Emily Simpson’s at-times precarious marriage to Shane Simpson continued to be on rocky ground during The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 20, Episode 11, and Shane candidly opened up to producers on what he feels Emily misunderstands about their home life.
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The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. Episodes stream next day on Peacock.
“I find myself making a lot of sacrifices for the household. And Emily can kind of do her thing,” Shane said during RHOC’s Sept. 17 episode. “And I wish she would recognize that a little bit more.”
It came after Emily returned home early from a volatile girls trip to cast member Vicki Gunvalson’s home, and she and Shane began arguing about household chores. Although Shane and Emily enjoyed a rare date night during the Aug. 27 episode, Emily admitted they still had work to do.
“Having the date night and being honest and communicating with one another was good. Is it easy? Did it fix everything? No,” she told producers. “It’s a marriage. It’s a journey.”
Emily shared her own take on their marital problems, and included how hurt she was over Shane’s stay-at-home dad comments during the date night.
“Shane’s so defensive in anything that I say. And that’s hurtful, because you’re insinuating that you’re the only person that takes care of the kids, and that I don’t contribute. He does that a lot. And I feel like that’s where we are in our relationship,” she confessed. “I just want it to be better.”
Shane Simpson opens up to Emily Simpson about the challenges of being a stay-at-home father
Emily and Shane explored his “stay-at-home dad” role during the Aug. 27 episode, as Emily pointed out that Shane seemed like he “hated life.”
“It’s challenging at times,” Shane admitted on their dinner date. “I’m juggling the three kids with school and everything. You don’t understand.”
Shane detailed his annoyance at what he feels is Emily’s lack of effort. “I feel that Emily is unaware that I could use a break once in a while. That’s the frustrating part,” he said to producers.
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Shane also reiterated their persistent issues when he and Emily participated in Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition following filming of RHOC Season 19. “Emily knows that I do a lot, but I don’t think she values how much it is,” he said in a confessional.
Emily confided in the ‘Wives during RHOC’s Aug. 27 episode that she does need to make changes in the way she treats Shane. “You know what else they need besides attention? They need gratitude,” she added during a larger discussion about all of the ‘Wives’ relationships. “That’s very hard for me. Like, just say, ‘Thank you for doing the dishes. Thank you for taking the trash out. Thank you for taking care of the kids.’ Like, just say it.”
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Are Emily Simpson and Shane Simpson still together?
Yes, Emily and Shane are still together. Although Emily hinted at just how much she and Shane were struggling in their marriage during the RHOC Season 20 trailer, and even admitted they could be at the “end,” it seems the two have ultimately worked through their issues and are happily together today.
She recently posted photos on her Instagram of “the best family vacation” they took with their three children, 13-year-old Annabelle and 11-year-old twins Luke and Keller, to the Bahamas in August.
Learn more about Emily and Shane’s son Luke’s health issues, including how Luke’s doing now.
