Here's Where Original RHONY Star Alex McCord Is Today
True fans of The Real Housewives of New York City will know that long before the likes of Sonja Morgan, Tinsley Mortimer, and Dorinda Medley, there were a whole handful of housewives ruling the streets of Manhattan. One being Alex McCord. Starring as a leading lady for the first four seasons of the hit Bravo show, McCord and eccentric husband Simon van Kempen were reportedly fired by the network in 2011, along with castmates Jill Zarin, Kelly Bensimon, and Cindy Barshop. Calling the decision "bittersweet" after the news broke, McCord told Us Weekly, "It's been a bumpy ride; sometimes great and sometimes not, but it's been an experience that I don't regret having done."
However, it's safe to say that we've barely heard a peep from this couple since then — but for good reason. It turns out that McCord and van Kempen actually moved their family to his homeland of Australia a few years later. Speaking to The Daily Dish in 2017, McCord revealed, "Moving to Australia is obviously very, very different from New York City, but it was a great move and a healthy move." Admitting that this was partly so they could be closer to her husband's family, she revealed that it was "a learning experience," saying, "That's something we never had in New York, because my family is all from Dallas, and Simon's family was obviously in Australia."
But what else has Alex McCord been up to since leaving her RHONY days behind?
Alex McCord hit the books while enjoying family life down under
Location is not all that's changed in Alex McCord's life since leaving RHONY. While she and Simon van Kempen launched their home goods company, Aluxe Home, in 2011, this former reality TV star has since embarked on yet another completely different career path.
According to Bravo's own Andy Cohen, McCord is now a qualified psychologist, and you can actually find out all about her work life on her LinkedIn profile. "When Simon and I moved to Australia, we both decided that this was a time of midlife reinvention," McCord explained to The Daily Dish. "What had we not done yet that we wanted to do? It's sort of like the world is our oyster. OK, new life, what are you gonna do?" What McCord did was study psychology at the City University of New York, before graduating with honors at the University of New England in Australia, and then completing her Masters of Professional Psychology in May 2020. She also took home the Vice Chancellor's Scholar Award. Talk about an overachiever!
When she's not working, you can find McCord on Instagram, sharing images of her running routes along some of the world's most beautiful coastlines, her teenage sons (yup, little Francois and Johan are now all grown up!), and the delicious fresh seafood dishes she cooks up. McCord and van Kempen have also celebrated 20 years of marriage. In our opinion, this former real housewife has never looked happier.