Season 19 of The Real Housewives of Orange County brought a wave of emotions for Emily Simpson, not only because of her interactions with fellow cast members but primarily due to her son’s significant health challenges. Recently, Emily has provided an update after previously suggesting that her son might require a brain procedure.

Credit: Bravo

Fans first became aware of Emily’s son Luke, who is 10 years old, facing health issues from the trailer of RHOC season 19. Within the trailer, Emily revealed that the situation was severe enough to strain her marriage with Shane Simpson, 50. More recently, Emily disclosed that Luke has been diagnosed with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders (PANDAS).

During an appearance at BravoCon 2025, Emily, 49, shared an update with US Weekly regarding Luke’s health and the status of his medical procedure. She stated, “Yes, he did have the procedure. However, I haven’t noticed a significant change, so we are still exploring other options with a specialist and considering different approaches.”

Emily explained that the procedure was intended to “reduce the swelling in the brain.” She added, “It needs to be a continuous process. He’s undergone a couple of rounds, but there hasn’t been much of a difference so far. We are now faced with the decision of whether to continue on this path or explore alternative treatments.”

She said the procedure is supposed to “reduce the swelling in the brain.” Emily then said, “It needs to be ongoing. He’s done a couple rounds, which hasn’t made that big of a difference. So the question is, do we continue forward, or do we try something different?”

The RHOC star also shared that mothers have been reaching out and sharing supportive words. According to her, “The moms out there are incredible. I get so many DMs with recommendations and stories, and so thank you to the moms.”

In other Emily news, she also spoke to Entertainment Tonight about where she stands with Tamra Judge, 58. She said, “Where I’m at with Tamra makes no sense to me because Tamra came into the reunion mad at me, which I don’t even understand.” She went on to say that she has been fair to Tamra and the rest of the group. 

She went on, “And then when I asked her, she couldn’t think of a reason why she was mad.” Gina Kirschenheiter, 41, who was also in the interview, brought up the reunion and how Tamra kept being mean. They also discussed Katie Ginella at the end of the interview, and Gina stated that she still doesn’t trust her and doesn’t care that she’s now friends with Tamra.