Shannon Beador broke down in tears on Thursday's episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County while discussing her legal battle with ex-boyfriend John Janssen.
'I don't owe him anything,' Shannon, 60, cried to Tamra Judge, 56, while explaining that John was suing her and demanding $75,000.
'He said if you don't come up with a payment plan to pay him $75,000, they're filing on Friday. So, I am not making monthly payments to John Janssen. It's not going to happen,' Shannon said.
'I'm not going to pay $75,000 to him. How dare he,' she added.
'It's a mess. It's a mess,' Tamra said.
Shannon Beador broke down in tears on Thursday's episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County while discussing her legal battle with ex-boyfriend John Janssen
Tamra in a confessional recalled how she and Shannon 'trauma bonded' after they were both sued by Jim Bellino in 2018.
The emotional revelation came during a tense sit-down with Tamra who had initially confronted Shannon about her drinking habits following her arrest for DUI in September 2023.
The conversation quickly escalated, with Shannon accusing Tamra of defamation and spreading lies.
'I don't say things that are not true,' Tamra said. 'No, I didn't.'
'You keep saying you're drunk, you need to be sober,' Shannon said. 'You know nothing about me.'
'So you do not have a drinking problem?' Tamra said.
Shannon said she was aware that she used alcohol excessively in certain darker periods. Shannon reminded that she also had seen Tamra in darker situations.
'Have I driven my car into a house?' Tamra said coldly.
'It's a mess. It's a mess,' Tamra said after Shannon started crying
'You keep saying you're drunk, you need to be sober,' Shannon said earlier. 'You know nothing about me'
'Have I driven my car into a house?' Tamra said coldly
Shannon said she was aware that she used alcohol excessively in certain darker periods
Shannon got up from the table and walked away. She asked the producer to get her purse.
'She has done nothing but hurt me and spread lies about me,' Shannon said in the bathroom.
'Where is she?' Tamra asked a producer, who told her Shannon was in the restroom.
'This is a true example of kicking someone when they are down,' Shannon said in a confessional. 'It's just the low blows. You are lucky that I'm not stooping to your level because I could go there.'
Earlier in the episode, Emily Simpson was stunned to learn from new housewife Katie Ginella that John was allegedly threatening to release disturbing video footage of Shannon from the night of her DUI arrest.
Katie recounted a phone call between Alexis Bellino and John, saying, 'There is like Ring footage camera of her almost running over his daughter. She kept saying 'If we release this, she is done. Her reputation is completely done'.'
The season 18 episode, titled 'The Gloves Are Off,' began with the housewives split between two locations: Shannon, Emily, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Heather Dubrow at a La Quinta house, while Katie, Alexis, Tamra, and Jenn Pedranti were at Tamra's house in Big Bear.
At breakfast, Heather said that the weekend had been fun.
Shannon asked the producer to get her purse as she stormed away
'She has done nothing but hurt me and spread lies about me,' Shannon said in the bathroom
'Where is she?' Tamra asked a producer, who told her Shannon was in the restroom
'This is a true example of kicking someone when they are down,' Shannon said in a confessional. 'It's just the low blows. You are lucky that I'm not stooping to your level because I could go there'
'I had zero intention of bringing out to the friend group the fact that John Janssen is threatening to sue me, saying that I owe him money,' Shannon said.
'It made you look like you had been dishonest about the relationship,' Emily said.
Shannon said she had stacks of credit cards and cancelled checks that would prove that she paid for things during her relationship with John.
'Shannon's always said she paid for every single thing,' Heather said in a confessional.
Shannon explained that she thought John gave her the money in an attempt to reimburse her. Shannon said she once paid $10,000 for hotel rooms in Los Angeles for John's daughter's birthday celebration.
'And he's telling me that I owe him money?' Shannon said.
'Were you trying to buy his love?' Emily said.
Emily suggested Shannon send John an offer that she would pay him $30,000.
'I don't want to!' Shannon said. 'I'm telling you, out of principle, I don't want to give him a dollar. It's just such a fricken slap in the face to me.'
Emily suggested Shannon send John an offer that she would pay him $30,000
'I don't want to!' Shannon said. 'I'm telling you, out of principle, I don't want to give him a dollar. It's just such a fricken slap in the face to me'
Shannon started crying and said she was so grateful for their friendship.
Gina and Emily also had a heated discussion about their friendship, with Gina accusing Emily of being overly aggressive.
Gina said she didn't want Emily to be seen on the show as being the 'grand b****.'
'I've been aggressive since the day you met me,' Emily said.
'I think that you need to work on it,' Gina said.
'Well, Heather's like ''get on your knees'' and you're like ''okay Heather'',' Emily said.
'That's not true,' Gina said. 'I don't know. Everybody f***ing hates me.'
Gina threw her paddle down and walked off. Gina couldn't get back in the house. Emily came up and hugged her and they both started crying and talked through their issues.
Shannon started crying and said she was so grateful for their friendship
Gina and Emily also had a heated discussion about their friendship, with Gina accusing Emily of being overly aggressive
'I've been aggressive since the day you met me,' Emily said
'I think that you need to work on it,' Gina said
'Well, Heather's like ''get on your knees'' and you're like ''okay Heather'',' Emily said
'Maybe things at home are worse than she's letting on,' Heather said of Gina.
Meanwhile, Jenn opened up about the pain of seeing her estranged husband Will happy in a new relationship with her former friend.
The drama intensified when John called Alexis, leading to an emotional outburst from her.
'I'm literally going to lose it,' Alexis said on the phone. 'Gloves are off. Gloves are coming off!'
Alexis then went to Katie crying.
'It came to the point where John has had enough,' Alexis said in confessional.
'I'm literally going to lose it,' Alexis Bellino said on the phone. 'Gloves are off. Gloves are coming off!'
Alexis then went to Katie crying
'It came to the point where John has had enough,' Alexis said in confessional
Alexis said to a producer that she wasn't able to say what pushed John to the limit.
'There's a lot that I know that Shannon probably wouldn't want anyone else to know.'
'She's such a piece of s***,' Alexis said crying.
When they got back to the OC, Tamra came to Gina's house. Gina showed her how she was remodeling after her boyfriend Travis moved out.
Tamra said that Alexis was a lot during their trip to Big Bear. Tamra asked if Shannon was drinking during their La Quinta trip and Gina said she was.
'Here's the thing, there are people who have severe drinking problems and people who just act like a**holes,' Tamra said. 'It's the manipulation. It's the lying.'
'She really needs her real friends and you're her best f***ing friend,' Gina said.
'I feel like tough love is the best thing for her,' Tamra said.
Jenn went out with her boyfriend Ryan for them to get a pedicure.
She told him about La Quinta and about how Tamra said she should start an Only Fans about her feet.
'She's such a piece of s***,' Alexis said crying
Jenn Pedranti went out with her boyfriend Ryan for them to get a pedicure
She told him about La Quinta and about how Tamra said she should start an Only Fans about her feet
Ryan quickly shut down the idea of Jenn joining Only Fans.
Tamra after learning of Shannon's anguish over the lawsuit attempted to mend fences with and invited Shannon to an upcoming party she was hosting.
Despite the emotional confrontation, the two shared a hug and Tamra expressed her love for Shannon.
The Real Housewives of Orange County will return next Thursday on Bravo.
