Why Did Maya Vander Leave 'Selling Sunset'?

(Image credit: Courtesy of Netflix)

published 2 May 2022

Season 5 of Selling Sunset included a bittersweet pseudo-goodbye for original cast member Maya Vander. One of our favorite realtors for her impressive business acumen and cute turns of phrase, Maya has split her time between Miami and LA since the beginning of the show. She even squeezed in a sale on a gorgeous Santa Monica house during her goodbye party. "I don’t want to say closure, but it will be a nice goodbye gift. At the end of the day, you know, I want to be a superwoman, but I can’t. I have to prioritize," she says on the show.

Many of us are wondering whether this means Maya is leaving the show behind, or if she'll still find a way to appear. Here's what we know so far.

Maya now lives and works full-time with her husband and children in Miami.

In an interview with Tudum, Maya confirmed that she'd decided to stay in Miami full-time. During the filming of season five, she was pregnant and explained that she wanted to spend more time with her family after the birth of her third child. After filming ended, in December 2021, she sadly experienced a stillbirth. She told Tudum that she plans to become pregnant again, adding, "I have my moments, but life goes on, and I’m OK most days."

She also reflected on the past five seasons, saying that the office scenes where she caught up with the team were her favorite scenes to film. She also shared how she stayed neutral on fights like the Chrishell-Christine war throughout the show. "If someone is wrong and someone is doing something wrong, I would say that," she said. "But it’s not my goal to put someone down or fight with anyone."

She may appear on the show part-time.

Maya first hinted that she would be leaving the show last December, telling the Domenick Nati Show that she wasn't likely to return full time if the show got a season 6. "I'm probably not going to be a full-time cast member because it's going to be difficult for me logistically to do the back-and-forth again, especially with a third child," she said. "Realistically speaking, I'm probably going to stay more focused on Miami, my family and my business here, if we get renewed for another season."

She also said in the Tudum interview that she'd be willing to make the trip out to LA once a month for cameos. "Nobody is going to quit on their own, I tell you," she says. "If they told me, 'Yes, come out once a month,' I’d be like, 'Sign me.' I don’t care who’s complaining and all that—nobody wants to leave the show. It’s a great opportunity. Even though I always complain to producers about me flying back and forth, I made it happen, because I wanted to be part of it."

She started her own brokerage in Miami.

Maya's been busy building her own real estate brand since filming ended on Sunset season 5. In addition to launching her own training course for new agents and posting informational clips on her Instagram, she announced in February that she's founded her own brokerage in Miami, the Maya Vander Group, with two female agents.

A post shared by Maya Vander (SELLING SUNSET) (@themayavander)
A photo posted by on

She also returned to Sunset to film the highly anticipated reunion that's airing on May 6. Though she's setting her shingle in Miami, she'll probably work on the odd project in LA, since her bio's still up on the Oppenheim Group's website (unlike another cast member who may have left, *whisper* Christine). Hopefully she can drop in and say hi some time during season 6.

She's up for a Miami-based real estate show.

Maya fans could also see the Selling franchise following her to her new business, following the premieres of Selling Tampa and the forthcoming Selling the OC. The realtor told Distractify that she would "100 percent" be up for being part of a real estate show in Miami.

"The real estate is so great and sexy [in Miami]. I would love to do something here. I think there is a tremendous amount of potential. If I don't have to hop on a flight for five hours back and forth in 48 hours, I would definitely do it," she said.

As for what that would look like—cameos on Sunset and Selling Tampa? A straight up Selling Miami? Her own show sans Adam DiVello?—only time will tell.

She just welcomed her third child, a baby girl.

A post shared by Maya Vander (SELLING SUNSET) (@themayavander)
A photo posted by on

Congratulations are in order! Maya and her husband David Miller welcomed their third child earlier this month, a baby girl named Emma Reign, per People. The news came over a year after after the mother of three experienced a late-term pregnancy loss in December 2021.

"I kept the pregnancy very quiet until the end. I am feeling so much relief now that I delivered, and we are both safe," she told the outlet.

Quinci is a Culture Writer who covers all aspects of pop culture, including TV, movies, music, books, and theater. She contributes interviews with talent, as well as SEO content, features, and trend stories. She fell in love with storytelling at a young age, and eventually discovered her love for cultural criticism and amplifying awareness for underrepresented storytellers across the arts. She previously served as a weekend editor for Harper’s Bazaar, where she covered breaking news and live events for the brand’s website, and helped run the brand’s social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Her freelance writing has also appeared in outlets including HuffPost, The A.V. Club, Elle, Vulture, Salon, Teen Vogue, and others. Quinci earned her degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. She was a 2021 Eugene O’Neill Critics Institute fellow, and she is a member of the Television Critics Association. She is currently based in her hometown of Los Angeles. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her studying Korean while watching the latest K-drama, recommending her favorite shows and films to family and friends, or giving a concert performance while sitting in L.A. traffic.