared that she didn’t miss all the tension that surrounded Selling Sunset and that she’s much happier being on her new renovation series with her husband.
"I love being able to prioritize my family and my happiness and step away from some of the drama that Selling Sunset brought into my life," she told PEOPLE.
"But I can just film with my husband now, drama-free," she added. "I mean, the dramas in the houses, it's not with the people. And that is so incredible that I don't have to worry about fighting with a girl if I go to work."
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