Sutton Stracke made a huge life decision when she decided to revert to using her maiden name and be known as Sutton Brown. On The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills After Show, she opened up to producers about the real reason behind the change.
“It feels very young to be Sutton Brown, because I was young the last time I was Sutton Brown. It feels like a second lease on life,” she said. Sutton’s also hoping the name change will spark a change in her relationships with the other ‘Wives. “Let’s just have a reset,” she told producers. “I’ve gone back to that old self, and let me take you all with me.”
The revelation came as Sutton reflected on her friendships during a girls’ trip to Sedona, Arizona, during The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 15, Episode 4.
“I really want to use this time here in Sedona to build good relationships,” she told the ladies in the Jan. 8 episode. “I think for the five years that I’ve known y’all, I think a lot of my insecurities have gotten in the way [of] how I interact with you, and I would like to kind of put that in the past.”
She then shared her name-change decision with the others: “I would like to really embrace and introduce you to Sutton Brown. Sutton Brown: She’s a fun girl, and she’s a good friend, and I wanna be that with y’all.”
But Sutton still had some reservations about altering her life in such a dramatic way, and hoped to ease into it. “This name change idea’s very new,” she continued. “It’s sort of like the old days when we went into a dressing room to try on clothes. Trying on this name to see, like, how it feels. Does this name still even resemble me?”
Sutton Stracke wants to improve her friendships on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
It’s no secret that, since she first appeared on RHOBH in Season 10, Sutton has had rifts with several cast members, including Dorit Kemsley, Erika Jayne, and Kyle Richards.
Sutton and Kyle’s friendship has had its ups and downs, including when Kyle told her that she has “a habit of losing [her] sh—t in ridiculous circumstances” during Season 13, Episode 4, which prompted Sutton’s now-viral “name ‘em” response.
Sutton also insulted Dorit’s finances in Season 14, saying, “You need to pick on somebody else whose wallet fits.” Though she later tried to apologize, it sparked what Jennifer Tilly called Episode 16’s “crazy yacht from hell,” which ended in Erika confronting Sutton about her behavior, and Sutton’s hot mic confession: “I hate these f—king bitches. They’re such f—king c—ts.”
RELATED: Sutton Stracke Reveals She Wants to Buy a House in Charleston — and Why (EXCLUSIVE)
Sutton now admits that those may not have been her finest moments, but she’s hoping for forgiveness during what she called “the toughest time in my life.”
“I think with my friends, you know, hopefully being allowed some grace for really the last six years of my life,” she explained during the After Show, referencing her divorce from ex Christian Stracke. “A lot happened to me in the last six years that I didn’t take so well. Just a lot of changes constantly.”
On the After Show, Kyle described the positive change she’s seen in Sutton after her name change decision. “Sutton Brown seems like someone who has done some self-reflecting and is owning up to her behavior, and is actually apologetic, and wants to work on herself,” she told producers. “Now, it’s still TBD who’s going to show up at dinner, but, apparently, right now it’s Sutton Brown.”
Still, Sutton hopes that with time, all of her friends will see the change. “You know, I just kind of wanted to settle into who I am and who people who have known me for a very long time know me to be,” she said on the After Show.
Sutton Stracke says a RHOBH Season 15 moment with her ex sparked her name change
Although she’s since settled into changing her name back to Brown, Sutton initially was against the idea when it was first suggested by her ex back in the RHOBH Season 15 premiere. Sutton revealed to the ‘Wives at that time her ex had asked for an annulment from the Catholic Church, and the notice about it was addressed to Sutton Brown.
“You know, we were married for 17 years,” Sutton said in a Dec. 4 episode confessional. “I think that Christian has an urge [for] control. ‘Take my name. Now, I’m going to take it away from you.’”
RELATED: Sutton Stracke Reveals Why Ex-Husband Sought Annulment Years After Divorce (EXCLUSIVE)
Despite the insult, Sutton shared in December 2025 that she and Christian are now in a better place.
“We’re good,” she told The Daily Dish in an exclusive interview. “He lives in London, so I don’t see him on the regular, but he sent our youngest to college, and we spent that weekend together, and had a really great time.”
She added that the two even grabbed drinks alone, explaining it was “just to kind of talk about our future with our children, and what we’re gonna do there.” She continued, “We’re very much intertwined and always will be. I think we finally made it to the friendship part of divorce.”
A name change isn’t the only big development in her life at the moment. Don’t miss Sutton’s exclusive update on her new career move.
