Shannon Beador's Scandalous Response to Tamra Judge's Accusations

In a recent interview, Shannon Beador addressed the hurtful comments made by Tamra Judge on The Real Housewives of Orange County, where she was referred to as a "drunk" and a "liar." Shannon, who is 59 years old, shared how difficult it was to hear these words, especially since they do not reflect who she truly is. Even her children were upset by the episode and reassured Shannon that those labels do not define her.

Shannon has shared that she finds it upsetting when certain cast members label her. She shares three children with her ex-husband David Beador, including daughter Sophie who is 21 years old and twins Stella and Adeline who are 18.

While appearing on the show, I make an effort to refrain from making negative comments about a cast member's personality as it can be harmful. However, I may address unkind actions taken by a cast member.

During their time on RHOC, Shannon, Tamra, and Vicki formed a tight-knit friendship, earning them the nickname Tres Amigas. However, during season 14, tensions arose as Tamra and Vicki began to feud with Shannon over her growing friendship with Kelly Dodd. Shannon's fitness coach even went so far as to unfollow her on social media, citing her discomfort with Shannon's relationship with Kelly. (It's worth noting that Kelly was ultimately fired from the show after season 15.)

In January 2020, Bravo announced that Tamra and Vicki would not be returning for season 15, which seemed to intensify their strained relationship with Shannon. Eddie Judge’s wife even suggested that after leaving the show, Shannon stopped communicating with both of them. However, Shannon recently revealed to Us in December 2021 that there have been ongoing falsehoods about her and her supposed disassociation from Tamra and Vicki.

Tamra Judge. MediaPunch/Shutterstock

In spite of the obstacles, Tamra decided to join the cast for season 17 of the popular reality TV show. In one episode aired on June 14, Tamra accused Shannon of being a "fake friend" who ignored her after she left the show. Shannon denied the accusation, leading to a heated argument over who was telling the truth.

In response to Tamra's behavior, Shannon acknowledged that her friend was hurt after being let go from RHOC, and that she may have taken out her frustrations on her. Despite her busy schedule, Shannon tried to understand Tamra's perspective and the impact of her departure from the show.

According to Shannon, there were times during filming when she was unable to immediately respond to Tamra, but she insists that she never completely cut off communication with her. In fact, Shannon provided evidence of her efforts to stay in touch, revealing that she had accumulated 150 screenshots of their conversations over a two-month period preceding Tamra's accusation of her being a "fake friend." Despite Shannon's attempts to maintain their friendship after Tamra's departure from the show in 2020, she claimed that Tamra publicly criticized her character when Shannon was unable to respond quickly enough during a cast trip that occurred during the COVID shutdowns.

Shannon shared that re-watching season 17 has been a difficult experience for her, as she hadn't spoken to Tamra for over two years when filming began. However, they have since reconciled and are now in a good place. Despite this, fans will have to wait a bit longer to see their reconciliation unfold on screen. Shannon also hinted at a possible reconciliation with Vicki in the future.

According to Shannon, once she and Tamra agreed to rebuild their friendship, it was an instant return to their previous dynamic from two and a half years ago.

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi