‘I personally say it’s Bravo’: ‘Real Housewives’ star Brandi Glanville reveals extreme facial disfigurement – but who’s to blame?

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Brandi Glanville has sparked concern among fans after sharing a photo in which she appears to have a facial disfigurement. 

The reality star posted the selfie on social media over the weekend with the caption “Sick it!”. In the image, Glanville appears to have a large and inflamed lump on her left cheek and a general swollen complexion. Naturally, the photo prompted concern from some users, who took to Glanville’s replies to question her wellbeing and send well-wishes. “Sending you prayers and love,” one person wrote, with another adding that they were “very sorry to hear that you’ve been going through this.”

Elsewhere, some fans theorized that Glanville’s swollen face arose from complications with plastic surgery, saying it could be the result of “filler migration” or because the reality star “kill[ed] all your muscles in your face with Botox.” Glanville relieved some fan concerns with a follow-up post, in which she clarified where the lump on her face came from and suggested what might be the source of it. “What happened?,” Glanville wrote of her facial condition, “I wish I knew.” 

Glanville went on to write how she has been “in and out of hospital” and spent “almost every dollar I have” trying to identify the problem, but has so far been unable to find a clear answer. According to Glanville, some doctors she has visited have said she has “a parasite that jumps around my face,” while others have theorized it could be “stress induced edema,” a condition in which swelling is caused by too much fluid being trapped in the body’s tissues. 

As for the source of the stress, Glanville has her own theories. “I personally say it’s Bravo,” she wrote, in reference to the network behind The Real Housewives who she’s been in multiple bitter legal battles with since early last year. In one case, Glanville was named in a lawsuit filed against Bravo by Caroline Manzo, a fellow Housewives alum who alleged that Glanville sexually assaulted her while filming season five of Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip. For her part, Glanville herself sent a legal letter to both Bravo and Andy Cohen, accusing the latter of sexually harassing her when he sent a video jokingly saying he wanted to watch her have sex. 

Glanville has long claimed that the stress prompted by these legal battles has affected her health, saying recently in an X post that she has “spent all of my money on [her doctor] and that “my health is ruined.” As a result of her poor health, Glanville took a break from Cameo, and regularly shared updates about the treatment of her condition. In August, she said she had to pause her use of antidepressants “to try a new drug” to treat edema, adding that she “will do anything to get my health back.” 

Before that, she shared another image of the swelling on the side of her face, and again cited Bravo as the cause. “Stress will kill you,” she wrote alongside a selfie with a swollen cheek, “thank you Bravo, I couldn’t even work if I wanted to at this point.” Glanville joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills during the show’s third season, and remained a part of the cast up until season six. After that, she appeared on the second season of the spinoff series, Ultimate Girls Trip, and was set to feature in the new installment of that show before it was scrapped due to Manzo’s lawsuit.