One of The Real Housewives of Orange County’s longest tenured ‘Wives, Tamra Judge, caused a stir when she seemingly quit in the middle of filming during Season 19, Episode 6. Thankfully, Andy Cohen quickly squashed rumors that Tamra was done with the show, and now, she’s sharing why she came back.
In short, fans have Tamra’s bestie Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave and husband Eddie Judge to thank, because when she was asked how she came to the decision to resume filming on The Real Housewives of Orange County After Show, she explained, “Having a week off, going to see Teddi, having her tell me, ‘Don’t be a quitter,’ going to Big Bear with Eddie and the dog, [and] playing in the snow.”
Tamra Judge shares new details on her decision to temporarily quit RHOC
Tamra has been open during Season 19 about her difficulty coping with Teddi’s cancer diagnosis. So, visiting New Orleans — a spot she had recently traveled with Teddi — just reminded her of her friend’s uphill health battle.
“It was legit my breaking point,” Tamra revealed on the After Show of her mindset when she walked off in Episode 6. “I was not obviously in my right mind at all. I didn’t feel wanted. I just went, ‘I can’t f—king do this anymore.’ And I just kind of lost it.”
RELATED: Tamra Judge reveals how husband Eddie has been dealing with her “emotional journey” (EXCLUSIVE)
Tamra asked producers during the episode to help her get a car, and then she called Eddie and asked him to help her book a flight back home.
“I just went back to the hotel room and I was crying on the phone to Eddie,” she said during the After Show, and revealed most of her pain was due to Teddi’s diagnosis. “It was all so, so new with Teddi. It only had been a few weeks. At that moment, it was really bad. Probably the lowest I’ve ever been in my life.”
The RHOC cast weighs in on Tamra’s decision to quit and then return
Tamra also announced she was quitting via her Instagram stories as the other ladies were still filming in New Orleans — something that didn’t sit well with Shannon Storms Beador.
“When she woke up the next day, it should have been, ‘Oh, f—k. What did I do? I am so sorry and horrified at my behavior,’” Shannon said on the After Show. “She didn’t do that. She then took it another step. Went on social media. Started posting things. It’s not okay with me.”
RELATED: Tamra Judge shares “unbelievable” update on her kids & granddaughter (EXCLUSIVE)
Gina Kirschenheiter and Emily Simpson, for their part, told Tamra they understood where she was coming from.
“I knew what that was,” Gina explained on the After Show of Tamra’s walk-off. “So, it was very easy for me to be like, ‘Oh okay. If you’re going to say you’re sorry for that, I’m just going to move on.’ It’s not something that I felt wounded by.”
Don’t miss how Tamra joined RHOC alum Alexis Bellino to celebrate her “new chapter” with John Janssen.
