The Real Housewives of Orange County’s Emily Simpson accuses Tamra Judge of leaking confidential storylines

The Real Housewives of Orange County has never been short on drama, but this time, the off-screen chaos may eclipse anything caught on camera.

Emily Simpson has publicly accused her co-star Tamra Judge of leaking confidential show storylines to outside bloggers, sparking one of the most explosive controversies in the show’s recent history.

The Real Housewives of Orange County: Emily Simpson Speaks Out

In an interview with US Weekly, Simpson said she’s “sure” Judge was responsible for passing along sensitive information about Season 19.

“I’m sure she did, because the amount of information that this person knew, it was detailed,” Simpson said. “It was dates. It was who was there. It was where we were filming. It was content.”

According to Simpson, an anonymous source had reached out to her castmates — Shannon Storms Beador, Jennifer Pedranti, and Gina Kirschenheiter — claiming that Judge was behind several leaks.

Though Simpson wasn’t part of the phone call, she said the level of detail shared convinced her the information could only have come from someone with inside access.

“That’s detailed information that only cast and production would know about,” she added. “So, clearly, someone leaked it, and the fact that they said it was Tamra? I mean, I believe them. I’m sure that she does or has done it for years. I think it just caught up with her. There’s no reason for me not to believe that it was her. It seemed very black and white.”

One example cited by the cast involved screenshots allegedly showing Gretchen Rossi “liking” anti-LBGTQIA+ posts.

Rossi denied ever liking such content when confronted by Kirschenheiter and Judge during the group’s trip to Amsterdam.

For Simpson, the fact that the source knew about that alleged screenshot was “proof enough” that the leak came from inside the show.

The Real Housewives of Orange County Finale Fallout

The leak allegations unfolded in the final minutes of The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 19.

During the finale, Beador, Pedranti, and Kirschenheiter confronted the anonymous source on camera, while Simpson later reacted to what she learned off-screen.

“It was awkward,” she said. “It was an awkward ending. I was uncomfortable.”

Beador and Pedranti didn’t hold back in their confessional interviews. Pedranti said,

“Tamra will do anything for maximum impact. I think she will hurt anybody. I think she will leak information, and I think she’s probably one of the most calculative, scary, dangerous people within this friend group.”

Beador added,

“How dare you try to destroy so much for your own benefit? I really can’t come up with another word other than evil.”

Judge, who rejoined The Real Housewives of Orange County after being off the show for two seasons, has yet to publicly address Simpson’s specific accusation.

She has, however, spoken about the emotional toll of her return, calling her previous season “very bad” and saying it “really took a toll” on her.

Cast Divisions and Reunion Tension

The upcoming three-part reunion of The Real Housewives of Orange County is expected to directly tackle the leak allegations.

Trailers show Judge and Simpson clashing, suggesting that tensions only escalate from here. Simpson said

“I feel like Tamra came into the reunion with a chip on her shoulder towards me, and I don’t even understand where that came from. There are three other people that were just sitting here destroying you, and you’re yelling at me. I don’t understand it.”

The accusations have deepened long-standing divisions within the cast, particularly as Judge’s podcast and social media activity continue to blur the line between public commentary and private production information.

Stay tuned for more updates.