Emily Simpson on What Shannon Told Her Off-Camera About John

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Season 18 of The Real Housewives of Orange County hasn’t failed to impress fans. At the center of things are Shannon Beador and Alexis Bellino, the latter of whom has floated the idea of embarrassing the former with ring camera videos from the night of Shannon’s DUI. Now, Emily Simpson is weighing in on the drama as she shares what Shannon told her off-camera about her relationship with John Janssen and how she feels about John’s lawsuit.

As fans will recall, John is currently suing Shannon for $75,000, which he says was used for a facelift. Alexis has even brought up the lawsuit on the show despite not being in the picture when he claims to have loaned Shannon the money. Shannon’s defense is that the money was a gift and that she offered to pay it back, but he decided to pursue legal action instead. 

Recently, Emily sat down with US Weekly to discuss all things RHOC. Of course, a major part of the conversation concerned Shannon and Alexis and their drama with John. 

When it comes to John’s claims of a $75,000 loan. Emily says, “I was actually shocked by it. I didn’t know anything about it and Shannon for however long she was dating John, always told me on the down low after some margaritas, she would tell me a lot of things about their relationship.”

She explains, “And it was always how scared she was that she was always paying for things. She was concerned about the future because she didn’t know if he could support her. We all know shows are temporary. We don’t know how long we’re going to be on them. I think that a concern of hers was that she was the one footing the bill for everything, and she told me this multiple times. It wasn’t just me; if I compare notes with Heather or Gina, it’s the same thing.”

Emily continues, “So I think collectively, we all had this understanding that she was spending a lot of money on this relationship, and we felt bad for her. So then when those receipts came out, I was like, ‘That’s a lot of money, and that’s maybe a piece that you failed to mention, so I was kind of irritated when that first came out, but then I had a conversation with her later. I do look at it from a point of view where not everybody wants to talk about the things they’ve had done or work they’ve had done… In her mind, I think that maybe she felt that he was paying her back.”

She then says, “Once I heard things from her point of view, I felt it was a way to humiliate her.” 

The interviewer then asks Emily if she believes Alexis actually wanted to try to forge a friendship with Shannon despite dating her ex. Emily says, “You know, that’s the thing with Alexis, and I think that’s what was bothering me. I never had a problem with Alexis being with John.”

She continues, “And then the first group outing, which was Heather’s party, I actually rode there with Alexis, and I felt like on the way there she was very reasonable. She was like, ‘I don’t want to fight with Shannon. I don’t wanna be in a bad place with her.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, that’s a mature aspect, but then we get there, and it’s like she says one thing but acts completely different.”

Emily explains, “She’ll say I wanna be friends but then she’ll humiliate her. She’ll say I want to get along with this woman, but then she’ll constantly talk about John in front of her. It doesn’t make sense.”

Emily is also questioned if she thinks Alexis was intentionally mean to Shannon. She responds, “Yeah, when you show up at a dinner, and there are a bunch of people there, and you have copies of receipts, there’s nothing else except you’re just trying to humiliate her.”

The conversation shifts to John and whether or not Emly believes he is “love bombing” Alexis. She explains, “I think so. I also think they have a good relationship. I really do think that they are deeply in love and care about each other, and I don’t think anyone really has a problem with that.”

She goes on, “I think the problem is the constant feeling like we all have to jump on board and accept them and realize that Shannon was the problem and not him. That can’t happen by being forced down your throat. It has to happen over time organically, and I think that’s where she goes wrong.” 

Regarding Alexis not taking John’s behavior as a red flag, Emily says, “I don’t think she sees any flags. I think she’s in love, and I think she’s just there to defend him, and she’s his biggest fan, and she’s there to crusade for him, and I think that’s probably a misstep on her part. I think she probably should have come into the group and maybe tried to make friends and establish relationships. I feel like I saw a completely different Alexis. I’d always known her as a girl’s girl and very sweet.”

Fans can watch Emily and the rest of the RHOC cast on Thursday nights.