The Big Picture
- Erika Jayne opens up about her divorce from Tom Girardi and how she decided to let go and prioritize herself.
- Despite the legal setbacks, Erika's career as a performer is still thriving, and she feels optimistic about Season 13 of RHOBH.
- Erika discusses her complex emotions towards Tom, expressing sadness and anger while acknowledging the impact on his family and clients.
Erika Jayne (formerly Erika Girardi) sat down in conversation with celebrity podcast host Zack Peters. The two of them have bonded over Erika's touring and Vegas residency events. After a couple bonding moments, Erika granted Zack a full hour-long interview about where she stands on everything that happened to her in seasons 11 and 12 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills - everything revolving around her divorce from lawyer Tom Girardi, the million-dollar lawsuit that he and his firm were served with for embezzling money from aircraft accident victims, and his overall health decline. As of now, Tom, 84, has been diagnosed with memory loss and Alzheimer's.
Erika, 52, proves her resilience, as she has come out of the situation with no other legal setbacks. Her career as a performer is still alive, and she feels more at ease coming into season 13 of RHOBH. With no one to talk back to this time and no one telling her she is not empathetic towards the victims, she reveals everything she felt at the time. On the topic of this new season, she said, “I feel much better about this season. I worry for other people this season who are going to have it much harder than I’m going to have it.” This is was obviously a hint to Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky's marital issues as well as what Dorit Kemsley and PK have faced in recent news of their separation. More importantly, Erika is getting real about the damaging effects of Giardi's legal troubles.
Erika's Divorce Process with Tom Girardi (Before the Lawsuit)
Erika recalled the exact pivotal moment when she decided to fully let go. She was traveling and remembered that Tom would call her non-stop every day. And she decided to block his number. "Not to get emotional, but like the three-year anniversary mark as well. It’s coming up in November. I can’t any longer. I need to look out for me," she said. It was also news by the time of the RHOBH season 11 reunion that Erika’s finances, belongings, and property went into Tom’s law firm's management. Erika also explained that Tom had “taken care” of her to the point where even the home bills were handled by the law firm’s accounting team. Zack brought up the question of howshewas able to leave him then. Erika then went into detail and explained how she proceeded when she decided to divorce Tom
“I got one of my paychecks. And then I said, ‘I'm taking this to a bank', and I opened a bank account by myself for the first time in my life. And then I said, ‘I'm leaving. And I set it up that way. And I found a place to live. I packed the sh*t that I wanted to take, which was not a lot, and packed up my dog, and I left. And that’s what I did. I hired a divorce attorney, filed for separation, and then the lawsuit started probably 30 to 60 days after that,” she explained.
Erika's Feelings Post-Tom Girardi
After rehashing Tom’s infidelities and unknown business affairs, Zack asked Erika if, by any chance, she was still in love with him. Erika calmly replied, “I loved the man that I married. And I’m sad and heartbroken at what has happened to him and his fall from grace. And I wish that this did not happen to any of them. To any client. To him, to his family, to his daughters, you know? He has grandchildren. So the fallout is big, and of course, I loved the man that I married, and I’m very sad to see what he has become today,” she said.
“Are you angry with him?”, Peter asked immediately. Erika nodded and said, “Have been. Yes. I discussed this in therapy. We talk about grief. Denial, anger, confusion, acceptance, you know? And you don’t go through it in a linear thread.. it just, it shows up. So I’ve been every single one of them. At first, I could not believe that ‘Wait, what do we say here? Hold on a minute. Let me take two steps back. Is this really going on? Yes. It’s real, it’s happening… This can't be happening, but it is. And I was angry, I’ve been sad. I’ve worried. About him and himself. Because I know it's bad. I’ve run the whole gamut. ”
Erika's interview with Zack Peter is available on all of #NoFilter with Zack Peter's streaming platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. New episodes of season 13 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills air on Bravo every week on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET and are available in the US for streaming on different platforms, including Peacock, DirecTV, Fubo TV, and more.
