Shannon Beador broke down in tears on Thursday’s episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County while discussing her legal battle with ex-boyfriend John Janssen.
“I don’t owe him anything,” Shannon, 60, yelled at Tamra Judge, 56, as she explained that John was suing her and demanding $75,000.
“He said if he doesn’t come up with a payment plan for $75,000, he’ll come up with one on Friday. So I’m not going to be making monthly payments to John Janssen. That’s not going to happen,” Shannon said.
“I’m not going to pay him $75,000. How dare he!” he added.
“It’s a mess. It’s a mess,” Tamra said.
Shannon Beador broke down in tears on Thursday’s episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County while discussing her legal battle with ex-boyfriend John Janssen.
Tamra recalled in a confessional how she and Shannon “traumatized” after they were both sued by Jim Bellino in 2018.
The emotional revelation came during a tense interview with Tamra, who had initially confronted Shannon about her drinking habits following her DUI arrest in September 2023.
The conversation quickly escalated and Shannon accused Tamra of defamation and spreading lies.
“I don’t say things that aren’t true,” Tamra said. “No, I didn’t.”
“You keep saying you’re drunk, that you need to be sober,” Shannon said. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“So, you don’t have a drinking problem?” Tamra said.
Shannon said she was aware that she would drink heavily during certain darker periods. Shannon recalled that she had seen Tamra in darker situations as well.
“Did I crash my car into a house?” Tamra asked coldly.
“It’s a mess. It’s a mess,” Tamra said after Shannon began crying.
“You keep saying you’re drunk, you need to be sober,” Shannon said earlier. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Did I crash my car into a house?” Tamra asked coldly.
Shannon said she was aware that she consumed alcohol excessively during certain darker periods.
Shannon got up from the table and walked away. She asked the producer to bring her her purse.
“She’s done nothing but hurt me and spread lies about me,” Shannon said in the bathroom.
“Where is she?” Tamra asked a producer, who replied that Shannon was in the bathroom.
“This is a true example of how you kick someone who’s down,” Shannon said in a confessional. “It’s just low blows. You’re lucky I don’t stoop to your level because I could go there.”
Earlier in the episode, Emily Simpson was shocked to learn from her new housewife, Katie Ginella, that John was allegedly threatening to release a disturbing video of Shannon from the night of her DUI arrest.
Katie recounted a phone call between Alexis Bellino and John, in which she said: “There’s Ring camera footage of her almost running over her daughter. She kept saying, ‘If we post this, she’s done. Her reputation is completely done.'”
The season 18 episode, titled “The Gloves Are Off,” began with the housewives split between two locations: Shannon, Emily, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Heather Dubrow at a home in La Quinta, while Katie, Alexis, Tamra, and Jenn Pedranti were at Tamra’s house in Big Bear.
At breakfast, Heather said the weekend had been fun.
Shannon asked the producer to bring her her bag as she stormed away.
“She’s done nothing but hurt me and spread lies about me,” Shannon said in the bathroom.
“Where is she?” Tamra asked a producer, who told her Shannon was in the bathroom.
“This is a true example of how you kick someone who’s down,” Shannon said in a confessional. “It’s just low blows. You’re lucky I don’t stoop to your level because I could go there.”
“I had no intention of mentioning to the group of friends the fact that John Janssen was threatening to sue me, saying I owed him money,” Shannon said.
“It made you look like you were dishonest about the relationship,” Emily said.
Shannon said she had stacks of credit cards and cancelled checks that would prove she paid for things during her relationship with John.
“Shannon always said she paid for everything,” Heather said in a confessional.
Shannon explained that she believed John had given her the money in an attempt to pay her back. Shannon said she once paid $10,000 for hotel rooms in Los Angeles for John’s daughter’s birthday celebration.
“And you’re telling me I owe you money?” Shannon asked.
“Were you trying to buy her love?” Emily said.
Emily suggested that Shannon send John an offer to pay him $30,000.
“I don’t want to!” Shannon said. “I’m telling you, on principle, I don’t want to give him a dollar. It’s like a slap in the face to me.”
Emily suggested that Shannon send John an offer that she would pay him $30,000.
“I don’t want to!” Shannon said. “I’m telling you, on principle, I don’t want to give him a dollar. It’s like a slap in the face to me.”
Shannon began to cry and said she was so grateful for their friendship.
Gina and Emily also had a heated argument about their friendship, with Gina accusing Emily of being too aggressive.
Gina said she didn’t want Emily to be seen on the show as the “big bitch.”
“I’ve been aggressive since the day you met me,” Emily said.
“I think you have to work on it,” Gina said.
“Well, Heather says something like, ‘Get on your knees,’ and you’re like, ‘Okay, Heather,'” Emily said.
“That’s not true,” Gina said. “I don’t know. Everyone hates me.”
Gina threw the paddle on the floor and walked away. Gina was not allowed back into the house. Emily came over and hugged her. They both started crying and talked about their problems.
Shannon began to cry and said she was so grateful for their friendship.
Gina and Emily also had a heated argument about their friendship, with Gina accusing Emily of being too aggressive.
“I’ve been aggressive since the day you met me,” Emily said.
“I think you need to work on it,” Gina said.
“Well, Heather says something like ‘get on your knees’ and you say ‘okay, Heather,'” Emily said.
“Maybe things at home are worse than she lets on,” Heather said of Gina.
Meanwhile, Jenn opened up about the pain of seeing her ex-husband Will happily in a new relationship with her former friend.
The drama escalated when John called Alexis, triggering an emotional outburst in her.
“I’m going to go crazy,” Alexis said over the phone. “I’m taking my gloves off! I’m taking my gloves off!”
Alexis then went to Katie crying.
“There came a point where John couldn’t take it anymore,” Alexis said in the confessional.
“I’m going crazy,” Alexis Bellino said over the phone. “I’m taking my gloves off! I’m taking my gloves off!”
Alexis then went to Katie crying.
“It got to the point where John couldn’t take it anymore,” Alexis said in a confessional.
Alexis told a producer she couldn’t say what pushed John over the edge.
“There are a lot of things I know that Shannon probably wouldn’t want anyone else to know.”
“She’s a real piece of shit,” Alexis said crying.
When they returned to the OC, Tamra went to Gina’s house, who showed her how she was remodeling the house after her boyfriend Travis moved out.
Tamra said that Alexis drank a lot during her trip to Big Bear. Tamra asked if Shannon drank during her trip to La Quinta and Gina said yes.
“The thing is, there are people who have serious drinking problems and people who are just jerks,” Tamra said. “It’s manipulation, it’s lying.”
“She really needs her real friends and you are her best friend,” Gina said.
“I feel like tough love is the best thing for her,” Tamra said.
Jenn went out with her boyfriend Ryan to get a pedicure.
She told him about La Quinta and how Tamra said she should start an Only Fans about her feet.
“She’s shit,” Alexis said crying.
Jenn Pedranti stepped out with her boyfriend Ryan to get a pedicure.
She told him about La Quinta and how Tamra said she should start an Only Fans about her feet.
Ryan quickly shot down the idea of Jenn joining Only Fans.
Tamra, after learning of Shannon’s distress over the lawsuit, attempted to patch things up and invited her to an upcoming party she was hosting.
Despite the emotional showdown, the two shared a hug and Tamra expressed her love for Shannon.
The Real Housewives of Orange County will return next Thursday on Bravo.