RHOC’s Emily Simpson Confirms Her Son Underwent Brain Procedure, Discusses Status With Tamra

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Credit: Bravo

Season 19 of The Real Housewives of Orange County was a fairly emotional one for Emily Simpson. This wasn’t only because of her dynamics with her co-stars. It was primarily because her son was battling some serious health issues. Now, she’s giving an update after previously saying he may need a brain procedure.

The first mention of Emily’s son, Luke, 10, having health problems came from the RHOC season 19 trailer. It was then that fans first saw her say things so bad that they threatened her marriage to Shane Simpson, 50. More recently, she revealed that he has been diagnosed with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders (PANDAS).

Emily, 49, gave US Weekly an update on Luke and whether he’d had his operation yet while attending BravoCon 2025. She said, “He did [undergo his procedure]. I didn’t see a lot of a difference, so we’re still investigating other things and working with a specialist, and we’re going to try some different things.”

She said the procedure is supposed to “reduce the swelling in the brain.” Emily then said, “It needs to be ongoing. He’s done a couple rounds, which hasn’t made that big of a difference. So the question is, do we continue forward, or do we try something different?”

The RHOC star also shared that mothers have been reaching out and sharing supportive words. According to her, “The moms out there are incredible. I get so many DMs with recommendations and stories, and so thank you to the moms.”

In other Emily news, she also spoke to Entertainment Tonight about where she stands with Tamra Judge, 58. She said, “Where I’m at with Tamra makes no sense to me because Tamra came into the reunion mad at me, which I don’t even understand.” She went on to say that she has been fair to Tamra and the rest of the group. 

She went on, “And then when I asked her, she couldn’t think of a reason why she was mad.” Gina Kirschenheiter, 41, who was also in the interview, brought up the reunion and how Tamra kept being mean. They also discussed Katie Ginella at the end of the interview, and Gina stated that she still doesn’t trust her and doesn’t care that she’s now friends with Tamra.