Jessel Taank Responds After Tamra Judge’s ‘Village Idiot’ Jab

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Tamra Judge became emotional while discussing her estranged daughter, Sidney Barney, during the latest episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County.

In an unexpected turn, Shannon Beador—with whom Tamra, 59, has endured years of conflict—was the castmate who offered her comfort.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Tamra reflected on Shannon, 62, supporting her during such a painful moment.

“It kind of meant everything to me,” Tamra said. “Shannon and I have had so many ups and downs over the 12 years we’ve known each other. There was a scene they didn’t show where I told her, ‘You know what, we’ve been through so much, but you’ve never villainized me for the situation I’m dealing with.’”

“It meant a lot that Shannon was there because, whenever someone gets angry with me, their go-to response is, ‘Your own daughter hates you,’” Tamra continued. “There’s so much more to it than that, including many things I haven’t discussed. I hope we can eventually put this to rest. It’s a difficult family situation, and it’s heartbreaking.”

Tamra also weighed in on Real Housewives of New York City star Jessel Taank, making a particularly pointed observation.

While discussing Jessel, Tamra remarked that “every show needs a village idiot.”

“I think she’s great for the show, but she just says things,” Tamra added.

Jessel later addressed the remark on Instagram, writing: “Lollllll I think this comment says more about her then [sic] it does about me.”

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During the WWHL After Show, Tamra was also asked about the cast of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th honoring Vicki Gunvalson, the “OG of the OC,” in the season finale.

Viewers may recall that several cast members believed the RHOC women failed to properly celebrate Vicki, 64, during their time in California.

“I absolutely loved that,” Tamra said of the women presenting Vicki with her flowers in the finale. “What I didn’t love was hearing a few of the girls say, ‘Because we didn’t do that in Orange County, that’s why we’re doing it now.’ My understanding was that it had always been planned for there. When we went, I gave a long speech—I know it was cut. Heather brought a cake, and we tried to honor her as much as possible. But we believed we were celebrating 20 years of Housewives, rather than Vicki specifically.”

Tamra was then asked about reports that she had said Heather, 57, was “trying too hard” during a podcast appearance.

“I don’t remember saying Heather was trying too hard,” Tamra replied. “Can you give me more context? What was it about? Was it the Vena party?”

After the fan clarified that the comment concerned the Vena party, Tamra said she did not recall making the remark and emphasized that she and Heather are “great friends.”

“But Heather was on a hot one that day. She may have had a few too many chams,” Tamra added.

After the show, Tamra took to X to post, “I went back and listened to my podcast. I was talking about another Heather from another franchise. 😂❄️,” implying she was talking about Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Heather Gay.