Emily Simpson hopes Real Housewives of Orange County costar Shannon Beador turns a corner in light of her recent DUI arrest.
“I feel like as a cast, we’ve seen her spiraling,” Simpson, 47, told Entertainment Tonight on Thursday, September 21. “We’ve had conversations, just as a cast, about her, worrying about her.”
She continued: “I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, hope that, like, sometimes people actually hit rock bottom [and] take accountability and to have an ‘Aha’ moment, where they say, ‘Yeah, maybe I do need some help,’ and I hope that this is her ‘Aha’ rock-bottom moment.”
Simpson further explained that hopefully Beador, 59, can recognize the “severity” of her actions and use it as a springboard to make a “change for the better.”
Us Weekly confirmed on Monday, September 18, that Beador had been arrested for two misdemeanors — a hit-and-run incident and driving under the influence — over the weekend. Per the Newport Beach Police Department, Beador drove her car onto a residential property on Saturday, September 16. She was cited by the police before being released without bond.
Beador’s attorney, Michael Fell, later addressed the incident in a statement to Us. “I spent quite a bit of time with Shannon yesterday. She is extremely apologetic and remorseful,” he noted. “We will be awaiting the official information on this case as it becomes available, and Shannon is prepared to accept full responsibility for her actions.”
Simpson, for her part, found out about Beador’s arrest from a friend who sent her a link to the news coverage.
“Honestly, I had to look at it multiple times because I thought maybe it was something that someone made up, you know? Lots of people make up memes and things,” Simpson told ET. “When I realized that it was a real thing, I was in shock. I was blown away.”
Simpson then immediately reached out to Beador to check in and tell her that she hopes “[she is] doing OK.”
“At some point, I’m gonna text and call and see how she is,” Simpson added on Thursday. “But I think, for right now, she probably needs, you know, space.”
While Beador has yet to publicly address her arrest, she exclusively told Us earlier this month that she did not have a drinking problem despite Gina Kirschenheiter’s accusations throughout season 17 of RHOC.
“Let’s look at other people on the show this season who’ve been drinking a lot,” Beador retorted on September 13, calling the claims “inaccurate.”
Beador’s friend Jeff Lewis later revealed on the Monday episode of his eponymous SiriusXM radio show that she was planning to start “counseling” later this week and took accountability for her actions.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
