Amid multiple swirling rumors on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, Liz McGraw claims that the speculation about castmate Rulla Nehme Pontarelli’s husband Brian Pontarelli’s alleged affair is actually true.
The subject arises in a new preview for RHORI Season 1, Episode 2 (airing Sunday, April 5, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo), when Liz and Kelsey Swanson meet Rulla for dinner. It quickly becomes apparent that Rulla has an issue with Liz and Kelsey hanging out with Jo-Ellen Tiberi, after they reveal they had fun at the latter’s 4th of July party.
“Jo-Ellen and I have definitely had ups and downs,” Rulla explains in a confessional. “She is a rep in the beauty business. My husband Brian and I know a lot of people in the industry. She comes across as friendly, bubbly, but that’s not always the truth.”
RELATED:Â A Complete Guide to the RHORI Cast’s Families, Friendships, Feuds & More (EXCLUSIVE)
As Rulla elaborated to Liz and Kelsey, “You guys said she’s a s–t stirrer. She’s talking about me and my husband, stirring up rumors: ‘Oh, they’re getting a divorce.’ ‘Oh, he’s leaving her.'”
Liz’s response? “You have to know, like, I have your back,” she tells Rulla. “Like, you have to know the second I hear an echo of something, I’m calling you. In the same breath, I know you, Rulla. I know that you are never going to want to, like, admit, like, something’s f–ked up.”
Liz, meanwhile, drops a bombshell to a producer: “From what I’ve ever seen of Brian and Rulla, they’ve always looked like the perfect couple. They’ve always looked super happy. However, there are echoes all around Rhode Island that Brian’s got a ‘mistress.’ There’s a mistress.”
Rulla Nehme Pontarelli navigates “rumors about her husband” on RHORI Season 1
Liz’s declaration is only just the beginning of marital rumors about the Pontarellis, according to Rulla’s official BravoTV.com bio for Season 1.
“Grounded in tradition and guided by faith, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli puts family above all else,” her bio teases. “Proud of her Lebanese roots, she brings deeply held values into the group, especially when it comes to marriage. When rumors about her husband begin to circulate, Rulla is forced to confront uncomfortable questions that challenge her beliefs, resilience, and commitment, putting her personal life under an unrelenting spotlight.”
RELATED:Â RHORI Season 1 Official Trailer Teases Tears, Damning Rumors and Screaming Matches
The RHORI trailer offers even more intel on what to expect from Rulla and Brian throughout Season 1.
The sneak peek features a voiceover of Liz mentioning “echoes of Rulla’s husband having an affair,” before Jo-Ellen tells Rulla directly, “I want you to know that it’s happening currently.”
In another clip, Rulla appears to accuse Jo-Ellen of being “petty” and “trying everything to put stuff out there as though my husband’s involved and/or still involved, and that’s not the case.” That’s when Liz whispers to her, “But he is, ma. But he is.”
Elsewhere, Brian also enters the fray and confronts Jo-Ellen’s husband, Gary Tiberi, venting, “It was told to me that you’re perpetuating info around.”
A separate first look at RHORI Season 1, meanwhile, previews more of Rulla’s conversation with Jo-Ellen. “Every morning, he goes to her house,” Jo-Ellen claims, prompting Rulla to shoot back, “He’s at the gym every morning.”
Jo-Ellen’s final word on the matter: “Does Brian look like he goes to the gym?”
More details on Rulla Nehme Pontarelli’s family and life on RHORI
Marriage drama aside, Rulla and Brian have two children, Luca and Laila.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Dish, Rulla, who works as a certified financial planner and wealth manager, revealed what else viewers should know about her.
“I would just say that most people recognize me as Superwoman,” she shared. “I’m the boss mom, the boss babe, the wife, the friend. I somehow just seem to juggle everything — and I don’t pat myself on the back for it — but it seems like the more I have on my plate, the more I accomplish and the more I want to add to my plate. I don’t know why I do that to myself, but it is what it is. And I’m a perfectionist, which is also a blessing and a curse. So I’ve tried to let go on that trait a little bit.”
In the meantime, find out everything to expect from the rest of the RHORI cast on Season 1Â as well.
