Sutton Stracke has said that she fired her longtime assistant Avi Gabay mainly for practical, lifestyle and business reasons, not because of a big dramatic blow‑up.

Sutton’s stated reason

  • Sutton explained on the RHOBH Season 15 premiere and the After Show that she was becoming an “empty nester” with no kids at home and no longer had a boutique/storefront to run, so she felt she didn’t need a full‑time assistant living in her house anymore.
  • She called it “just a business decision,” saying that they had “run their course” and that it was simply time to move on from having someone there all the time.

What she hinted went wrong

  • On the show she added that communication is a key part of that kind of job and that “if you don’t have good communication, it’s not going to work,” which many viewers took as a subtle hint there were work‑related issues behind the scenes.
  • Sutton has also said “nothing really happened” and that there was “no drama,” but described the situation as “complicated,” which leaves room for interpretation about how smooth the split really was.

Are Sutton and Avi still friends?

  • Sutton has confirmed that she and Avi do not keep in touch now, and she was surprised that ending his employment also seemed to end their friendship.
  • She’s said losing the friendship has been the saddest part for her, since Avi was around through her marriage, divorce, and her daughter’s graduation, and felt like more than “just” an assistant.

Fan theories and online gossip

  • Some fans on social media and forums speculate that Avi may have quit rather than been fired, or that he might have become too expensive once Sutton’s circumstances changed, but these points are speculation , not confirmed fact.
  • Others think the communication comment plus the fact that Avi appeared publicly with Garcelle Beauvais (a close friend and co‑star of Sutton’s) suggests deeper personal or loyalty drama, but again, that’s viewer tea, not anything Sutton has explicitly confirmed.

Bottom line

  • Confirmed on‑record: Sutton says she let Avi go because her life changed (no kids at home, no storefront) and she no longer needed a live‑in or full‑time assistant, and that communication issues may have played a role.
  • Unconfirmed but widely discussed: fan theories about money, workplace treatment, or Avi choosing to walk away on his own; these remain gossip and have not been backed up by Sutton or Avi directly.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.