Highlights
- Liz McGraw confirms she’s leaving RHORI and won’t return for Season 2 filming.
- Friend Dino Guilmette faces up to 88 years in prison after rejecting a plea deal.
- Bravo wanted her back, but sources say walking away was entirely Liz’s own call.
Liz McGraw, Rhode Island’s self-styled “Cannabis Queen” and one of the most polarizing personalities on Bravo’s newest franchise, is officially done. She confirmed Tuesday that she leaves Real Housewives of Rhode Island ahead of Season 2 filming — putting to rest weeks of loud rumors that her days in the Ocean State were numbered.
“I’m full of gratitude for the amazing opportunity to appear on this show,” McGraw said in an Instagram statement. “As filming for Season 2 begins, I have made the decision to take a step back and focus on my family, my work and my passions.”
She kept it gracious on the way out, too. “The RHORI cast is an amazing group of women who have created something special. I’ll be watching next season, rooting for the continued success of this franchise. For now, I look forward to enjoying this little corner of the world from the other side of the camera.”
Lovely. But make no mistake — this exit didn’t exactly come out of nowhere.
Rumors had been circulating for weeks that Liz might not return for Season 2, with chatter centering on her feuds with cast members and her connection to a friend facing serious legal charges.
That friend is Dino Guilmette, and his situation is a mess.
Dino was charged with seven felonies and one misdemeanor related to alleged conspiracy, drug dealing offenses, and fraudulently receiving COVID relief funds. He stared down a plea deal that could’ve kept him out of prison entirely — and turned it down flat.
Dino told the judge he wants a trial, and he rejected the plea deal that would’ve kept him out of the slammer. He declined Assistant Attorney General Jim Baum‘s plea offer before Rhode Island Superior Court Magistrate Judge Gina Lopes.
His lawyer, John Calcagni, isn’t backing down either. “My client turned down the offer because he absolutely maintains his innocence,” Calcagni said after court.
That may be, but here’s what made the situation particularly uncomfortable for Liz. In a 2021 state police detective’s affidavit, Gerry (Liz’s husband) and Liz are reportedly listed as associates of Dino’s.
Not a great headline for someone trying to build a reality TV brand.
Then there’s the audience problem. Liz started off as a fan favorite, but her feuds with cast members Alicia Carmody and Jo-Ellen Tiberi swayed some viewers’ opinions of the hot-tempered “weed queen.” Her blowup with both women at Rich DiMare‘s show left some fans genuinely rattled — and not in the fun, dramatic way Bravo usually rewards.
Liz seemed to struggle with being the eldest of the group and not connecting with some of the cast. Over the course of Season 1’s 12 episodes, that tension never fully resolved itself.
Still, Bravo wasn’t ready to let her go without a fight. “Bravo definitely wants her back,” one insider told Reality Blurb, noting that Liz was “invited back” for a second season.
But here’s the thing — the door was hers to close. “It would be her own decision if she walked,” the source reiterated.
And walk she did.
Off-screen, Liz’s life has had its bright spots. She became a “Gigi” when her stepdaughter Brianna welcomed a baby girl, and she and Gerry also gained a son-in-law when Brianna recently got married. On the RHORI After Show, Liz opened up about being “obsessed” with her new granddaughter, saying, “She is just pure love. You feel that energy when she’s in your arms.”
And she’s keeping busy. Liz and Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania are reportedly “high on launching their menopause gummies.”
So it seems Liz McGraw is stepping out of the RHORI spotlight with her head held high, a new grandchild in her arms, and a cannabis empire — and apparently a gummy empire — still very much to run.
The Real Housewives of Rhode Island was renewed for a second season in May 2026. The new cast has yet to be confirmed.
