Brandi Glanville

Brandi Glanville
Born	Brandi Lynn Glanville 11/16/1972
Birthplace	Salinas, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Television personality, author, former model, podcast host
Known for	The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Children	2

Brandi Lynn Glanville (born November 16, 1972) is an American television personality, author, podcast host, and former model. She first gained public attention as a professional model in the late 1980s and 1990s before rising to broader fame through her appearances on the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which she joined in its second season in 2011. Known for her outspoken personality and candid commentary, Glanville became one of the most recognizable figures in the Real Housewives franchise. She is also the author of two New York Times best-selling books, Drinking and Tweeting: And Other Brandi Blunders (2013) and Drinking and Dating (2014), and hosts the podcast Brandi Glanville Unfiltered. Beyond the Housewives franchise, Glanville has appeared on numerous other television programs, including Celebrity Apprentice, Celebrity Big Brother, Famously Single, and My Kitchen Rules. In recent years, she has been public about a prolonged health crisis involving facial disfigurement, which she has attributed to a parasitic infection linked to ruptured breast implants.

Early Life

Brandi Lynn Glanville was born on November 16, 1972, in Salinas, California. She grew up in Northern California, where she was raised in what she has described as a middle-class household. Her upbringing in the Sacramento area has been documented in regional media profiles.

Glanville entered the modeling industry at a young age. She began her professional modeling career in 1988 at the age of sixteen. Her early entry into professional modeling shaped much of her adolescent and young adult years, as she pursued opportunities in the fashion industry that eventually led her to relocate and build a career in front of the camera. Details about her parents and siblings have remained relatively private, though Glanville has occasionally discussed her family background on her podcast and in her published memoirs.

Growing up in California's agricultural Salinas Valley — famously known as the setting of several John Steinbeck novels — Glanville's trajectory from a small-city upbringing to the world of high fashion and later Beverly Hills reality television represented a significant shift in milieu. Her early years in Northern California, including time spent in the Sacramento region, provided a contrast to the glamorous lifestyle she would later become associated with through her television career.

Career

Modeling

Glanville began her modeling career in 1988 and worked professionally in the fashion industry throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s. During her modeling years, she appeared in campaigns and editorial spreads, building a career that included work with notable fashion brands and appearances in various publications. Her modeling portfolio demonstrated her range across different styles and formats, from print advertising to runway work. Her time as a professional model provided the foundation for her later public persona and her entry into the entertainment industry more broadly.

Prior to her television career, Glanville was also known in tabloid media due to her marriage to actor Eddie Cibrian, whom she married in 2001. The couple's highly publicized divorce in 2010 — following reports of Cibrian's affair with singer and actress LeAnn Rimes — generated significant media attention and played a role in Glanville's initial public profile before she joined reality television.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Glanville made her debut on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills during the second season of the series, which premiered in 2011. She initially appeared as a "Friend of the Housewives" before being promoted to a full-time cast member. Her Bravo TV biography described her as navigating single motherhood while dealing with the aftermath of her public divorce.

During her debut, Glanville quickly became a central figure on the show due to her unfiltered manner of speaking and willingness to engage in confrontations with other cast members. Her first appearance generated immediate attention, with media outlets covering her interactions with the existing cast. By the show's third season, Glanville had been elevated to an official housewife, a status she maintained for several seasons.

Glanville remained a regular or recurring presence on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills from 2011 through 2016, and later returned for guest appearances during the 2019–2020 seasons. Her tenure on the show was marked by numerous memorable confrontations, alliances, and storylines that kept her at the center of the show's narrative. Throughout her time on the series, Glanville's personal life — including her co-parenting relationship with Eddie Cibrian and LeAnn Rimes — was frequently featured as a storyline.

She later appeared on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip for its second and fifth seasons, which aired between 2022 and 2024. The spinoff series brought together cast members from various Real Housewives franchises, and Glanville's participation reflected her continued connection to the broader franchise.

Celebrity Apprentice

In 2014, Glanville was announced as a cast member on The Celebrity Apprentice, joining a roster of celebrity contestants competing in business-themed challenges. Her appearance on the show expanded her television presence beyond the Real Housewives franchise and introduced her to a different audience. The season featured Glanville competing alongside other public figures in tasks evaluated by Donald Trump, who hosted the program at the time.

Celebrity Big Brother

Glanville appeared on the inaugural American edition of Celebrity Big Brother in 2018, which aired on CBS. The cast also included Omarosa Manigault Newman and other notable public figures. Glanville's participation on the show demonstrated her willingness to take on various reality television formats. She also appeared on the British version of Celebrity Big Brother, further expanding her international television presence.

Other Television Appearances

Beyond her major reality television roles, Glanville appeared on additional programs including Famously Single and My Kitchen Rules, a celebrity cooking competition series. These appearances continued to maintain her profile as a reality television personality across multiple networks and formats.

Books and Podcast

Glanville's first book, Drinking and Tweeting: And Other Brandi Blunders, was published in February 2013. The memoir detailed her experiences during and after her divorce, her entry into the world of reality television, and various personal anecdotes. The book was covered extensively in the media upon its release, with outlets noting its candid revelations about her personal life. In a promotional appearance for the book, Glanville discussed the writing process and her motivations for sharing her story publicly.

The book debuted on the New York Times Best Sellers list for Combined Print and E-Book Nonfiction. Its commercial success led to the publication of a follow-up book, Drinking and Dating, in 2014, which also achieved New York Times best-seller status. The second book focused on Glanville's experiences navigating the dating world as a single mother and public figure.

Glanville also hosts the podcast Brandi Glanville Unfiltered, which features interviews, commentary on pop culture, and discussions about her personal life and career. The podcast has served as a platform for Glanville to share her perspectives on events in the Real Housewives universe and broader entertainment industry.

Personal Life

Glanville was married to actor Eddie Cibrian from 2001 until their divorce was finalized in 2010. The couple has two children together. The end of the marriage was a subject of significant tabloid coverage, as it was reported to have resulted from Cibrian's extramarital relationship with LeAnn Rimes, who subsequently married Cibrian in 2011. Glanville has spoken openly about the impact of the divorce on her life, including in her books and on her podcast, and the co-parenting dynamic between Glanville, Cibrian, and Rimes has been a recurring subject in media coverage.

In an interview with Glamour magazine in 2013, Glanville discussed the emotional toll of infidelity, offering advice to women who might suspect their partners of cheating. She stated that the experience fundamentally changed her perspective on relationships and trust.

Glanville has been open about her personal struggles and has discussed topics including her experiences with cosmetic procedures and the challenges of being a single mother in the public eye.

Health Crisis

Beginning in approximately July 2023, Glanville began publicly discussing a serious health crisis involving facial disfigurement. She reported experiencing significant swelling and changes to her facial appearance, which she initially attributed to a parasitic infection in her face.

Over the course of nearly three years, Glanville consulted with approximately 21 different doctors and spent an estimated $200,000 attempting to identify the cause of her condition. The prolonged diagnostic process caused significant physical and emotional distress, as Glanville shared updates about her condition on social media and through media interviews.

In February 2026, Glanville announced that the cause of her facial disfigurement had been identified: ruptured breast implants. According to the Los Angeles Times, Glanville stated that damaged breast implants had led to the parasitic condition and facial swelling she had been experiencing. People magazine reported that Glanville believed a parasite had been living in her face and reproducing, with the ruptured implants being the underlying cause.

Page Six reported that Glanville shared the financial cost of the ordeal, noting that she had spent $200,000 over the course of her diagnostic journey before identifying the breast implants as the source of the problem.

In late January 2026, prior to the Sundance Film Festival, Glanville debuted a new appearance after undergoing work with a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. She publicly thanked the surgeon for helping restore her appearance following the prolonged health battle. Page Six also covered the debut of her new look, describing it as a significant transformation after more than a year of visible facial disfigurement.

As of early 2026, Glanville was reported to be in recovery and was described as having overcome the worst of the health crisis, with media coverage characterizing her situation as a "brave comeback."

Recognition

Glanville achieved commercial success as an author, with both of her books reaching the New York Times Best Sellers list. Drinking and Tweeting: And Other Brandi Blunders appeared on the Combined Print and E-Book Nonfiction list in March 2013, and Drinking and Dating followed in 2014 with similar commercial performance.

Her role on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills made her one of the more prominent cast members in the history of the franchise, and her involvement with the show across multiple seasons — including her returns as a guest and her participation in The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip — reflected her sustained profile within the reality television genre.

Glanville's media appearances have extended across multiple platforms and formats, including network television (Celebrity Apprentice on NBC, Celebrity Big Brother on CBS), cable television (Bravo's RHOBH), international television (the British Celebrity Big Brother), and digital media (her podcast). Her participation in both American and British versions of Celebrity Big Brother demonstrated a cross-cultural appeal among reality television audiences.

Her willingness to discuss personal topics openly — from divorce and co-parenting to health crises — has generated significant media coverage throughout her career. Major outlets including the Los Angeles Times, People, Glamour, Page Six, and E! News have regularly covered Glanville's personal and professional developments.

Legacy

Glanville's impact on reality television is most clearly associated with her tenure on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, where her direct communication style and willingness to discuss personal matters publicly distinguished her from many of her co-stars. Her entry to the show — initially as a "friend" before becoming a full-time cast member — became a common trajectory for future cast members across the Real Housewives franchise.

Her two books contributed to the broader genre of reality television memoirs, and their commercial success as New York Times best sellers demonstrated the marketability of personal narratives rooted in reality television fame. The books offered frank accounts of her experiences with divorce, public scrutiny, and single parenthood, topics that resonated with a broad readership.

Glanville's public discussion of her health crisis beginning in 2023 brought attention to the potential complications of breast implants and the challenges patients can face in obtaining accurate diagnoses for complex medical conditions. Her account of visiting 21 doctors and spending $200,000 before identifying the cause of her facial disfigurement highlighted issues of medical access and diagnostic complexity that extend beyond the celebrity sphere.

Her career spanning modeling, reality television, publishing, and podcasting represents the evolution of celebrity culture in the early 21st century, in which public figures increasingly build multi-platform brands across traditional and digital media.