‘RHOC’: Michael Wolfsmith reveals why he hasn’t seen Briana Culberson in nearly a decade

On this week’s episode of Real Housewives of Orange County, Vicki Gunvalson had met up with her son Michael Wolfsmith and the conversation turned to Michael’s sister Briana Culberson. Michael mentioned he hasn’t seen Brianna in 8 years and hasn’t even met her two youngest children.

Michael and Briana are only two years apart in age, but have always had different personalities. Briana became a nurse, married young, and is now raising four children with husband Ryan Culberson, recently relocating from Oklahoma to Texas. Michael, meanwhile, splits his time between Spain and California while helping run the life insurance division of Vicki’s business and partying in his free time.

After the episode aired, Michael addressed the scene on Instagram, offering additional context about the distance between him and his sister.

According to Michael, the lack of visits hasn’t been one-sided.

“I’ve never been invited to Oklahoma,” he wrote, adding that Briana also hasn’t traveled to California when he’s been there.

When fans encouraged him to make the trip because “life is short,” Michael replied that he had previously been willing to visit.

“I was ready to book a flight a couple years ago and it wasn’t the right timing for them,” he responded. “They can come visit CA too when I’m there. I was staying at my mom’s + her desert house for 3 months this year.”

Vicki, meanwhile, became emotional while discussing what she believes contributed to the family’s distance.

The longtime RHOC star said she still blames herself for divorcing her second husband, Donn Gunvalson, suggesting the end of their marriage changed the family’s dynamic and left everyone more disconnected.

Although Vicki sees the divorce as a turning point, neither Michael nor Briana has publicly attributed their relationship to any single event. Instead, Michael’s comments suggest that geography, timing, and the realities of busy adult lives have all played a role in the siblings spending nearly a decade apart. For viewers of the show, which has been on the air since Michael and Briana were in high school, the family didn’t appear close knit even back then.

Because viewers have seen Michael and Briana on TV for 20 years, fans are hopeful that Michael and Briana will eventually reconnect and that he’ll have the opportunity to meet his youngest nieces and nephews.

Thanks for reading Thought Catalog. Join us on Facebook, or keep reading on our website.