Ashlee Holmes fired back at Lexi Ioannou‘s recent claims against the Manzo family with a scathing post on Instagram on Wednesday, accusing Lexi of lying and misrepresenting the family.
After Lexi, 29, was a featured guest on Gia Giudice‘s podcast, where she slammed Caroline Manzo, 63, and Lauren Manzo, 37, for failing to help her find the childhood belongings that were left at the home of her stepdad, Tommy Manzo, after he kicked her and her mom, Dina Manzo, 53, out of the residence after their split, the 34-year-old Real Housewives of New Jersey alum offered a response.
“Let me tell you something about my family: They might not be my blood, but they are the people who opened their home when I had nowhere else to go, more than once. They’ve helped me back up when I’ve felt lost, also more than once. They make holidays feel special for all the kids. They answer phone calls. They show up when needed,” Ashlee began in her May 28 message, which included several clips of her time with the Manzos.
“Those people being trashed publicly right now, I’ve watched them cry. I’ve watched them care. I’ve watched them fight for one another,” she continued.
Ashlee then accused Lexi of using her controversial claims against the Manzos, whom she’s accused of protecting Tommy, despite his reported involvement in assaults against both Dina and her husband, Dave Cantin, to benefit her businesses.
“When that blog post came out the night before a certain Home Goods launch — the one meant to tear them down, filled with misrepresentations — I was living in my aunt’s home at the time,” she recalled. “I saw how much it hurt her and the whole family.”
According to Ashlee, after Lexi’s blog post was shared, and “after being dragged through the mud,” the family showed up to the garage sale where Lexi’s things were being sold.
“They tried everything they could to get these items back. They fought as hard as they could. They even offered to buy the items back. And they didn’t do it for attention. There were no cameras. No podcasts. No brand launches. Just quiet love,” Ashlee noted. “For a decade, they’ve been painted as villains while carrying the wreckage of someone else’s pain while coping with their own. Their silence was not guilt. It was grace.”
Then, looking to Lexi’s latest claims against the Manzos, Ashlee said they were “another retelling,” and they created “more headlines” that were “conveniently timed alongside a shoe launch.”
“These are just lies,” she stated. “So you can wear the costume. You can call yourself the bear. I’m not here to fight you. This isn’t retaliation. It’s clarification. I won’t entertain shadows that call themselves light.”
In the caption of Ashlee’s Instagram post, she said that Caroline would be addressing the matter “soon,” as she noted that her post was “NOT a defense for Tommy.”
“It’s MY experience with my amazing family. And it’s calling out the fact that I was present the day of the garage sale. I was in the room for these phone calls. I’ve seen the texts. Lexi has straight up lied. Again. And as a witness to everything that day, and to other awful things that have happened. I spoke out. Hope she gets those shoe sales though,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, in the comments section of her post, Ashlee was forced to defend herself against backlash over her statements about the Manzos.
“Your positive experience with your family does not negate their experience, just sayin…” one person noted.
“When there are a multitude of lies and misrepresentations involved… yeah it sort of does… especially when they’re trying to capitalize on it… just sayin,” Ashlee replied.
Another person said, “You are always on the wrong side of history. It’s funny yet sad. Like . . . Open your eyes girl. The ‘family’ you are defending literally defended a monster until the day he went away. Are they sorry for what they did, or sorry they got caught? Let us know!”
“Yeah none of that is true… not sure where you’re getting your facts… they haven’t had a relationship with Tommy longgggg before his sentencing,” Ashlee clapped back.
A third person told the former reality star, “[Ashlee], you were not invited or asked to get involved. [I’m] sure the [Manzos] can handle themselves. But thanks for showing us that you haven’t changed.”
“I was actually there……. Who are you? lol,” she wrote back.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey is currently on hiatus.
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