11

Credit: Instagram

Shannon Beador is one of the most talked-about cast members on The Real Housewives of Orange County. Recently, she opened up about joining the show, her ex, David Beador, her issues with Tamra Judge, and more in a new interview.

Regarding Shannon, she joined the show during season 9.  Since then, she has gone through a divorce, dated John Janssen, and experienced a DUI. Now, things seem to be much better for the long-time RHOC star. 

Shannon was on an episode of Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast. They discussed quite a bit regarding RHOC and her life, with one of the first notable topics being her recent traffic incident. She said, “Everything’s fine. I was coming from an interview confessional and I got a new puppy. When I was at a red light, my phone buzzed, so I wasn’t driving.

Shannon went on, “I looked at it and it was one of those political texts, and I put the phone down. A police officer pulled me over. In California, there’s a no-touch law where you can’t touch your cell phone. But he pulled me over before that, and I didn’t know that that was even coming into play. So it’s not a moving violation, but people like to report.”

The topic of Tamra then came up, and one of the co-hosts stated that they felt people are friends with her out of fear.

Shannon said, “I will agree with you because when you’re on her bad side, there are certain people over the years that go for the jugular, and it can be really nasty. I will call people out on things that I believe that they’re doing wrong, but I don’t put character damaging labels. I don’t think on people.”

She added, “Although I might on Katie, I do call her a liar.” However, Shannon does say she’s in a better place with Tamra than she was last year. The then discussed Tamra’s treatment of Shannon during RHOC season 18 and how she accused her of being an alcoholic. 

According to Shannon, “Who is the one that was drunk? It’s such hypocrisy because there are two times that I have been completely drunk in 11 years on the show. So I willingly admit that there were periods of my life, because of misery or whatever, that I was using alcohol to cope.”

She added, “And now I don’t do that. If I have issues that I’m upset about, I have different coping mechanisms today, and I’ve admitted that. But I’m not an alcoholic, and I’m very aware of alcohol in my relationship with it.”

They also discussed how the “new girl” seems to feel that they need to create storylines for the show. Shannon said, “Yes, at the beginning, when I was much more reactive, new girls would come, and they knew that if they went after me, I’d be reactive. So that would make them relevant on the show. So I do believe that they come in like that.”

She then said, “I’ll never forget. I don’t know what season it was, but don’t get mad at me, Megan. Megan King-Edmonds called me right before we started filming. She goes, I’m going to try and get pregnant this season. What’s your storyline going to be? And I go, I’m going to be Shannon Beador. And when people get tired of that, I’ll walk off into the sunset.”

From there, Kelly asked Shannon if there was anyone besides Tamra who had done unforgivable things to her. She revealed, “Well, this is going to bite me in the ass, but Kelly Dodd, you know, sometimes she’s been a wonderful friend to me. And then other times, depending on her mood, she goes for the jugular as well. So, you know, I just kind of keep at peace with her.”

One of the last notable moments came when Kelly asked Shannon to explain Katie Ginella‘s audio recording of her. She stated that she’d had a hard time sleeping when they got back from London and took a sleeping pill before a cast shoot. She ended up being late to the shoot, learned she wouldn’t be reimbursed for her flight home, and later had a meltdown on set. 

Shannon explained, “So I walk into the room and apparently, Katie’s on a business call. OK, use your flipping two legs, lady. If I’m too loud and you’re on a business call, walk out of the flipping room. So she’s upset. She hangs up the business call and then records me crying in the room. Then, like, for what? There is zero positive intention when you record someone without their knowledge.”

She added, “And so to top it off. After that day was over and our season wrapped up, Katie was out with Alexis Bellino and played the tape to her when I was in an active litigation with John, which basically was with Alexis, too, because she puts her nose in everything.”

Shannon also confirmed that she had no hand in Alexis Bellino not being invited back to the show for season 19. 

RHOC airs on Thursday nights.