The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s Whitney Rose was just as surprised as viewers when Heather Gay reached out to mend their rift — but she’s happy Heather did.
“At the end of the day, we’re family and we love each other,” Whitney, 36, exclusively told Us Weekly of Heather, 49, on Monday, September 11, while promoting season 4 of the Bravo series. “And I think that you take things out on the people you love most.”
Whitney confessed that she “really thought we were done” before Heather asked to meet at the family park that they dubbed a “neutral zone” and talk through their issues.
“I didn’t want to move forward. I was very hesitant because the trust had been broken and we’re both heartbroken,” Whitney explained, noting that they made amends. “It felt good just to have an apology [from her and] for me to apologize and move forward. It’s so much easier having her [in my life].”
Despite their public feuding, Whitney told Us she and Heather are “family” and the women “love hard” and “fight hard.” She noted that it’s “nice to have [Heather’s] support,” describing their current relationship as “solid.”
Whitney joked that the costars “still take little jabs” at one another, but teased that during season 4, fans will learn how Heather “proved to me that she’s my friend.”
When viewers first met Whitney and Heather on season 1 of RHOSLC in 2020, they were thick as thieves. During season 3, their relationship took a step back after Whitney claimed Heather heard a rumor that Lisa Barlow exchanged sexual favors for Utah Jazz tickets. Lisa, 48, denied the rumor and Heather later denied hearing the scandalous claim.
Whitney and Heather appeared to fix their friendship in summer 2022 while filming season 3 of Ultimate Girls Trip. However, in October 2022, they reignited their feud while appearing at BravoCon. During the event, Heather claimed that Whitney “reaches the most” while filming.
The comment “did some damage,” according to Whitney, who exclusively told Us in November 2022 that she and Heather were “not in a good place currently.” At the time, she noted she was “hopeful” that would change.
The following month, Heather exclusively revealed to Us that she felt that her friendship with Whitney “just disappeared overnight” and “went up in smoke.” Heather confessed she was “not sure how to repair” the rift.
During the season 4 premiere, which filmed in early 2023, Heather and Whitney reached a truce, which Whitney confirmed to Us on Monday is still in place. “It was hard to not have her,” Whitney told Us, revealing she missed Heather’s upbeat personality.
“When things get crazy and people are fighting, Heather and I would always be commentary and that comedic relief I really missed in life in general,” she added.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
