During Part 3 of The Real Housewives of Potomac Season 9 reunion, Thomas Anthony "TJ" Jones shared a jaw-dropping accusation that newbie Stacey Rusch hired him to be her boyfriend on the show.
TJ dropped the bombshell while he was on the phone with Eddie Osefo, who later relayed the information to Stacey, host Andy Cohen, and the rest of the Season 9 cast (sans Karen Huger).
After the reunion concluded, Stacey addressed the accusations on the March 2 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
She said that she called TJ "immediately" after the reunion to chat about what he told Eddie. "He was very remorseful, he was very emotional, and it was a hard call to have," she said, before addressing the accusation that she paid him to be in a relationship with her.
Did Stacey Rusch pay TJ Jones to date her?
As Stacey said on WWHL following the reunion, "I did not pay him. I was in a real relationship with him and he treated me very poorly and to see that — to see him be so disrespectful and to see him be definitely unchristian and do this to me at the reunion — it was jarring, quite frankly."
"It's so obvious to me, and I hate to say this, but the ladies were right; He’s not the man for me," Stacey added. "I was looking for love and he was in love with being in front of the camera."
Why did TJ Jones say Stacey Rusch paid him to be her boyfriend?
When asked why she thinks TJ made the claim, Stacey said he was "very upset" with how he looked on the show. "Can you imagine how I felt, being on the receiving end. ..." she wondered. "So, I think the only way he could rectify the situation was to say it wasn’t real, that he was in fact acting."
Where Stacey Rusch and TJ Jones stand today
Though the accusation was damaging, Stacey isn't thinking too much about her now ex-boyfriend these days.
"I'm not really worried by that because I live in my truth and I didn’t pay him, I don’t have to pay anybody. Like, I wish you could see my DMs, I’m in a great place," she said on WWHL. "Do you think I would take that risk going through a divorce, going public with someone, unless I was confident in that relationship? I would never do that. I take my relationships seriously and my family seriously, and I would never do that."
The former QVC host referred to her relationship with TJ as a "valuable lesson."
"I'm a better woman because of this. Heaven forbid if I would have invited him into my life? Can you imagine? God is good. ..." she said. "My point is, it was a blessing in disguise, and I'm a better woman for it. My life is full, I am happy, I'm loved, and I'm moving forward."
Is Stacey Rusch dating anyone after RHOP Season 9?
After the demise of her relationship with TJ, Stacey is taking some time away from the dating scene. "I am not [dating], no," she said on WWHL. "After the reunion, I think I need some time to concentrate on Stacey."
Andy asked Stacey if she has her eyes on anyone in the Bravoverse. "Let me get back to you on that at a later time after I've healed," she responded.
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