Brooks Ayers Net Worth

What is Brooks Ayers' net worth?

Brooks Ayers is an American reality star who has a net worth of $150 thousand. Brooks Ayers is best known for his appearances on "The Real Housewives of Orange County" and for his infamous role in one of the franchise's biggest scandals. Before his reality TV notoriety, Ayers built a career in healthcare sales and business development, holding executive positions in medical supply and hospital service companies. However, his personal life and his relationship with Vicki Gunvalson made him a controversial public figure. Ayers' time on RHOC was marked by accusations of dishonesty, most notably surrounding his falsified cancer diagnosis—a storyline that captivated and infuriated viewers. Though he has since retreated from public life, Ayers remains one of the most polarizing figures in the history of the Real Housewives franchise.

Early Career and Business Ventures

Born and raised in Mississippi, Brooks Ayers graduated from Mississippi State University in 1989 and began his career in finance as a consumer lender at Trustmark National Bank in Jackson. He later transitioned into healthcare sales, working his way into executive and mergers-and-acquisitions roles. By 1993, he was a director at Rotech Medical Corporation, a publicly traded medical supply firm. Over the next two decades, he worked with various healthcare companies, specializing in hospital revenue growth and product sales.

By the 2010s, Ayers was employed as a territory manager for DocRx, a medical products company, where his résumé listed more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry. He also ventured into entrepreneurship, co-founding Vicki's Vodka in 2012 with Vicki Gunvalson and investor Robert Williamson III. The venture quickly turned sour when Williamson sued Ayers and Gunvalson for fraud, alleging that Ayers sold a secret stake in the business for $50,000 without proper disclosure. Although Gunvalson was dismissed from the case, the lawsuit damaged Ayers' business reputation and added to his growing list of public controversies.

(Photo by Brian To/FilmMagic)

Personal Life

Ayers has been married multiple times and is a father of several children. His first marriage produced three children, including a son and two daughters. After separating from his first wife, he dated Nicolette Catanzarite, with whom he had a son, Joey, born in 2008. Their relationship ended soon after, and Catanzarite later accused Ayers of failing to provide financial support—a claim that led to his 2010 arrest for unpaid child support. The dispute became public when Catanzarite appeared on an ABC "20/20" segment, calling him a "deadbeat dad," which further damaged his image.

Ayers' most publicized relationship began in the late 2000s when he started dating Vicki Gunvalson, the outspoken insurance mogul and star of "The Real Housewives of Orange County." The two met at an insurance conference in 2007, when she was still married to Donn Gunvalson, and began dating a few years later. They maintained an on-and-off relationship for nearly five years. During that time, Ayers moved from Mississippi to Orange County to be closer to her and became a regular fixture on RHOC. His presence on the show was divisive, with castmates and viewers alike questioning his motives and clashing with him over his behavior. The relationship finally ended in July 2015 after years of tension, tabloid coverage, and mutual accusations.

In 2018, Ayers married Christy Groves Lindeman in Indiana after dating for more than a year. He later announced plans to relocate back to Mississippi to be closer to his family and to live a quieter life.

The Cancer Diagnosis Scandal

Ayers' reputation imploded during RHOC's tenth season in 2015, when he claimed to have been diagnosed with stage III non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. His announcement initially garnered sympathy, but skepticism soon grew among castmates who doubted his story. When confronted, Ayers produced what he said were medical records from City of Hope hospital. Reporters later confirmed that the documents were forged and that the hospital had no record of his treatment.

After months of denials, Ayers admitted to fabricating the records but continued to insist he truly had cancer. He said he falsified the paperwork only to "quiet skeptics." The admission sparked one of the most infamous scandals in Bravo history and caused widespread backlash. Gunvalson, who had defended Ayers publicly, was accused by co-stars of being complicit in the deception, though no evidence ever showed she knew about the forgery. Ayers later issued a public apology, acknowledging his actions were "absolutely wrong" and calling the decision to fake documents "the biggest mistake of my life."

The incident effectively ended his time on reality television and permanently altered his public image. The media branded him a con man, and the story became a defining moment in the Real Housewives franchise.

Legal Disputes and Later Life

Following his breakup with Gunvalson, Ayers' troubles continued. In 2019, Gunvalson sued him for breach of contract, alleging he failed to repay nearly $185,000 in loans she had provided during their relationship. According to her lawsuit, Ayers signed a written agreement acknowledging the debt but never repaid it. The case sought roughly $81,000 plus interest and legal fees. Ayers dismissed the allegations as unfounded, though court records show the dispute remained unresolved for years.

Since leaving reality TV, Ayers has maintained a low profile. He resides in the Midwest with his wife and has expressed no interest in returning to public life. While he continues to work in healthcare sales, his notoriety from the RHOC scandal still follows him. For many viewers, Brooks Ayers remains a symbol of how fame, relationships, and dishonesty can collide on reality television—with lasting consequences for everyone involved.

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