Amidst several crumbling marriages and friendships on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the professional “breakup” between Sutton Stracke and her longtime assistant Avi Gabay ranked high among the most shocking cast splits.
During The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills After Show‘s premiere, Sutton opened up about why she fired Avi as her manager of operations and where their relationship stands now.Â
“Avi and I had a great run,” Sutton explained in the above clip. “But things come to an end. It was just a business decision for me. I was coming to a point in my life where no children were going to be in my house; I didn’t have a storefront that needed tending to. So, it was just time. And you know, we had run our course… I just didn’t need anybody in my house all the time.”
RELATED:Â Sutton Stracke Reveals She and Assistant Avi Gabay Have “Parted Ways”
Pointing out that “people let staff members go all the time,” Sutton struggled to understand why Avi’s firing had “become such an issue” among her castmates and viewers alike.
Is Sutton Stracke still friends with Avi today?
No. Elsewhere on the RHOBH After Show, Sutton revealed, “I don’t talk to Avi,” before adding, “I was, um, surprised that, in letting him go, that it was going to terminate the friendship as well. That was a surprise for me.”
Sutton also addressed Avi posing for red carpet photos with her former bestie Garcelle Beauvais at the Los Angeles premiere of the latter’s Taken at a Truck Stop film in October. She said, “I had no idea that Garcelle liked Avi so much, but apparently they have a good long-term friendship, so…”
How Sutton Stracke explained firing Avi on RHOBH
When Kyle Richards arrived at Sutton’s home for a luncheon during the RHOBH Season 15 premiere, she was quick to notice that Avi was “very apparently” missing from the gathering.
After Sutton revealed that she “let Avi go,” Kyle asked her what happened between them.Â
“Nothing really happened,” Sutton replied. “There was no, like, drama. And look, I love him. He made me laugh so hard. And… It’s been really sad.”
As she shared with a producer, “I’ve known Avi for a while. He’s seen a lot. He’s seen me married. He’s seen me go through my divorce. He’s seen Porter graduate from high school. To me, Avi was a close friend.”
Erika Jayne chimed in to ask if Sutton and Avi left things “on good terms” amidst their professional parting of ways.
RELATED:Â Sutton Stracke Shares Peeks of Cozy Weekends with Her Loved Ones: “Vibes” (PHOTOS)
“I thought that we did, but, you know, things get complicated. It’s just complicated,” Sutton answered. “I personally don’t need a personal assistant. So, it’s a friend that I’ve lost. That’s the harder part.”
Though Erika, in a confessional, opined that Sutton was “being very evasive” and didn’t seem to “want to talk about” her and Avi’s “falling out,” she and Kyle didn’t question her further. Kyle did say in a confessional that she was “really surprised about Avi and Sutton breaking up,” before also mentioning that “she was not that easy on him.”
Later in the episode, a flashback to the same luncheon scene revealed some more intel. As Sutton vaguely told the ladies, “Communication is one of the biggest parts of that kind of job, and if you don’t have good communication, it’s not gonna work.”
As Sutton’s mom, Reba, jokingly pointed out, though, “Well, it’s not as if Avi were ever at a loss for words.”
Don’t miss what Sutton said about her relationship with Avi when she first announced his termination in May 2025.
