A year after their “really toxic” falling out, Tamra Judge opened up about her reunion with her son Ryan Vieth on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 20. Today, Tamra and Ryan are still in a much better place, as she exclusively revealed on The Real Housewives of Orange County After Show.
Tamra reconnected with Ryan, 40, for the first time in a year off-camera over the Easter 2026 holiday in April. As seen in Episode 12 of RHOC, the mother-son duo came together again with their family shortly afterward to celebrate Ryan’s daughter Ava’s 11th birthday at Tamra’s home. Since then, they’ve kept the momentum going.
“We’re great!” Tamra declared on the RHOC After Show, updating viewers on the current state of her relationship with Ryan now. “He calls me every single day.”
What caused Tamra Judge and son Ryan Vieth’s falling out?
According to Tamra, her recent rift with Ryan was a direct result of her calling him out for liking and posting what she referred to as “hate rhetoric” on social media. The mom of four said that their argument quickly snowballed into him blasting her involvement as a grandmother in Ava’s life, ultimately leading to their yearlong estrangement.
“I said that I did not align with the things he was saying, I don’t agree with it, and I think you need to stop,” Tamra recalled, referring to Ryan’s social media activity, on the RHOC After Show. “And then he got mad and he left. And then it turned into, ‘Well, you’re not a good grandma and you’re not there for Ava all the time.'”
She continued, “I’m like, ‘I work… I’m not the grandmother that my mom was to you, because she was a stay-at-home mom and she took care of you when I wasn’t there. And I get that and I wish that it could be like that. But right now, I’m working towards, not only my future retirement, but also for you kids.’ So, there will be a day where I’m gonna slow down, but right now is not it. I’m the grandma that’s gonna buy you a Gucci bag.”
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How did Tamra Judge and son Ryan Vieth reconcile after their falling out?
Describing her and Ryan’s eventual reconciliation during RHOC‘s Sept. 24 episode, Tamra said, “It took almost a year, and then he finally realized, like, ‘You know what, Mom’s right.’ Now, he’s in a much better place in his life, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Tamra echoed that sentiment on the After Show, adding, “It was not a good fight, but at the end of the day, I won.”
In fact, Ryan eventually encouraged his siblings to take their mom’s advice, according to Tamra. “Even on Mother’s Day, he told the other kids, like, ‘You know, Mom might give you s–t about stuff and Mom might say things that you shouldn’t believe in and trust. And at the end of the day, she’s usually right,'” she said. “So, there you have it.”
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Inside Tamra Judge’s relationship as a grandmother to Ryan Vieth’s daughter, Ava
On RHOC, Tamra described her 11-year-old granddaughter, Ava, as her “mini me,” before shedding more light on their dynamic during the After Show.
“I’m working all the time,” Tamra said. “When I have time, yes, I will be with Ava. And I have her phone number, and I will text her, and we will talk and things like that. But I am not at that point in my life where I can just bring the grandchildren over and just hang out with them all day long.”
Tamra concluded, “I also have been raising kids for 40 years. And it’s kind of like, you know what, I don’t want to raise anybody else’s kids at this point unless I have to. And they’re doing a great job, so we’ll leave it at that.”
As Season 20 continues, don’t miss Bravo’s guide to the best RHOC episodes to watch from the past two decades.
