{"id":44422,"date":"2026-01-30T14:10:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T14:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/?p=44422"},"modified":"2026-01-30T14:32:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T14:32:32","slug":"rhobhs-amanda-frances-reveals-the-truth-behind-her-shocking-cult-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/01\/30\/rhobhs-amanda-frances-reveals-the-truth-behind-her-shocking-cult-past\/","title":{"rendered":"RHOBH&#8217;s Amanda Frances reveals the truth behind her shocking cult past"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"369\" data-end=\"922\">If you thought the <a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2025\/12\/19\/who-is-amanda-frances-husband-inside-the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-stars-family-life\/\">Real Housewives of Beverly Hills<\/a> drama was all about handbags and dinner party shade, you haven\u2019t met Amanda Frances yet.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"369\" data-end=\"922\">The season 15 newbie is bringing a backstory that\u2019s way deeper than most Bravo intros, and it\u2019s already bubbling up this week thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2024\/12\/05\/all-the-signs-dorit-kemsley-and-kyle-richards-are-repairing-their-friendship\/\">Dorit Kemsley<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"369\" data-end=\"922\">After Dorit teased something she\u2019d read about Amanda\u2019s past, the cult talk is swirling on X again.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"369\" data-end=\"922\">But here\u2019s what\u2019s actually been said by Amanda herself, straight from her own words and context she\u2019s given publicly over the years.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"924\" data-end=\"956\">Dorit brings up Amanda\u2019s past<\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DTSCSD9FKXF\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DTSCSD9FKXF\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Amanda Frances (@xoamandafrances)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"958\" data-end=\"1449\">In previews for the January 29 episode of RHOBH, Dorit Kemsley references an online story about <a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2025\/12\/11\/rhobhs-newbie-amanda-frances-used-to-be-in-a-cult-and-was-previously-arrested\/\">Amanda having been in a cult<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"958\" data-end=\"1449\">The conversation starts as typical Housewives tea&#8230; someone reads a headline, shares it at a gathering, and boom, it becomes part of the group dynamic.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"958\" data-end=\"1449\">What\u2019s interesting here is that Dorit isn\u2019t sharing a first-hand account; she\u2019s reacting to something she\u2019s \u201cseen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1451\" data-end=\"1693\">While Dorit\u2019s comment sparked gasps and curiosity among cast members, the buzz online surged because of what Amanda has actually talked about openly before joining Bravo.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"1695\" data-end=\"1751\">Amanda lays it all out when it comes to her cult past<\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DSGkWE-DiZi\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DSGkWE-DiZi\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Bravo (@bravotv)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1753\" data-end=\"2183\">Long before she stepped onto the <a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/01\/13\/she-likes-confident-intelligent-men-so-who-has-rhobhs-erika-jayne-dated-over-the-years\/\">RHOBH<\/a> set, Amanda Frances publicly wrote about a chapter of her life she describes as being in a \u201ccult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1753\" data-end=\"2183\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/amandafrances.com\/the-worst-of-the-worst\/\">2011 blog post on her own site<\/a>, she wrote extremely candidly about spending around two years in what she now characterises as a controlling, frightening religious environment, a place with strict rules governing nearly every part of life.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2185\" data-end=\"2215\">In her own words, Amanda said: \u201cSometimes I will try to get comfortable enough with someone to say that I was in a really controlling, really frightening situation\u2026 I tell the truth. Sometimes I will say I was in a cult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2449\" data-end=\"2775\">She detailed limits on how often she could call home, who she could talk to, restrictions on dating, visiting other churches, or even talking about her life to anyone not part of that system.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2449\" data-end=\"2775\">That kind of isolation and strict behavioural control is part of why she labelled it that way.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2777\" data-end=\"2847\">Another powerful part of her account describes the night she left. She wrote about driving away in the middle of the night with everything she owned, \u201cafraid of everything, but knowing if I could just make it out, I would go to school, live my life, and make a difference in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"2777\" data-end=\"2847\">Amanda went to &#8216;Bible schools&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"RHOBH&#039;s Amanda Frances Reveals Which Castmates REALLY Have Her Back | E! Hot Goss\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/si8X605SdSU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3110\" data-end=\"3414\">In interviews, Amanda has offered more context, noting that she has two Bible school degrees and a ministry training degree, and that her time in that environment deeply shaped her understanding of spiritual freedom and control.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3416\" data-end=\"3559\">Per <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/amanda-frances-gives-context-on-cult-after-conversation-on-rhobh-excl\/\">Us Weekly<\/a>, she said:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3416\" data-end=\"3559\">&#8220;I&#8217;ve always been a writer. \u2026 That\u2019s what I do. That\u2019s my process. It\u2019s one of the ways I teach&#8230; The very first blog is on what it is to leave a cult and then not be able to trust yourself and go, \u2018What was that? How did I get into that? And how do I trust myself again to make choices as a young adult woman?\u2019 It\u2019s a good blog, but it\u2019s not easy to find.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dorit managed to unearth the blog although it was written more than a decade ago.<\/p>\n<p>Amanda admitted she was kinda confused by that. But added: \u201cIt was never a secret. I\u2019ve written, like, four blogs on the topic, in addition to other articles. The cult story isn\u2019t a secret. Everyone in my audience, in my community, women in my courses, have known this story forever&#8230; So, when she\u2019s pulling it up like it\u2019s dirt, it\u2019s very weird to me. Because it\u2019s not dirt.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>For all the latest reality TV cast member news, scandals, gossip and updates \u2013 like\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><i>Reality Shrine<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><i>\u00a0on\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/realityshrineofficial?rdid=TzQu2kEd2cUqU4rD&amp;share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F14zX5cKubf%2F#\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><i>Facebook<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8216;I was in a really controlling, really frightening situation&#8217;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249734210,"featured_media":44425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1358],"tags":[1552,2005,1565],"class_list":["post-44422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-bravo","tag-real-housewives","tag-the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/01\/30\/rhobhs-amanda-frances-reveals-the-truth-behind-her-shocking-cult-past\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"RHOBH&#8217;s Amanda Frances reveals the truth behind her shocking cult 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