Photo: Instagram
Meet the man marrying a Real Housewife!
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Sep 27, 2019
When a Real Housewife on Bravo gets married, it's a big deal. It doesn't matter if it's in the O.C. or in Atlanta or in New York City, when one of Andy Cohen's living breathing Barbie dolls decide to walk down the aisle, be it for the first or the fourth time, fans of the shows just can't get enough. Remember how Bethenny Frankel had a whole spin-off just about getting hitched? And NeNe? And Tamra? And those are literally just the first ones that sprung to mind. Oh! Also Kandi.
That's why everyone obsessed with the Housewives lost their minds when RHONY star Dorinda Medley announced that she was getting married. She posted a pic on Instagram and suddenly her fans couldn't stop talking. But there were some questions, was this engagement for real? She's been with John Mahdessian for a while, but how well do any of us really know him? Here's the skinny on the engagement and who the heck John Mahdessian really is.
1. The Engagement Announcement
On April 1st, Dorinda Medley pranked most of her fans when she posted a picture of her hand wearing a giant ring on her engagement finger. The caption read: "Don't you like this ring? I DO." Obviously, everyone (including, in the interest of full disclosure, yours truly) fell for it and were getting in line to congratulate Dorinda on her engagement.
Hey, she's been with the guy a very long. Surely it's not that much of a leap to take her play on words, the ring on her finger and her feelings about John and think the announcement was exactly that. Little did we all know what she was really up! Prank or not, Dorinda's faced a lot of tough questions about her relationship with John Mahdessian, the "Sultan of Stains" at elite dry cleaning service (totally a thing), Madame Paulette's in New York City.
2. This Isn't The First Fake Engagement
Believe it or not this isn't the only time Dorinda has had to fight back against rumors that she has become engaged to John. Granted, on those occasions, she wasn't the one to START the rumor! Oy vey. Back in 2017 her friends started talking about her relationship with John, and the rumor mill had it that the two of them had become secretly engaged.
Luckily, Dorinda speaks her mind and tells her truth (whatever else you might say about her) and was quick to set the record straight. While she loves John very much, she was totally content with the way that their relationship was already, she didn't feel like the timing was right for her to make things official with John.
3. Why No Ring?
So, Dorinda loves John, and John clearly loves Dorinda. That just leaves one burning question: why aren't they getting engaged? Well, Dorinda would have you believe that the reason is simple and straightforward enough. She likes the way things are and doesn't see any reason to change them. She and John have their own space, they see each other when they want, and it all feels easy and good for all parties involved.
John, however, disagrees. He's tried to propose to her before at least once (on the show), but there's something else holding Dorinda back: the memory of her late husband Richard. Fans of the show know just how devoted to Richard she was and how hard his passing was on her and her daughter. As she herself said already this season, "Once you have a love like I had with Richard..." Sad, but makes total sense.
4. John's MIA on RHONY
When Dorinda was first cast of the show, John joined her and made quite the splash. He has a strong personality and certainly rubs some people the wrong way. Though he was once making frequent appearances on the show, not he stays away from the cameras, and it isn't because Bravo issued some serious dictum or because Dorinda asked him to step aside.
According to both Dorinda and John, the decision for him to stop appearing on the show was a mutual one. For anyone rolling their eyes at this remark thinking that Dorinda's being nice, you've got to remember that John, while he is technically a dry cleaner, is a big deal in his industry! There's a reason he might volunteer to stay away from the cameras.
5. Busy With Business
That's right, a person can make it big in the dry cleaning industry, and John is living proof! John is the owner, as we mentioned, of Madame Paulette. This dry cleaner is the largest franchised one of its kind in the United States and with good reason. John built his business and his career on the fact that he can get rid of any stain.
You want proof of his stain fighting powers? This is the man who Melania Trump had on standby on her wedding day should any disasters occur with her wedding dress. John has also worked with the likes of heavyweights such as Steven Spielberg and Madonna herself! Perhaps most notably, prior to being auctioned off, John was responsible for handling the cleaning and the restoration of all the clothing of the late Princess Diana.
6. They're taking a break
A source told Page Six, “They’re starting to live separate lives. He’ll attend the opening of an envelope, and she goes out for work, but she’s really low-key. He’s all about being the guy on the town since she’s been on the show.” Medley has since been spotted all over town without him.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. Her work focuses on relationships, pop culture and news. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.