Joanna Krupa reveals why she didn’t join ‘RHOM’ reboot

Joanna Krupa is opening up about why she turned down the opportunity to return to “The Real Housewives of Miami” when the series was revived in 2021 — and how she’s found more meaningful work with her new animal rescue show.

“I was approached. I did have conversations about it,” Krupa recently told Page Six Radio on SiriusXM while promoting her new project, “Street Rescue.” “They asked me to think about it. But being a mother, I feel like it’s not the time in my life.”

Krupa, 45, explained that while she’s not opposed to reality TV altogether, rejoining a show as dramatic as “Real Housewives” didn’t feel right. 

“Would I be against [the] reality [TV] world? Not at all. Would I be against this type of reality? Yes,” she said. “I wouldn’t want my daughter to see mama in that kind of a situation because those shows are dramatic.”

The mother of one — who shares daughter Asha, 5, with ex-husband Douglas Nunes — noted that “if you have no drama,” women are in danger of losing their spot in the franchise. 

“You’re boring and you’re going to get canceled,” said Krupa, who appeared as a full-time cast member in Seasons 2 and 3 from 2012 until 2013. “So we all know these women will go out of their way — even if it was their best friend at one moment, they will backstab them eventually. They will go below the belt eventually.”

Because of that, Krupa said “RHOM” was “definitely not something” that she wanted to revisit.

The unscripted hit, which currently airs on Bravo, just wrapped its seventh season, and stars OGs Alexia Nepola, Larsa Pippen, Lisa Hochstein, Marysol Patton and Adriana de Moura, plus newbies Stephanie Shojaee, Guerdy Abraira, Julia Lemigova and Kiki Barth. 

Krupa, who splits her time between Los Angeles and her native Poland — where she hosts “Poland’s Next Top Model” — said she’s fully content with the way her career and personal life have evolved. 

“I’m satisfied with my life. I’m very grateful for my projects, for my TV show in Poland. It’s a show I’ve been doing for 14 years,” the model shared. 

“It opened other doors for me where I have my own perfume line, I have other things that I’m working on. So I’m definitely content. I don’t need a show like ‘Miami’ to pay my bills … I’m not going to sell my soul to make a living like that.”

Krupa admitted that her “RHOM” experience was also emotionally taxing. 

“Sometimes, memes pop up on social media or somebody messages you when there’s reruns. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, embarrassing!’” she said with a laugh. “But that show was tough for me because most of the girls that are on ‘Housewives,’ they become successful and then later, maybe they do other things.”

By contrast, Krupa joined “Housewives” as a well-known name — and that, she feels, made her a target. 

“For me, I already did ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ I did ‘Superstars’ for ABC, I did over 100 [magazine] covers worldwide,” she said. “So I was, in a way, accomplished to a level. So for me, coming on to that show, I felt like there were vultures on every corner. I felt like I was constantly being looked upon because they were waiting to say something or do something to be so dramatic. So for me, it was very stressful.”

Still, Krupa maintains a few fond friendships from her “Housewives” days. “I stay in touch with Ana Quincoces, Lea Black and Karent Sierra,” she told Page Six Radio. “They were all great girls who I loved getting to know.”

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Now, Krupa’s energy is focused on helping animals in need. Her new series, “Street Rescue,” takes viewers inside the heart of real-life animal rescues across Los Angeles, providing urgent veterinary care, food, shelter and compassion to pets — and their humans — facing homelessness or hardship.

“I probably would have had a lot of Birkins or Hermès bags if I really wanted to,” she joked. “Over the years — aside from my own animals, paying all the vet bills — and this first season of ‘Street Rescue,’ I actually funded myself. I paid for all the veterinary bills myself.”

Though it’s been challenging, Krupa’s mission is bigger than herself, she said.

“It’s a tough never-ending situation … but I feel with this community, we can inspire other people to help,” she elaborated. “And people that need our help, they can reach out and let us know before they put [animals] down or put them in the shelter. There are people that care and want to help.”

Krupa hopes “Street Rescue” will encourage collaboration across animal advocacy groups: “I’m hoping, fingers crossed, with ‘Street Rescue’ to build a big community where different animal rescue groups can help each other, too.”

“Street Rescue” premiered Oct. 24 on YouTube, with new episodes dropping every Friday at 7 p.m. ET.