Abomb fully exploded on Season 9’s The Real Housewives of Potomac reunion, and it had to do with Stacey Rusch, who made her first-season debut as a Housewife. Wendy Osefo’s husband, Eddie, and Keiarna Stewart’s boyfriend, Greg, decided to FaceTime Stacey’s ex-boyfriend Thomas Anthony Jones (TJ) backstage, and what he revealed caused a shocked Wendy to mutter, “Shut the f—k up!” as she read Eddie’s texts on the reunion stage. In Part 3, Wendy shared with the ‘Wives and Andy Cohen what had been said.
“TJ let Eddie know that you actually paid him to be your love interest this season,” Wendy spilled, as Ashley Darby and Gizelle Bryant sat open-mouthed in shock. “She hired TJ. She paid him some money, and still owes him a lot of money.”
Did Stacey Rusch pay TJ to be her boyfriend on The Real Housewives of Potomac?
Stacey firmly denied that she paid TJ to be her boyfriend.
“Let me say this right now,” Stacey said to Wendy. “I absolutely do not believe anything that you’re saying.”
“Oh, it’s on camera,” Wendy shot back, and Stacey replied, “TJ would never say that.”
Andy confirmed with the control room that they did in fact catch the FaceTime call conversation on camera, but the crew was unable to show it to the ‘Wives and Andy right away because that same camera was shooting Mia Thornton, who left the reunion early.
As Stacey continued to repeat that she wanted to see the footage, she also refused to call TJ herself to clear the air, telling the group, “Why would I entertain a lie?” and “I would love to see it. I’m not going to speak on something that I know is a lie.”
Andy clarified for Stacey that “[the crew] have it on tape,” and that the crew wouldn’t lie to him about such a thing, but Stacey doubled down that she didn’t believe TJ said it.
“Can I ask you a question? Why on Earth would I sit here and say, like less than an hour ago, he’s one of the best people that I know,” Stacey said. “This was completely unexpected.”
What did Eddie Osefo say about his phone call with TJ at the RHOP reunion?
To help clear the air, Andy asked the crew to mic Eddie, as he and the ‘Wives chanted, “Bring Eddie out! Bring Eddie out!”
Andy then asked Eddie what was said in the phone call.
“He told me why he wasn’t here. He said he wasn’t invited. He said that he’s never gonna be in DC again. He said that someone owes him money,” Eddie said.
“Who’s that?” Stacey asked.
“Uh, you,” Eddie responded as he slowly turned his head to look at Stacey.
“I pay him to be my best friend? And I owe him money? That’s what TJ said to you?” Stacey asked Eddie.
“In a nutshell, yeah,” Eddie replied, and then explained further. “So, he just sounded like he was a little upset. But he also sounded like he was tired of the narrative that was being painted of him. Being this flamboyant person. He was just tired of being played with. He said she owes him money.”
Andy tried to play devil’s advocate, and asked Stacey if it was possible she owed TJ money for something that had nothing to do with the show.
“I don’t owe him any money. I don’t even understand in what capacity I could owe him anything,” Stacey said. “I ended our relationship because of the pressure. So, I can understand him being upset about that. But I can’t imagine that he would say those things. Because they’re just not true. And that’s why I wholeheartedly don’t believe it.”
She also added, “I’m saying that TJ is hurt that he’s not here and that we are not together. That’s what I’m saying.”
Again, the ‘Wives and Andy urged Stacey to call TJ herself, but she refused.
What happened when Andy Cohen played the footage of TJ's accusations for Stacey at the RHOP reunion?
Eventually, production brought out the footage of the FaceTime conversation with TJ for the cast, Andy, and viewers to watch.
“Look, man, you know she paying me to do the show, man, like what [are] you talking about?” TJ said in the footage. “You gotta talk to that girl. Give me my money. Well look, she’s whack, man, so that’s it.”
Stacey appeared shocked for a moment.
“I think that it is one thing to see someone disrespect you and make you question your relationship. Now, to see this, it’s so hurtful. It’s so very hurtful. That’s all I can say. I just can’t imagine him saying that,” she said, as the ‘Wives and Andy were in disbelief.
“You heard him say it,” Andy emphasized.
“I absolutely heard him say that. I can’t believe someone who prides themselves on being a man of God and being honest, and someone who I would think loves me, even if we’re not together, to say that — I’ve never paid TJ a dime. And I’ve never owed him anything, and to see that is so, so hurtful,” Stacey responded. “I feel like the rug has been pulled from under me. I don’t know what to say.”
She hinted that TJ wasn’t taking their breakup well.
“The only thing I can tell you all is hurt people hurt people,” she added.
Andy asked Stacey again if she’d like to call TJ herself.
“I will absolutely be calling him — with my attorney,” she said.
At the end of the reunion, she repeated that she and TJ were finished.
“I lost my best friend tonight. It’s horrible. But still, I rise. I’ll be all right,” she said.
