What is Vicki Gunvalson’s net worth? The RHOC alum has made a fortune from her shows and other personal endeavors.
Victoria Gunvalson is an American reality television personality and businesswoman best known for a starring role as a housewife in the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of Orange County for fourteen seasons. She is the founder of Coto Insurance.
Vicki Gunvalson Profile Summary
- Profession: Actor
- Nationality: American
- Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m)
- Gender: Female
- Date of Birth: March 27, 1962
- Age: 60 years old
- Net Worth: $7 million
- Salary: $500K per season
Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson was devastated after her longtime boyfriend, Steve Lodge, called it quits. However, in a major plot twist, it appears that Vicki has already moved on.
Nearly a year after her split with Steve, things are getting serious between Vicki and her new boyfriend named Michael.
Talking of her fortune, Vicki aside from her show is an Independent Agent, author and makes her money from other endeavors. But how much is Vicki Gunvalson worth now?
What is Vicki Gunvalson’s net worth?
Vicki Gunvalson is an Independent Insurance Agent, author, and reality television star who has a net worth of $7 million.
Vicki Gunvalson’s salary per season of The Real Housewives of Orange County was $500,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Vicki Gunvalson has accumulated her net worth through her career as owner and operator of Coto Insurance and Financial Services and has just recently expanded her business with associates in Bellevue, Washington, and Atlanta.
Who is Vicki Gunvalson?
Vicki is best known for being an original cast member of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” She has also written several books, including “More Than a Housewife” and “Internet Life Insurance Selling Made Easy.”
Vicki was born Victoria L. Steinmetz on March 27, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois.
She grew up one of five children in the suburb of Mount Prospect and later, Paletine, where she attended Fremed High School.
She has three sisters, Kim, Kathy (who were adopted), and Lisa. She also has one brother, Bill. Her father was the owner of Steinmetz Acoustical Construction Company and her mother was a stay at home housewife and mom who cooked every night for the family and still always managed to look impeccable.
According to Vicki, they were a very close-knit family and she has plenty of fond memories of her childhood. Her father was the one that taught her financial responsibility, starting with her first job at Swenson’s Ice Cream Shop. She then went on to work at Wendy’s and then Jewel Food Stores. She’s certainly come a long way since those days.
Personal Life and Career
When she was 21, Vicki married Michael Wolfsmith. They had two children, Briana and Michael. At the age of 29, Vicki got divorced and became a single mother. She took a part-time job at her father’s construction company. One of her close friends advised her to purchase a life insurance policy for herself since she was the breadwinner for herself and her two small children. After further discussions with her friend, she decided to get licensed to sell life and health insurance. Within her first year she was ranked the top salesperson at her company.
Her son Michael is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder and is working with Vicki at Coto Insurance. Her daughter Brianna graduated from nursing school, and is married with two children and living in Oklahoma.
In 1991, her father died from Alzheimer’s disease.
In 1994, she married Donn Gunvalson and founded Coto Insurance and Financial Services, after obtaining her insurance license in California. She is proud to mentor and employs other women and mothers like herself.
Vicki Gunvalson was cast on season one of The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2005. She was on seasons one through 13 of the popular show and original Real Housewives franchise and a recurring member of season 14’s cast. In 2005, with the premiere of The Real Housewives of Orange County”, her life moved in yet another direction. Since the show’s early days filming in Vicki’s office and backyard, the franchise now boasts eight “housewives” shows across the county, 11 International “housewives” installments, and RHOC can be seen in over 120 countries and territories around the world.
Vicki went through a public divorce during the filming of RHOC from her then-husband, Donn Gunvalson; the couple filed for divorce in 2010, but it did not become final until 2014.
(Photo by Jeff Gentner/Getty Images for New Era)
During more recent years, she was in a sometimes controversial relationship with Brooks Ayers. Brooks is disliked by many of her fellow castmates, but even more disliked by Vicki’s daughter, Brianna Wolfsmith-Culberson.
Vicki is engaged to Steve Lodge, brother of actor Roger Lodge. Vicki and Steve have been together for about two years and enjoy country music concerts and spending time with their kids and grandkids together.
Vicki Gunvalson has been called somewhat controlling when it comes to, not only her family but her career as well. After working so hard to become successful, she expects everyone else to put their best foot forward at all times, and give 100%. She has said many times, “I want the power and the money, and I want them both.” Vicki Gunvalson is known to be one of the most outspoken and overachievers on the OC Reality show. She is definitely a “tell it like it is” kind of woman.
In 2018 Vicki was awarded The United States Department of Defense, Patriot Award for her support of military spouses and families.
In November 2018, Housewife Kelly Dodd announced she would not return to The Real Housewives of Orange County for season 14 with Gunvalson after Gunvalson accused Dodd of using cocaine. In December 2018, it was reported that Dodd would be returning to the series.
On July 3, 2019, Bravo released promos that did not include Gunvalson as a cast member. Gunvalson was demoted to a “friend” on RHOC and would not be appearing as frequently on the series. In January 2020, Gunvalson announced her departure from the franchise; in a statement, she said: “It’s been an incredible ride for 14 years and I want to thank all of you for your support, for your love and for ‘whooping it up’ with me along the way.”
Who is Vicki Gunvalson dating now?
According to Vicki, she and her new boyfriend, who we only know as Michael, were introduced by way of a mutual friend — none other than her former RHOC co-star Kelly Dodd. In an interview with Page Six, Vicki described meeting her new boyfriend as a “blessing.”
Vicki explained that the two met years earlier but had only reconnected recently when she was invited to dinner by Kelly and her husband.
“This incredible man was sitting next to me, and he’s like, ‘You never called me back seven years ago,’” she revealed.
Although Kelly couldn’t remember their first encounter, her one-day boo certainly did. “I gave him my number, and I’m like, ‘I don’t remember you,’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, we talked, and we went to Fleming’s.’”
And with that, an RHOC romance was born. Since then, the two have reportedly been “inseparable.”
In June, Vicki introduced Michael to her family and shared a photo of their meetup on her Instagram. In the caption, she wrote, “My heart is happy.”
She added that the day was filled with “lots of laughs and tons of fun.” Per her interview with Page Six, “it couldn’t have gone any better.”
Vicki went on to assert that she had “manifested Mike.” She shared, “He’s, like, my man, so with every bad thing that happens out there… there’s always something that will follow.”
By all accounts, Vicki and Mike’s romantic relationship appears to be flourishing only months after she broke it off with her fiancé. Her ex, Steve, is now happily married to a third-grade school teacher named Janis Carlson. But why did Vicki and Steve break up?
Why did Vicki Gunvalson and Steve Lodge break up?
Following her breakup with Steve, Vicki told her RHUGT co-stars that she was “heartbroken.”
But in a July 19 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Vicki claimed that Janis and Steve’s love story was a product of infidelity.
She told Andy Cohen that Steve moved in with Janis as soon as they broke up, despite his claims that he wasn’t seeing anyone else. “He sent me a text that he had moved out to his mother’s [house]. That was a lie. He moved to his person’s house,” Vicki revealed.
The RHOC star also made it clear that she has no plans of returning her ex’s engagement ring because she’s the one who paid for it. “The ring that he could afford was not what I wanted, so I’m good with buying my own ring.”
