Shannon Beador and Tamra Judge were not on good terms when they reunited last year to film season 17 of The Real Housewives of Orange County, and according to Shannon, fans should prepare for some major drama between the two of them right away. Ahead of the show’s June 7 premiere, Shannon appeared on an upcoming episode of HollywoodLife‘s Pay Attention Puh-Lease! podcast and revealed that her and Tamra have some intense moments on the show over their friendship falling apart.
“It was a definite rocky road — up and down, up and down — to get to the place where we are today,” Shannon EXCLUSIVELY said. “And there was some nastiness. Quite a bit of that to get where we are.”
Shannon confirmed that the “nasty” encounters between her and Tamra play out at the start of the new season, which picks up two years after they stopped being friends. The co-stars openly disagree on what caused their falling out: Tamra says Shannon cut her out after she was fired, while Shannon told us that that she lost touch with Tamra when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down filming on season 15, which was the first season after Tamra was let go by Bravo.
“Making that connection or making sure we touch base wasn’t the highest on my priority,” Shannon admitted. “If that particular moment played a role in Tamra thinking that I wasn’t there for her, then I apologize for that. That being said, I didn’t ghost her,” she added. “And I have 150 screenshots of text messages between when she was fired and that particular day to prove that.”
But as we see on social media these days, Tamra and Shannon have made amends since wrapping filming on season 17. In fact, Shannon told us that Tamra’s big return to the franchise “has been a really positive thing” for both the show and her. “I never thought I would be in a position, or want to be in a position to possibly reconnect as friends,” Shannon said. “In that regard it [Tamra’s return] was very good for me.”
Furthermore, Shannon said she’s happy Tamra is back because she felt alone when Tamra was fired after season 14. “I was kinda left out there on an island by myself. I wasn’t getting along with Kelly [Dodd]. I didn’t have any close friends,” she recalled. “And I haven’t for the last couple years. So it’s been kind of hard.”
Luckily for Shannon, her and Tamra’s fellow “Tres Amiga” Vicki Gunvalson is also back for season 17 in a guest role, and Shannon said the trio had a blast filming together again. “There’s just certain dynamic that the three of us have when we get together. We’re just a little bit crazy and zany and it’s so much fun,” Shannon said. “So to be able to experience that with the two of them was something else.”
Shannon’s full interview on the Pay Attention, Puh-Lease! podcast will be available Friday, June 9 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Shannon also discusses Heather Dubrow and Gina Kirschenheiter‘s drama, how she feels about Taylor Armstrong joining the franchise, and her recent reunion with her ex-husband, David Beador.