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There’s quite a bit going on with The Real Housewives of Orange County season 19. However, Katie Ginella‘s rumored relationships with bloggers have been one of the most significant sticking points. Now, Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley are opening up about their experience with her.

As fans know, Katie, 41,  and Gretchen, 46, were on pretty good terms this season, and they were getting to know one another. However, a rumor surfaced that Katie told a social media content creator that Tamra Judge, 57, had tried to drug her several years ago. More recently, Katie has stated that Gretchen told her the story about Tamra. 

Gretchen was on a recent episode of the Juicy Scoop With Heather McDonald podcast, where she discussed her issues with Katie.

She said, “We’re in New Orleans, and Katie is swearing that she did not tell Kiki this fake story. She’s like, ‘I swear I did not Kiki this story.’ And she’s like adamant, and so I’m believing my friend Katie, and like an idiot, defending my friend Katie.”

She went on, “So who am I gonna believe? The person that’s lied and said all these things about me for years, Tamra, or my friend Katie? So then all of a sudden, I’m watching this episode and she’s like, ‘I’m no longer protecting Gretchen. I’m telling the truth. Gretchen and Slade have been out spinning this story to everybody.’”

Gretchen then said, “And I’m like, ‘Protecting me from what? Your lies? Because I have not gone out and told anybody this, and the point is that had I told anybody this story, it would have already been out. Somebody would have put it out forever ago. And, if I actually thought that, I would have been the first person to put it out. You know what I mean? This was 17 years ago.”

From there, Heather McDonald, the host, then brought up the scene from season four episode eight where Tamra is seen on camera trying to get Gretchen “naked wasted.”

Gretchen went on, “By the way, I’m not trying to protect Tamra from anything. So then, Katie and now Matt are doubling down. [Matt] is now claiming that Slade called him in New Orleans and said, ‘Protect Gretchen, hold the line.’”

Slade, 51, then chimed in and said he was “pretty disappointed in Matt” and confirmed that he did call him. He stated that they had a previous conversation where he told him that they should not be speaking to “bloggers or media.”

Regarding the subsequent phone call, Slade says he asked if it was true that Katie had been calling bloggers, and that he denied that this was true. 

Slade added that he told Matt Ginella, “Well, I don’t want to hear a month from now that she actually did it because that’s been her track record where she denies, denies, denies, and then all of a sudden she flips and there’s an admission. That’s exactly what’s happened. She’s now changing her story after denying it on camera.”