What Jo De La Rosa Was Doing After Leaving Real Housewives

Jo De La Rosa was a key cast member in season 1 and 2 of the Real Housewives of Orange County (RHOC), which aired over 15 years ago. Since then, she's popped up on our screens in Date My Ex: Jo & Slade (via IMDb), called off her second engagement (via Bravo), and even started a podcast. But what exactly did Jo De La Rosa get up to immediately after leaving RHOC?

Speaking to Bravo's The Daily Dish, she revealed that after leaving the show she spent about 18 months doing club appearances. After that, she admitted, "I ran out of money." As a result, she started bartending. "I had a publicist at the time, and he was like, 'Jo, you cannot be seen bartending.' People were like, 'What the hell are you doing bartending here? You just got off a hit show!'" she told Bravo. "I was like, OK, let me find a bar that is hidden. So I got a job at the Corner Club in Woodland Hills, which was this dive bar." 

As time went on, De La Rosa started a karaoke night at Corner Club, which became a huge success, and was eventually tracked down by TMZ. The rest is history! As she explained to The Daily Dish, "Back then, there were a lot of reality stars that had gotten off of like, American Idol, and were also doing the same thing." Instagram was yet to exist and ex-reality stars had to find other ways to earn a living post being the spotlight.

Does she regret leaving the RHOC, taking up bartending, or starting that karaoke night? Absolutely not. "It's funny how one decision you make has the potential to change the course of your entire life," De La Rosa wrote on her Instagram recently. "I don't have any regrets over the decisions I've made and I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."