Heather McDonald Encouraged Alexis Bellino to Return to 'RHOC' to 'Redeem Herself' After Shannon Beador Drama

Heather McDonald is a pop culture historian.

After years on the panel at Chelsea Lately and launching her highly successful podcast "Juicy Scoop" in 2015, the comedian has always been on the pulse of what's happening in everything from reality television to the salacious personal lives of Oscar-winning A-listers.

McDonald chats exclusively with OK! about what she makes of the recent arrest of Sean "Diddy" Combs and its effect on the industry, what she thinks about Alexis Bellino being back on The Real Housewives of Orange County and how she's grown her "Juicy Scoop" audience.

"Only until recent years have people been able to do things on their own without being a slave to the industry because of social media," the funny lady says of how the rapper kept his crimes a secret. "Prior to that, you had to play the game. If you weren't at a good agency, if you didn't have the right music, you're done. I think we've been seeing that people have been able to do their own thing and content creators are more important. The shift in the industry when it comes to streamers and studios has not been as powerful, but I think this is really what's going to level the playing field."

Besides being knowledgable about Tinseltown, McDonald has been known to also be a scholar of Bravo. During the current season of RHOC, Bellino returned to the fold despite being with Shannon Beador's ex-boyfriend John Janssen.

"I spoke to Alexis Bellino," the media personality reveals after she was hit with fan backlash over dating Beador's former flame. "I was like, 'You absolutely should go back next season. You're just going to be hated and not get the benefits of being famous?' She's got to go on and redeem herself. If you don't, who cares? She might as well get what she can out of being on the show because you already are known for being on it."

McDonald also emphasized how it's important for fans of the franchises not to be so intense about the drama in the show. "People say, 'It's so dark,' or 'they're so mean.' But then the question is, 'Yes. But are you entertained?'" she explains.

Following her days starring alongside Chelsea Handler at the beloved E! show, the beauty has gained a huge audience with her authentic takes on her show.

"With the success of 'Juicy Scoop,' I realized that a lot of people have podcasts, but they're still beholden to all these stars and have to watch what they're saying," McDonald notes. "They're not really being honest because they're like, 'Well, I might work with this person.' I don't feel like that. I honestly really don't care. I'd rather take this and not be that person."