Brandi Glanville broke down in tears while discussing a GoFundMe campaign set up to help cover her mounting medical bills, as she continues to battle a facial condition that has disfigured her appearance.
The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 53, said on her podcast, Brandi Glanville Unfiltered, that she felt "embarrassed" to accept financial help from others after prolonged health problems drained her savings and left her unable to work for two years.
"Even with my insurance, it's $7,000 a week and I have creditors calling me all day," she told her co-host, James Maas.
Friends and former co-stars donate
Glanville's friend, Gina Rodriguez, started the GoFundMe for her on Tuesday. Several of her former Real Housewives castmates have since donated, according to TMZ.
Kyle Richards pledged $500, while Claudia Jordan, who starred on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, gave $100. James, who became Glanville's full-time co-host when the podcast relaunched in March 2025, also donated $100.
"I'm embarrassed, honestly, 'cause I don't like to ask for help," Glanville said. "And I never thought I would do this and she's, like, 'You have no choice.'"
"If I stop paying, I won't get my medication and then I won't make any progress. And right now, I paid half. I still owe them. I'm just spent, like, in every way. And I don't want anyone to see it. But I don't know what to do."
Her co-host tried to reassure her, telling her: "It's not embarrassing. What's embarrassing is the whole medical system." James also referenced the severe depression and dark thoughts Glanville has spoken about publicly during her multi-year medical crisis.
"My kids are checking on me and you check on me," she acknowledged. James responded: "You need a GoFundMe."
A health crisis dating back to 2023
Glanville first spoke about facial changes and swelling in July 2023, following an incident while filming The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. A year later, in July 2024, she again addressed the facial disfigurement and the depression it caused, attributing it at the time to stress and to Bravo, the network behind the Real Housewives franchise.
"I'm not even going to share the picture of when it sinks in," she said at the time. "Stress will kill you. How is your health? Take care of yourself, people. Thank you, Bravo. I couldn't even work if I wanted to at this point."
In late 2024, the former model said she believed a parasite in her face was behind the pain, swelling and disfigurement. In February of this year, she had her breast implants removed after they ruptured, which she said caused silicone to leak into her lymph nodes. New, smaller implants were placed during the same surgery.
Condition has spread down her arm
In an Instagram video posted on Tuesday, Glanville said the condition affecting her face had spread down her right arm. "It used to only be here, but over the years that not being diagnosed properly, it has spread. Now it goes down my right arm," she said in the clip, fighting back tears as she pointed to a large fungal mass on her face.
"It's hard as a rock, and it curves like this. I'm so sick [of it] I just want to cut it out of my face," she said.
In the caption accompanying the video, Glanville wrote that she was "finally ready" to share what she had actually been fighting, including some of her worst moments before receiving a diagnosis. She said she had been diagnosed with highly resistant ESBL Klebsiella and Enterobacter with biofilm, Coccidioidomycosis, also known as Valley Fever, Demodex dermatitis and Mononucleosis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ESBL Klebsiella is a type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The Mayo Clinic describes Valley Fever as a fungal infection, while the Cleveland Clinic describes Demodex as a type of mite that lives in human hair follicles, usually on the face.
'I want my life back'
Glanville said the toll of her illness has been both emotional and financial. "I'm not able to work right now other than my podcast and I honestly don't know how I'm going to do this mentally or financially," she said.
"I'm sharing some really bad moments and I know I don't look good in these videos. Honestly, I don't care. I feel terrible and this is what being sick looks like for me right now."
She added: "I just want this [expletive] OUT of my body. I want my health back. I want my life back. I want to feel like me again."
