The Real Housewives of Orange County is back for its epic nineteenth season, and the premiere episode certainly didn’t hold back. There were emotional confrontations and jaw-dropping revelations, all thanks to returning cast members Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Emily Simpson, and Gina Kirschenheiter. The women are also joined this season by Season 17 addition Jennifer Pedranti, newcomer Katie Ginella, who joined the following season, and former RHOC cast member Gretchen Rossi.

The premiere episode didn’t just pick up where last season’s feud left off, it also gave fans a deeper look into the cast’s personal lives. One of the most emotional moments came from Emily, who opened up about her son, Luke’s, rare eating disorder.

Emily Simpson Shares Emotional Journey With Son’s Rare Eating Disorder On RHOC Season 19

The Real Housewives of Orange County returned for its highly anticipated Season 19 premiere on July 10, and the drama kicked off right away. The episode wasted no time diving into friendship fallout, particularly a major rift between Emily Simpson and Katie Ginella (although Katie really has rifts with almost all the women).

Tensions escalated after the group questioned Katie’s motives for bringing up that Emily’s daughter had called Heather Dubrow mean. As it turns out, Katie got that information from Emily’s former babysitter, who allegedly shared even more personal details with a gossip blog, airing the family’s dirty laundry and sparking chaos among the cast.

However, while Emily and the other women deal with Katie speaking to the bloggers, there is a bigger issue at hand. In the same episode, fans learned that Emily and her family are dealing with something more serious. The reality star shared that her 9-year-old son, Luke, has a rare eating disorder known as Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder or ARFID.

Emily shares that Luke and his twin brother are “very tiny for their age,” which they might have gotten from her husband, Shane Simpson. But, she then shares that it’s been a struggle to get Luke to eat. She shared that Luke had “always been a picky eater,” but noticed that it had gotten worse in recent years when “he doesn’t eat at all.”

“I don’t know what to do. He doesn’t eat anything, but he’s starving,” Emily emotionally shared to the cameras.

Emily continued to share with her husband, “We have to be more accommodating and lenient when it comes to him because he doesn’t process the idea of eating like we do. But the problem with him not eating anything is that I know he gets low energy. … It affects his mood, but then he doesn’t make that connection that it affects his mood.”

However, the couple did share that they have introduced him to a few snacks, with Shane expressing that Luke had no problem eating a burnt fry for $20. “He had no problem doing it. So, he just has to overcome it. … He’ll be fine because now we’re on top of it,” he said.

Emily Shared More Insight On Luke’s “Challenging” Eating Disorder

In a recent interview with People, Emily opened up about her son Luke’s rare eating disorder, detailing his primary symptoms and providing an update on how he’s doing today.

“He only eats a few different foods and he’s very overwhelmed by texture, color, smells. He will only eat white rice. And he has to inspect each piece of rice before he eats it. So it’s beyond picky eating. A lot of control issues. It’s very overwhelming,” she told the outlet.

Emily continued, “There were so many times when he would say he was starving… because he was starving. But he would refuse to eat. And as a mom, that was so frustrating. I didn’t know what to do because on one hand he’s crying and telling me he’s starving, and on the other hand, he refuses to eat anything that I offer,” she shared.

The reality TV star shared that viewers would see how she and her family cope with Luke’s diagnosis on the new season of RHOC. However, she admitted that it almost made her question if she should “continue to film” because she and her husband were processing how to “navigate” this new information about their son.

The couple turned to therapy to better understand and support Luke through his rare eating disorder. According to People, treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps reduce fear or anxiety around food and addresses sensory challenges. Emily also shared that Luke is currently working with both a nutritionist and a therapist as part of his ongoing care.

In Episode 1, Emily later heartbreakingly shared with castmate Gina that her son “maybe has autism.” She added, “The therapist told me that the eating disorder is very common with the autism … And basically, what we learn from that is where he lies [on the spectrum].”

Emily Detailed RHOC Season 19 Being “Difficult”

In a July Instagram post following the RHOC Season 19 premiere, Emily shared photos of her family alongside a heartfelt caption. She described the season as a “difficult” one to film due to her son’s rare condition and opened up about why she chose to continue filming despite the challenges.

Hello Friends! ❤️❤️

First, thank you so much for your support, kindness and love regarding Luke. This was by far my most difficult season filming RHOC I’ve ever had, and there were multiple times I felt that it was in Luke’s best interest for me to quit.

My reason for continuing on and navigating this truly challenging time (in real time and on camera) was because I knew I’d get more answers, support and feedback than any therapist or doctor could provide. The Bravo fans are incredible and caring people, and I wasn’t wrong!

Thank you for the information and support you are all sending my way! Please keep it coming and please talk to your children about being kind to the kids who might be a little different ❤️❤️

Secondly, what did you think of episode one?!

While Emily navigated this life-changing news with her family, she also doesn’t shy away from sharing that the new season will be an explosive one for her and the women. During a conversation with Access Hollywood’s Housewives Nightcap, she revealed that the season finale “is shocking and uncomfortable.”

“It’s between two people, but we’re all kind of sucked into it and then we all are uncomfortable and then we all kind of don’t know what to do with it,” she said.

Of course, the season just began, so fans will have a lot more to look forward to before the season finale airs.