Erika Jayne’s Lawyers Suggested She Quit ‘RHOBH,’ She Told Tom Girardi to Leave Her and More Season 11 Reunion Revelations

Credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo

Erika Jayne’s Lawyers Suggested She Quit ‘RHOBH,’ She Told Tom Girardi to Leave Her and More Season 11 Reunion Revelations

Season 11 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills documented Erika Jayne’s ups and downs amid her divorce from Tom Girardi and their subsequent legal woes — and the reunion was no different. Much to Andy Cohen’s surprise, the 50-year-old reality star kicked off Wednesday, October 13, episode by revealing she was “looking forward to closing this chapter and moving on” by answering questions at the reunion. “There's obviously so much going on with you this season. And it's a highly unusual situation because things are still unfolding as we speak. And even between the time that we taped this and airing, new things could come out,” Andy, 53, said. (The RHOBH reunion taped on September 10.) “I mean, how are you feeling about finally kind of addressing this stuff with the viewers?” Erika responded, “I’m happy to do so. I'm happy to say everything that I can say. Please understand, there are some things I cannot answer. But I will do my best to give every part of the story that I can. This is the toughest part of my life. And I asked for patience with the ladies — and got some and some I didn’t. I asked for an understanding that these things are complicated, that I was finding them out in real time myself, and I don't have all the answers and still do not have all the answers to this day.” [sendtonews type="float" key="ozlClgPWJz-2835722-14453"] The Pretty Mess author noted that it was “really, really” hard to watch the season back, noting she felt “disappointment, anger, sadness, and then some hope and some love and some support” from her costars. (Lisa Rinna, Kyle Richards, Sutton Stracke, Garcelle Beauvais, Dorit Kemsley, Crystal Minkoff and “friend” Kathy Hilton all starred on season 11.) After filing for divorce from Tom in November 2020, the pair were named in a class action lawsuit that alleged their split was a “sham” to hide assets. They were also accused of embezzling funds intended for the families of plane crash victims. Erika has since been accused of receiving $25 million in misused funds from Tom’s former firm, Girardi Keese, over the years. In addition to maintaining that she didn't know about Tom's alleged wrongdoings, her lawyer has denied she is liable for the money. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll through for the biggest revelations about Erika from the four-part special and keep checking for more each week:

Credit: Nicole Weingart/Bravo

Erika Jayne’s Lawyers Suggested She Quit ‘RHOBH,’ She Told Tom Girardi to Leave Her and More Season 11 Reunion Revelations

Season 11 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills documented Erika Jayne’s ups and downs amid her divorce from Tom Girardi and their subsequent legal woes — and the reunion was no different. Much to Andy Cohen’s surprise, the 50-year-old reality star kicked off Wednesday, October 13, episode by revealing she was “looking forward to closing this chapter and moving on” by answering questions at the reunion. “There's obviously so much going on with you this season. And it's a highly unusual situation because things are still unfolding as we speak. And even between the time that we taped this and airing, new things could come out,” Andy, 53, said. (The RHOBH reunion taped on September 10.) “I mean, how are you feeling about finally kind of addressing this stuff with the viewers?” Erika responded, “I’m happy to do so. I'm happy to say everything that I can say. Please understand, there are some things I cannot answer. But I will do my best to give every part of the story that I can. This is the toughest part of my life. And I asked for patience with the ladies — and got some and some I didn’t. I asked for an understanding that these things are complicated, that I was finding them out in real time myself, and I don't have all the answers and still do not have all the answers to this day.” [sendtonews type="float" key="ozlClgPWJz-2835722-14453"] The Pretty Mess author noted that it was “really, really” hard to watch the season back, noting she felt “disappointment, anger, sadness, and then some hope and some love and some support” from her costars. (Lisa Rinna, Kyle Richards, Sutton Stracke, Garcelle Beauvais, Dorit Kemsley, Crystal Minkoff and “friend” Kathy Hilton all starred on season 11.) After filing for divorce from Tom in November 2020, the pair were named in a class action lawsuit that alleged their split was a “sham” to hide assets. They were also accused of embezzling funds intended for the families of plane crash victims. Erika has since been accused of receiving $25 million in misused funds from Tom’s former firm, Girardi Keese, over the years. In addition to maintaining that she didn't know about Tom's alleged wrongdoings, her lawyer has denied she is liable for the money. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll through for the biggest revelations about Erika from the four-part special and keep checking for more each week:

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Sutton Took Erika's Words Very Seriously

After Erika told Sutton she would come for her and her family, the boutique owner claimed she hired security for one week. "I don't know what she's gonna do," Sutton said during part four of the reunion. "You said you were gonna come after me and my family."

Erika responded with laughter, but Sutton doubled down. "That's not an OK way to speak to people," she told her costar. "We're in a Joe Pesci movie now," Kyle quipped.

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Who Has Had Erika’s Back?

After Erika revealed that she was “keeping score” regarding who was there for her, Andy inquired for more information. “I’m going to keep that to myself,” she replied.

When it came time to discuss the group’s concerns about being implicated in the case, Erika had more to say.

“There's nothing here that legally ties you all to me other than being mentioned in articles,” she insisted. “You can't be fearful of that because you know the truth. If anyone tried to drag any of you in here, you know straight up it's bulls—t. … There is no reason that any of these women should ever think that I would withhold something from them.”

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Erika’s Instagram

The singer tried to explain why she didn’t change her social media behavior amid the scandal, referring to “Erika Jayne” in the third person. “She's getting paid to post. Should I not do that — should I not pay the bills?” she asked.

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Whether Erika Is Sympathetic

“We are a long way from finding out what really happened here. I loved my husband. I thought he was great. Now he's allegedly defrauding widows, orphans and burn victims. How do you think I feel? … [I feel] horrible. And I’ve said that over and over.”

After Andy noted, “You actually haven’t,” Erika pointed to the “real boundary” that she can’t cross while discussing the case. “If anyone in these cases has been proven wrong, I want them remedied,” she said. “Despite what you read, I have done everything they have asked. … I have never said I was a victim. I am not a victim. I am simply surviving on this.”

Sutton disagreed, prompting Erika to go off. “My life is upside down, Sutton. How can I not be broken? How I can I not be sad? How can I not be tired? … There is a very limited way in which I can express myself because we all know everything will be picked apart, parsed and possibly turned against.”

Erika concluded: “I chose to say as much as I possibly could and I still may have f—ked myself over.”

Credit: John Tsiavis/Bravo

Starting to Be Named in Lawsuits

Erika pointed out to Andy that she answered his questions at the season 9 reunion when she was “being sued as a named defendant in law lending institution out of Arizona.”

When asked what Tom told her about the case, she replied, “I looked at him and I said, ‘What is this? Why am I involved?’ And he said, ‘Bulls—t. Don't worry about it.’ Everything was like that. Am I angry now enough for you?"

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The Cheating Claims

Back in December 2020, Erika alleged that she found text messages between Tom and another woman.

“The cheating was a part of it,” she told Andy when asked why she didn’t leave Tom sooner. “There's so much more there. And I've said to Tom, ‘If you are in love with someone else, divorce me and go be with her.’ … [He said] nothing.”

During part two of the reunion, which aired on October 20, Erika alleged that Tom was unfaithful for “years” and claimed she knew of “three” mistresses.

“One I found out on the day that I left,” she said, alleging that she confronted him regarding two different women. “I went through his phone, and she had sent a picture of her tits and he has a flip phone, you know, so I responded, ‘Nice tits stupid bitch.' But I couldn't even figure out how to put a space there. [It] was, like, a run-on sentence.”

When asked whether she stayed true to her marriage, she told Andy: “Yes, up until I filed for divorce.” She also denied being drunk when she posted about his alleged mistress in December 2020, noting she was “angry” instead.

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Did Erika Lie to Viewers About Marriage to Tom?

“All marriages are complex. People are complex — there were good times, there were bad times, you're talking about two decades of a marriage,” she said during part two. “[On this show], I think that I highlighted the best of him.”

She shared more insight when Andy asked whether she felt “the ship was sinking” before she filed for divorce as it seemed abrupt for viewers.  

“I felt like he was sinking, not necessarily the ship,” she said. “There was no talking to this person, trying to get him to answer my questions, being shut out completely — anger, personality changes, and you can see now, look, the man is in a home, he's in a memory care facility. We've all seen the pictures of him with a black eye. We've seen how disheveled and how absolutely horrible he has deteriorated since I left in November.”

She later added that Tom has been “on a loop” in recent years. “Saying the same stories over and over. He's a master persuader and a master performer. He could not have told you anyone's name here,” she claimed. “Not a soul, but he certainly could sit there and entertain. … It is not fair to say, ‘He got Alzheimer's and I split’ [but] the Alzheimer's and dementia is a part of what was going on.”

Erika concluded: “I’m at a place where I don't quite know who I was married to. … I'm trying to — much like everyone else around me — trying to figure out what the f—k happened in the law firm, and in my personal life and the things that I'm finding out. There are moments I am overwhelmed, I am sad, I am heartbroken. And then, I am bewildered. Truly, where I'm like, ‘What was real?’ … I think he loved me and I think things happened to him.”

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Giving Tom Her Paychecks

When pressed by Andy why she didn’t leave Tom sooner, Erika claimed that she was “not in control of [her] finances.”

“I walk out with two credit cards, they get cut – am I gonna call you? … Who am I going to go call?” she asked before the host noted her salary on RHOBH “ain’t bad.” Erika continued: “I gave every paycheck to my husband. … I've handed every paycheck I've ever made over. … I stayed because I had no access. … The power balance is way out of whack. I trusted this man, all of my finances were kept down at the firm, and everything was kept there.”

She concluded: “I could not leave because I had no access to the money, regardless of how much money.” When asked about being entitled to half of Tom’s funds, Erika added, “Clearly I'm entitled to half of the debt, because everybody's suing me for it.”

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When Erika Decided to Leave

“It's not unusual in Tom's business for him to be sued. But when Erika Girardi started ending up on lawsuits, that's when my ears were perked up,” she said. “I am not at liberty to say what — and at what time — I sought legal counsel.”

When asked how she was able to leave Tom with no money, she said, “It was well within legal bounds. I did nothing wrong, but I'm not going to answer that question.”

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Tom’s Auction

Erika revealed that the lacy red underwear up for auction from Tom’s firm — seemingly found in his desk drawer — weren’t hers.

“That was the first time I saw it too. They were definitely not mine. Who knows who he bought them for, but clearly it was perhaps a Valentine's Day set-up because it was dated in January, and then February was the 14th,” she said. “Don't know, they weren't mine."

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Does Erika Think Tom Is Guilty?

“It does not look good. However, we still need to get to the bottom of it. Only one side of the story has been told,” she said. “I feel terrible. This is not who I am. And I hope this is not who he is. …  I hope that he has not done what is alleged here. …  The bankruptcy trustee is getting down to, you know, they've got to sort out what money was supposed to go where. And at this point, quite honestly, I have to worry about myself. Whatever Tom Girardi did or did not do, that's on him.”

She added: “His life is over. He's in his 80s, he's in a memory care facility, his career is over and done. I just turned 50. I cannot allow all of this to destroy me and take me to a place that I cannot recover. I have to survive this. So that's why I'm feisty.”

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Biggest Misconception

“There's a lot of talk about me being cold, and a lot of talk about me not having empathy and sympathy,” Erika told Andy when asked for the biggest “misconception” about her regarding the legal situation. “Truth is I do, but I'm in an almost impossible situation. And anyone that has been wronged, I want them to be made whole. … I'm talking about the alleged victims of all of Tom's alleged misdoings. And it's important that people hear that from me.”

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Erika’s Lawyers Suggested She Quit

After revealing that her legal team told her not to continue filming season 11 amid the case, Erika said she refused to leave. “I had nothing to hide. And they said, ‘Well, you know, that can get flipped around on you. … Everything can be parsed, twisted, turned, and yes, possibly used against you whether it is true or not. It almost doesn't even matter at this point.’”

“Did you ever think of quitting the show?” Andy asked to which Erika replied, “Yes. but I'm not a quitter, and I wanted to honor my commitment, and I wasn't going to run away from what's coming at me.”

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Her Future on the Show Is Riding on Her Salary

When asked whether getting paid for RHOBH was the main reason to continue shooting, Erika noted, “That is more now of a consideration. Back then, while we were shooting the show, I was literally trying to survive. So now that we're here, yes, that has come more into consideration.”

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Is Erika Dating?

The singer told Andy that she is looking for a guy “with a big penis,” noting, “I would like some hot sex.” 

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Tom Missing Chicago

During past seasons, Andy pointed out how strange it was that Tom didn’t read Erika’s book or see her on Chicago on Broadway. During part 1 of the season 11 reunion, she admitted that it bothered her after previously downplaying the lack of support.

“I’m not giving him a pass for that because I know that he was in D.C. and never bothered to come to New York City,” Erika said of COVID-19 causing Tom to miss the musical. “And I found that out later."