In celebration of the 100th season of the Real Housewives franchise, Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge dished on the upcoming drama in Season 18.
But when the topic turned to castmate Shannon Beador and her 2023 DUI arrest, Tamra got emotional, speaking about how their friendship had turned “ugly.”
“It’s unfortunate,” Tamra shared. “I was very good friends with Shannon for 10 years, and I know Shannon better than anybody knows Shannon. When Shannon got the DUI, I was on my way [to Scotland] to do Traitors … We were on the phone … crying together.”
Expressing her concern didn’t go well
“It’s hard,” Tamra said tearfully. “She was a really good friend. We were very, very close. I worried that something like this would happen to her, and it did. I’m just glad that nobody got hurt. But I felt like it was finally my time to be … very honest with her.”
Tamra told her, “Listen, you need help. You’ve been on the show for 10 years. Every year, somebody has talked about your drinking. It is time to stop.”
Sadly, Shannon only got defensive. “She did not take it that well [when] I said that,” Tamra concluded.
In the end, Tamra left the Tres Amigas tour with Shannon and Vicki Gunvalson. “It was hard for me to commit to so many tour dates,” the Vena CBD owner explained. “But also because she was still drinking, and I thought, ‘I’m not going to be that friend that’s going to enable you’ … This time, nobody got hurt, but if there’s a next time, I’m not going to be one of those people who’s like, ‘Oh, you’re okay. Don’t worry. You can have a few drinks.’ I don’t want to be involved in that.”
It wasn’t the first time Tamra had expressed concern about Shannon’s drinking either. She tried once before, but that didn’t go well either. “[She] pretty much turned on me, started talking behind my back, saying horrible things about me,” Tamra explained. “Nobody liked me. Nobody wants you on the show. And I’m like, ‘I’m trying to help you.’ So, I’m like, you know what? I need to take a step [back] and not be involved so closely with this.”
Things get worse before they get better
When she heard that Shannon’s ex John Janssen was dating Alexis Bellino, Tamra reached out. She texted, “I know we’re not in a good place, [but] I know this has gotta hurt … I’m so sorry for what you’re going through.”
Tamra emphasized that she’s never turned her back on Shannon. “I was there for her from the day she got her DUI … We did a show together. That’s when I saw her drinking, the [drunken] phone calls … and I’m like, ‘Where’s rock bottom?’”
While they’re in a rough place right now, Tamra still hopes they can someday smooth things over. Meanwhile, she says things will get even rougher in Season 18 before they get any better.
“It gets really ugly with us this year,” she warned. “There’s some good times, but it ends really bad, so I just hope that she gets the help she needs.”
Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK SHANNON AND TAMRA WILL EVER BE FRIENDS AGAIN? WILL SHANNON EVER GET SOBER?
