Former reality TV star Alexis Bellino has made bold allegations about the authenticity of a cyber investigation related to offensive social media posts, claiming that the investigator involved is a friend of Slade Smiley. In response, Gretchen Rossi, who is at the center of the controversy, dismissed Alexis’ claims with a sharp retort, telling her to “sit down clown.”

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The drama unfolded during the reunion of the latest season of Real Housewives of Orange County. It was here that Tamra Judge, a friend of Alexis, brought forward screenshots purporting to show Gretchen liking homophobic posts. However, Gretchen countered these claims by revealing that a cyber analyst had determined that the most inflammatory post was likely a result of manipulated imaging software and artificial intelligence. Moreover, she indicated that Tamra might have connections to the hateful accounts in question.

Elaborating on her perspective during an appearance on Reality with The King, Alexis likened her investigative efforts to a “Dateline NBC” episode, confidently asserting that she had uncovered some critical “facts.” She pointed out that the cyber analyst in question had appeared on Slade’s podcast five years ago, questioning his credibility. “Did you see what came out about the guy that wrote that cyber analysis? He is Slade’s friend,” she stated. “Not very credible, and everyone that’s hearing this is saying Tamra should sue him.”

Continuing her critique, Alexis argued that it would be illegal for a private investigator to hack into Instagram’s systems or to compel the platform to release direct messages without a valid court order. “A PI could not hack Instagram — illegal, okay? Force Instagram to hand over your DMs? Instagram only complies with law enforcement and with a valid court order,” she explained. She further expressed skepticism about the timeline and expense involved, suggesting there was no way that Gretchen could have secured such services in such a brief period.

“Did you see what came out about the guy that wrote that cyber analysis? He is Slade’s friend, he was on Slade’s podcast five years ago … not very credible, and everyone that’s hearing this is saying Tamra should sue him,” said Alexis. “A PI could not hack Instagram — illegal, okay? Force Instagram to hand over your DMs? Instagram only complies with law enforcement and with a valid court order. There’s no way that they got that and [that] Gretchen spent thousands of dollars in that short of time, and [that] this PI guy … had enough time to get the law enforcement involved and then access DMs through special software or PI tools. These don’t exist.”

“How did he get his facts if he didn’t subpoena Instagram to get all of this [and] have a cop involved to get it?” She continued. “Anyone that believes that cyber analysis has a freaking IQ of a vegetable.”

But in a November 24 Instagram post, Gretchen slammed her claims.

“Alexis you sound like a fool. You’re talking about something you know nothing about & you clearly are not a very good investigator. 😂,” wrote Gretchen. “The report that was brought forward at the reunion has nothing to do with the private investigator that was on our podcast many yrs ago. He came forward a few months ago only as a second source.”

“The report discussed at the reunion was done by a former CIA analyst (that is not Slade’s friend) and the parent company handles government contracts,” she continued. “The company had to sign a release authorizing its use at the reunion & production and the network are aware of who it is, which is not the private investigator you are claiming it is. This is a desperate attempt to involve yourself in something you clearly know nothing about & it makes you look pathetic. So sit down clown & stop thinking your Sherlock Holmes.”

Image credit: @gretchenrossi/Instagram