Stacey Rusch Shares Update With TJ After He Accused Her of Paying Him to Do RHOP, Reveals Their Call and His Anger, Plus Addresses Claims of TJ’s “Receipts” as He Breaks His Silence & Teases “Earth-shattering News”

Stacey Rusch reacted to Thomas Anthony “TJ” Jones suggesting he was paid to appear alongside her as her love interest on The Real Housewives of Potomac during Sunday night’s episode of Watch What Happens Live.

After TJ dropped the bomb during the conclusion of the three-part reunion, Stacey addressed the controversy, shared if she agreed to pay TJ, and explained why he was upset with production. She also offered an update on her friendship with Mia Thornton, and she reacted to the finalization of Ashley Darby‘s divorce.

“[I called him] immediately [after the reunion]. He was very remorseful. He was very emotional, and it was a hard call to have,” Stacey shared of TJ on the March 2 episode of WWHL, doubling down on her denial of having paid 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 un-Christian and do this to me at the reunion, it was just jarring quite frankly,” she explained. “It’s so obvious to me, and I hate to say this, but the ladies were right. He’s not the man for me. I was looking for love, and he was in love with being in front of the camera.”

“Why would I pay someone to mistreat me? That makes no sense,” she added. 

As for why TJ may have made the claim against her, Stacey said he was angry at production for the way he was portrayed on season nine.

“He was very upset about the way that he felt production portrayed him. Those were his worst moments. And those moments were hard to view,” she shared. “Can you imagine how I felt being on the receiving end? My mother was calling me. My family was calling me to ask if I was okay, so I think the only way that he could rectify the situation was to say that it wasn’t real, that he was, in fact, acting.”

Stacey also signaled TJ’s desire to be on camera.

“I broke up with him. I did not invite him to the reunion. He had to lie to get on the reunion to get camera time, that’s what he had to do to even get FaceTime, to tell a lie, because he wasn’t invited,” she noted.

On top of the heartache she experienced from TJ, Stacey said it was “also hard” seeing that her castmates didn’t believe her side of the story.

“I’ve grown to love these women, especially [Gizelle Bryant] and Ashley,” she stated. “We know that they have been betrayed and humiliated by men, so you’d think they’d be compassionate to me, and they weren’t.”

When Andy Cohen, 56, wanted to know if Stacey was worried about TJ’s potential receipts and if he could prove that he wasn’t lying about the nature of their relationship, Stacey asked, “Do I look worried?”

“I live in my truth, and I didn’t pay him. I don’t have to pay anybody. I wish you could see my DMs, I’m in a great place. I don’t have to pay anybody,” she declared. “[And] 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 thought I was in a serious relationship.”

Andy then signaled her excitement for Eddie Osefo to appear on stage, where he ultimately detailed his interaction with TJ.

“Why would I be excited for Eddie to come out with receipts if I believed he actually had receipts? I was like, ‘Bring them out. Let’s see.’ I never believed that someone I loved would behave that way,” Stacey explained.

Looking back, Stacey said her time with TJ served as a “valuable lesson.”

“I am a better woman because of this. Heaven forbid if I would’ve invited him into my life? Can you imagine? God is good. Only for a moment [did I welcome him in]. My point is, it was a blessing in disguise,” she reasoned. “My life is full. I am happy. I am loved, and I am moving forward.”

Although the RHOP cast often questioned Stacey’s romance with TJ due to their abstinence, Stacey stood by her decision to refrain from having sex with her former partner. 

“When you go through a divorce, wouldn’t you be measured in your steps? Wouldn’t you really be careful with who you are sharing your heart and your body with? So give me that,” she said. “I wasn’t flying my freak flag.”

Then, after confirming she is not dating because she needs “some time to concentrate on [herself],” Stacey revealed she’s been in touch with Mia, who feuded with her throughout the season and shaded her as “boring.”

“Of course. I’ve spoken to Gizelle… I called [Mia] to acknowledge that she apologized to me and to say that I accepted it and I want to move forward,” she disclosed. “I did accept her apology. I called to make sure she was okay. That’s what friends do, and I forgave her. It doesn’t make sense to keep that within the group.”

After the live broadcast, on the WWHL: After Show, Stacey was asked how she felt about Ashley finalizing her divorce from Michael Darby. She was also asked for her reaction to the topless photos her castmate shared to celebrate.

“I was happy to hear that Ashley finally is divorced. I love that for her because I know she was working towards it for a long time,” Stacey shared. “And I actually sent her a message when I saw her Instagram post. I sent her a message, and I said, ‘Ashley Darby, I’m not one to celebrate divorce, but this is pretty hot.’ I thought it was pretty cool. She looked beautiful, and I know it’s been a long road for her to get there, so if that’s the way she chose to celebrate, I applaud her.”

“It’s not for me, but if it’s for her, then I’m down for it,” she added.

Meanwhile, TJ appeared to be breaking his silence on the ‘boyfriend for hire’ drama as he teased his side of the story on his social media page. 

“It might be my turn to share some earth-shattering news,” teased TJ in a video he posted to his Instagram on March 3. He didn’t elaborate further on when and where he planned to share more.

The Real Housewives of Potomac season 10 is expected to go into production later this month.