Stephanie Shojaee may have made a huge mistake joining ‘RHOM’, but she doesn't think so

'RHOM' Season 7 star Stephanie Shojaee faces criticism for joining the Bravo show
UPDATED DEC 2, 2024
'RHOM' Season 7 stars Stephanie Shojaee as their newest cast member (Instagram/@stephshojaee)
'RHOM' Season 7 stars Stephanie Shojaee as their newest cast member (Instagram/@stephshojaee)

'The Real Housewives of Miami' Season 7 welcomes Stephanie Shojaee as the newest addition to the cast, a move that has sparked mixed reactions from viewers. The backlash started after the departure of the fan-favorite Dr. Nicole Martin, who left the show to focus on her mental health and family following a battle with postpartum anxiety. This fueled rumors that Stephanie was joining as Nicole's replacement, resulting in predictable criticism of the Bravo newbie.

The situation was further complicated by rumors that Stephanie is the ex-girlfriend of Dr. Nicole’s fiancé, Anthony Lopez. It was suggested that her addition to the show would add drama, given her connection to Nicole, fueling even more negativity toward Stephanie. However, during a Q&A session on her Instagram on Sunday, December 1, Stephanie responded to a fan’s criticism regarding the ongoing backlash. The fan wrote, "RHOM was such a bad move, bad decision! Why, but why? So not you." Stephanie responded, "Maybe it was a bad move; but just maybe it was a good move..." She added, "As I've gotten older, I’ve cared less about being understood or accepted. I take opportunities as they come... sure, not every open door has been the right one, but I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t try... so far, so great."

(Instagram/@stephshojaee)
'RHOM' star Stephanie Shojaee addresses backlash about joining the Bravo show (Instagram/@stephshojaee)

Dr Nicole Martin addresses claims about Stephanie Shojaee being her replacement

On Tuesday, November 19, Dr. Nicole Martin addressed the rumors of being replaced by Stephanie during an Instagram Q&A session. Nicole shared her thoughts, saying, "I've never met Steph and don't know her, but can totally see why they wanted her on the show." She added, "She brings a lot to RHOM — successful, business, marriage, lifestyle, opulence, and ties to the cast. Seems reasonable to me."

(Instagram/@drnicolemartin, @stephshojaee)
'RHOM' star Stephanie Shojaee is rumored to be Dr. Nicole Martin's replacement (Instagram/@drnicolemartin/@stephshojaee)

Why did Stephanie Shojaee join 'RHOM'?

In an interview with The Daily Dish, Stephanie opened up about joining 'RHOM' for Season 7. "So I've always been a trailblazer in everything that I do. All my decisions and all of my choices are always surprising everybody," she shared. She went on to explain that when the opportunity to join the show arose, she felt it was the right time. "I was like, 'I think I just have to take it. I think the timing feels right and here I am.' And what better way to show who I really am than to do it on The [Real] Housewives of Miami."

(Instagram/@stephanieshojaee)
'RHOM' star Stephanie Shojaee joins the Bravo show for Season 7 (Instagram/@stephanieshojaee)

What does 'RHOM' newbie Stephanie Shojaee do for a living? 

Stephanie is a professional real estate developer. "There aren’t many female real estate developers," she said. "[My job], it's the actually buying the land, putting up a high rise, 800 units; or [building] rental communities and building a whole leasing team and developing units. There's a lot. It's a lot of fun."

(Instagram/@stephanieshojaee)
'RHOM' star Stephanie Shojaee is a real estate developer (Instagram/@stephanieshojaee)

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