Even after host Andy Cohen called for a filming break on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island‘s Season 1 reunion, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli and Liz McGraw continued their heated conversation involving an alleged instance of “infidelity” from four years ago.
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More specifically, during RHORI‘s Reunion Part 1 (streaming on Peacock beginning June 22), Liz admitted that Rulla and Brian Pontarelli had spotted her on Block Island with a man who was not her husband, Gerry McGraw (more on that below). While the two women agreed on that basic point, the issue arose when Liz accused Rulla and Brian of calling Gerry early the next morning with the intel.
After insisting that was a “blatant lie,” Rulla doubled down on her denial in a hushed conversation with Liz during the break, telling her that she wanted to hear the accusation directly from Gerry. “Listen to me, I want to know where it came from,” Rulla whispered. “It’s a lie, I’m telling you. I swear to God on the Bible. I don’t f–k with lies.”
RELATED: Andy Puts Brian & Rulla in the Hot Seat Like Never Before in RHORI Reunion Trailer: Watch
Liz, for her part, revealed to Rulla that she’d known about the alleged phone call “for months,” but kept the information to herself. “I never said a word. I don’t care,” she claimed. “Why would Gerry make it up? Gerry doesn’t even know what day it is. … We laughed about it.”
Regardless, Rulla insisted, “I want Gerry to tell me. Why would I ever f–kin’ do that? … I’m happy to talk with him.”
Inside Rulla Nehme Pontarelli’s “infidelity” claim about Liz McGraw on the RHORI reunion
Earlier, Andy had read a viewer-submitted question, noting that Rulla had “more than hinted that both Gerry and Liz have cheated on each other,” in one of her Season 1 confessionals. (A clip rolled, reminding the audience that Rulla’s exact words were: “Liz has shared with me her issues, you know, with Gerry and misunderstandings and indiscretions. She’s done her thing, and he’s done his thing. And they say, ‘When the cat’s away, the mice shall play.'”)
After the Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen host asked her to reveal exactly what she knew, Rulla appeared to be beating around the bush, only vaguely sharing that she and Liz had talked about past “struggles” in her marriage to Gerry. Downplaying her knowledge, she claimed to be simply “busting her chops.”Â
Eventually, Liz spoke up to deny every discussing “any kind of infidelity” with Rulla. What’s more, she demanded that Rulla just come out and articulate what she was trying to “hint at,” so that she could publicly respond to the accusation.
RELATED: Where the RHORI Cast Stands After Season 1 (EXCLUSIVE)
Still, Rulla offered only that she had seen Liz “hanging out with other people, having a good time” and that she “might’ve been getting close to” someone. That’s when Liz decided to detail the whole incident herself.
“It was one instance,” Liz recalled. “There was a time when Gerry and I were separated; It was Labor Day weekend. I went to Block Island with my girlfriends, and, um, I met up with someone I hadn’t seen in like 30 years. It was fun, it was a guy. He was throwing me up in the air. We’re dancing, we’re all over the place.”
“The next day, Gerry got a phone call at 6 a.m.,” she continued. “It was Rulla and Brian. … Anyway, that was the goal, for Gerry to find out. That was the goal. I wasn’t trying to hide it.”
Rulla Nehme Pontarelli and Liz McGraw rehash more RHORI Season 1 drama
Prior to that conversation, Andy had also asked Rulla if she had any regrets about previously saying that Liz “couldn’t relate” to her decision to stay with Brian amid his affair, because she did not physically give birth to her three stepdaughters, as she had with her two children.
“You know, I do,” Rulla admitted. “I guess I felt bad. I would never mean to offend you, nor does it make Liz any less of a mother just ’cause she didn’t carry.”
Liz’s response? “It’s still a f–ked up thing to say, but, like, I mean, I don’t hold it against you. Like, I’m not mad.”
As you await the conclusion of the two-part sit-down, get exclusive details on the RHORI cast’s ocean-inspired reunion looks.
