Margaret Josephs on Why She “[Feels] Bad” for Tamra Judge

Credit: Jocelyn Prescod/Bravo, ROGER WONG/INSTARimages

Margaret Josephs feels bad for Tamra Judge as she continues to face backlash for her behavior on The Real Housewives of Orange County, specifically her treatment of former friend Shannon Beador and the false claims she made against Ryan Boyajian.

While the 57-year-old Real Housewives of New Jersey star also weighed in on the recent claims made against Shannon, 60, who was accused of mistreating the crew of Peacock’s upcoming dating show, Love Hotel, Margaret reminded fans that Tamra is “human” while shading Ryan, 46, for his mob mentality after he threatened Tamra, 57, with a lawsuit.

“I feel bad. [Tamra] is very strong, and I think people don’t realize she is human. We’re human, and the attacks are, I think, a little too much,” Margaret said on the October 3 episode of On Display With Melissa Gorga. “I understand. This is a TV show, and I think people don’t realize that, you know, everyone can have their opinion, but when it gets down to, like, suing, and attacking, and the aggression, it upsets me. It hurts my heart.”

Following a recent outing with Tamra, Margaret said she was questioned about her association with the RHOC cast member.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Marge, why are you talking to Tamra?’ I’m not turning my back on my girlfriend. I’m not like that,” she explained. “People are like, ‘Don’t associate with her.’ This is a TV show. We’re entertaining. People have fights. People disagree. And I am not gonna all the sudden be like, ‘I’m not gonna talk to Tamra again. I don’t like what happened on the show.’ That’s not the way the world works. And it’s upsetting me what’s going on on social media with the attacks against her. People don’t have to agree with her. People can be upset with her. But to call to end her and [say] she should be sued and she should lose income and she should be canceled, I don’t go for that at all.”

And Melissa Gorga, 45, agreed.

“It’s so much. There’s a lot going on with her in the press. I feel bad … I don’t think it’s right,” she said of the backlash. “We’re not just sitting here completely defending, but we all need to remember that she did bring the drama this season to the show, which, everybody wanted her to come back. All the fans were asking for Tamra to come back. They know she stirs the pot. That’s what she’s good at — calling people out.”

According to Melissa, Tamra reminds her of Margaret.

“She’s a Housewife. Margaret, she’s a lot like you. You take a lot of heat also on the show for things you’ll call out and that you’ll do,” she noted.

“She’s a very strong woman,” Margaret replied. “She knows how to navigate everything, but it has to take a toll. I know what it’s like.”

Regarding Tamra’s drama with Shannon, Margaret noted that she and Shannon have a “longtime” friendship that fans don’t know everything about.

“I think people see that on the show, they don’t like how she treated Shannon, and they can feel that way. She was very tough love with Shannon, and maybe it didn’t come across the way everybody it wanted to,” she suspected. “Maybe she could’ve been gentler, whatever it is, but that’s a longstanding relationship, and I think everybody has just gone for the jugular with her, and that’s why I feel badly. They do have their own relationship, and everybody’s weighing in.”

Looking back at her time on RHONJ, Margaret said that while she and her castmates have gone through dark times, they’ve never gotten to a legal place with one another.

“Well, almost. Everybody was really getting antsy, right? Thank God it did not. But everybody was wanting to,” Melissa corrected.

“It got very ugly. And people wanted to, but it didn’t go that far,” Margaret replied.

“When you start suing each other, first of all, guys, like learn from the Jersey girls, Bravo gets pissed. They do not like this. They like the drama to stay on camera, not behind the scenes,” Melissa noted.

While Ryan felt wronged by Tamra when she falsely accused him of stealing from a Los Angeles Dodgers player on Watch What Happens Live, Margaret said she didn’t like the thought of Tamra being sued.

“I’m not saying people don’t have the right to defend themselves, and you can argue it out on the show or whatever it is, but it’s getting, it’s too much. I don’t like it,” she noted. “Listen, our show was as dark as they come, and it didn’t even get to that level. This is mob mentality, and it’s a gang-up, and it’s upsetting me. I don’t like it … People have to realize, everybody’s human on the show, regardless of what everybody feels, it’s gotta die down. Look at what’s happened to Jersey. Let’s all take it down a notch.”

As for Shannon’s Love Hotel drama, Margaret didn’t know any insider details, but she said that “clearly, something had happened.”

“Production … they’re good people. You can never be mean to the producers. They work so hard. They’re there for hours all day. They’re hustling for you and everything else,” she noted. “I don’t know what has happened or what happened, but clearly, something terrible for a host to be so upset.”

Earlier this week, in a since-deleted post, assumed host Joel Kim Booster, 36, slammed Shannon as a “pathetic drunk” as he accused her of treating the Love Hotel crew as if they were subhuman.

“Them’s fighting words. I couldn’t believe it,” Margaret admitted. “I’ve never seen someone get so upset and be so upset with talent before, publicly. Behind the scenes, of course, but to publicly state that about someone.”