'Vanderpump Villa's Eric Funderwhite Faced Serious Accusations Before He Filmed at the Chateau

Just when you thought the drama was over for the cast of the first season of Hulu reality show Vanderpump Villa, the streaming platform rolled out an unexpected reunion special. And with the amount of breakups, makeups, and frenemies in the show's first season, we can all agree that a reunion was a must — even if it was a surprise for viewers who didn't know there would be one. Which we can't confirm, but hey, at least a reunion happened at all, right?

However, one thing viewers questioned during the special was why cast member Eric Funderwhite wasn't at the reunion. He is as much a part of the Vanderpump Villa cast as any of the other new reality TV stars. However, his absence is noted right away, and fans have questions about his future on the show.

For Lisa Vanderpump’s other show, Bravo's Vanderpump Rules, it took a little while for the cast to be embroiled in real life legal woes. For Eric, though, that's not the case. Prior to filming Vanderpump Villa, Eric was accused of assault by an ex-girlfriend. And, while nothing more came of the allegations after a temporary restraining order was granted by a judge, Lisa herself felt it best for Eric to be distanced from the reunion.

“Before we get started, there is something I need to address,” Lisa explains to the cast during the reunion special. “Long after leaving the Château, we learned along with the rest of the world about an allegation from Eric’s past. While that allegation was dismissed in short order and no further action taken, we thought it best that Eric not be here today to keep the focus on the reason why we are here today. And that is getting the staff together to serve some tea.”

Of course, the real “tea” some viewers are interested in is learning what Eric did or didn't do outside of the show. And if it has any bearing on his future on Vanderpump Villa, should there be more seasons.

According to The U.S. Sun, Eric's ex-girlfriend accused him of assault multiple times throughout their relationship, which spanned from 2017 until 2020. Alleged incidents included, as reported by the ex whose name remains off records, “strangling” and “jumping on [her] neck.” It looks like no other formal charges were made against Eric, however, and after his ex filed a temporary restraining order against him in 2020, no other reports were made.

During Eric's time on Vanderpump Villa, he mentioned his ex-wife and failed marriage. However, he never shared details further than that, or details about other relationships he had prior to coming on the show. Regardless, the fact that he's not part of the reunion seems to hint that Eric probably won't be back.

Vanderpump Villa is now streaming on Hulu.