The Real Housewives of Orange County is back for its landmark 19th season, but one recurring housewife almost chose to take a break from the reality series — and that’s Emily Simpson.
Simpson, who joined the inaugural Real Housewives franchise during its 13th season in 2018, revealed during last week’s premiere that her son had been diagnosed with a rare medical condition called ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder).
“The nutritionist was explaining to me that he doesn’t understand that he feels hungry. Food, in general, disgusts him,” she told her husband, Shane Simpson, during season 19’s premiere. “We offer it to him, but we don’t force him.”
The reality star tells The Hollywood Reporter that season 19 was particularly difficult to juggle as her child’s health diagnosis “was happening in real time.”
“Luke[‘s diagnosis] was really challenging because it was happening in real time. I wasn’t just reflecting back on something that we [went] through as a family, or me as a mom or a parent … I was literally trying to navigate it and film the show at the same time, and it was really challenging,” she says. “There were multiple times where I thought, ‘Do I need to take a break and not do this?’”
Ultimately, she settled on not walking away from the show because “it was important to just navigate it as best I could, and to talk about it and to be open about it.”
Below, Simpson tells THR what advice she’d give fellow parents navigating similar experiences, which women have shown her the most support following her son’s diagnosis and why season 19 “tops the last two” seasons of RHOC.
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This is your seventh season as an Orange County housewife, but does it ever get easier doing this show and putting your life out for the world and being involved with this group of women?
You know, I don’t really feel like it’s ever a question of [being on the show being] easy or hard, because I always go into it just being myself and talking about real things and being who I am, and that’s never really changed. I think maybe the part that gets easier is the fact that you just become more numb, kind of, to the reaction of social media, you know what I mean? Because it’s hard to put yourself out there. I feel like most people on social media being mean, they enjoy that. I would say the easier part is just getting to the point where you’re just numb to it.
This season you’re going to be having a very emotional journey, and your son was diagnosed with a very rare medical condition [called avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)]. How is he doing now, and what was that like for you to navigate such a major life shift in the middle of this season?
It was really challenging and struggling for me. You know, when we’re housewives and we’re talking about our lives, we’re being open and honest, a lot of times we reflect on things that we’ve gone through in our past. Or, like when I first came on the show, I would talk about my fertility journey and how long it took me to have kids, and how difficult it was that I was talking about it in the past. The thing that came up with Luke [this season] was really challenging because it was happening in real time. I wasn’t just reflecting back on something that we [went] through as a family, or me as a mom or a parent, or how Shane and I were dealing with it. I was literally trying to navigate it and film the show at the same time, and it was really challenging.
There were lots of times when I was filming, when I felt like I shouldn’t be there, I should be at home, and it was just hard. It was a struggle. Shane and I weren’t on the same page a lot, and we were trying to figure out how to parent him, and there were multiple times where I thought, Do I need to take a break and not do this? But I felt like it was important to just navigate it as best I could, and to talk about it and to be open about it. And then I really thought at some point, when the audience sees this, I’ll probably get a lot of answers and help from our audience, because they’re so amazing, and they really get so invested in our lives.
If you could give any advice to another parent who was navigating a similar situation to yourself, what would you say to them?
I would say one, find people that you trust, that are parents, that are moms, that you can talk to, because it gets so overwhelming. You really need to be able to talk about it and release, and have someone say, “You’re doing a good job, everything’s going to be okay.” I would say secondly, to get as much outside help as possible. We spent a lot of time going to therapy, talking to therapists, Luke going to therapy, Shane and I going to therapy, because I thought it’s just so important to figure out how to parent him. And then lastly, I would say, no matter how difficult it is, just to stick together as parents. I mean, Shane and I weren’t always on the same page, and I think we disagreed on a lot of things, but at the end of the day, we had the same goal, [which] was to be the best that we could for him, and we just had to stick to that goal and work through it.
Who did you find out of this group of women was the most supportive of your personal journey throughout this season?
First of all, all of the women were so kind and supportive. Obviously, Gina [Kirschenheiter] and I are super close, so I share a lot of things with her. But Heather [Dubrow] is also such a great advocate, because she’s just such a good mom. She and [her husband] Terry [Dubrow] have an amazing relationship, and they’re just a great example of a marriage. So I really do go to Heather a lot for parenting/marriage questions, and she’s always so helpful and caring. She was constantly asking about Luke and how he was doing, and if I needed to talk, and she was always reaching out. I would say all the women were supportive, and then Gina and Heather, I think, really just went the extra mile to really be there for me.
Thank you so much for opening up about that. What are you most excited for fans to see from you and the women this upcoming season?
For me, I just feel as if this season even tops the last two [seasons of RHOC]. And I know the last two seasons were great and they were well received, and the fans really enjoyed them and they were like, “OC is back, and OC is amazing!” And I feel like this season is even better than the last two. I think people will be even more invested, more excited and there’ll just be more of a buzz about the show, because I just think it’s a great cast. We have such deep relationships. There’s so many dynamics going on, and everything’s really interesting, and it plays out. I just think the fans are really going to love this season.
What was it like having Gretchen [Rossi] join, or should I say rejoin, the mix with this particular group of women?
You know, it’s hard for me to answer that question, because I feel like there’s so many different ways that I see Gretchen and think of Gretchen, so I don’t really have a solid feeling one way or the other. I feel like Gretchen is kind of an enigma to me. I mean, I do think that she tried very hard to be friends with everyone, to assimilate and I think she did a good job doing that, as far as, you know, wanting to be friends [with the women], wanting to open up, wanting to get to know everyone. I would say her relationship with Tamra [Judge] is an ongoing cycle of back and forth that — I don’t know, it’s just hard for me to deal with the two of them (Laughs). I just feel like every time one is accusing the other of something, the other one’s accusing the other, and then it’s just back and forth. There’s just such a history between the two of them, there’s like 15 years. I feel like they just get into their Rolodex, and they just start pulling out stuff and it’s a lot between them. I don’t know if there’ll ever be any resolution there.
I’m excited to see those dynamics play out between them while having her back. Out of all the women, who surprised you the most this season? And where do your relationships stand with the women now?
I would say I have a good relationship with everyone other than Katie [Ginella]. I mean, I don’t have a relationship with her, but everyone else I have a good relationship with. And you know, I feel like I have a good relationship with the women because I work hard to have a good relationship with them. I know and understand that we’re a group of friends and that the show is so much better if we’re involved in each other’s lives, and that we actually care about each other and you know that we’re there for one another. And then, that way, when there’s shifts in the relationships, or someone’s upset with someone, or someone hurts someone, or we have to resolve something between us, it’s all genuine and interesting because we are invested in each other’s lives.
I felt like Jen [Pedranti] was very strong this season on her own. I think she’s better not with Katie, so I think that was good for her, actually, to not have to always navigate that friendship. She kind of branched out, and I think that was great for her, because I think she’s an amazing cast member. I think it’s good for her to really make friends other than Katie, so I think that was good. Shannon [Storms Beador]‘s fun this year. I think it’s fun to see her not having a crisis — which she normally does, like every season it’s a different crisis that Shannon’s navigating. But I thought it was really fun this season that Shannon wasn’t actually going through some kind of personal crisis, so she got to be more of herself and feel herself. Her daughters are older and she’s stepping into this new life of navigating it with no kids at home and dating lots of guys, and I thought that was interesting, and I think the fans will like seeing Shannon and her shenanigans.
You mentioned that you and Katie don’t really have that friendship right now. Did you guys make any leeway throughout the season? Or are you just pretty much on the same page?
No, I do not have a friendship with her, nor will I ever.
If you could, summarize The Real Housewives of Orange County season 19 in just three words.
Oh my gosh. I hate it when I’m limited to words, because I talk so much (Laughs). I feel as if people really need to stick through the season, because the ending is very uncomfortable for me. It was shocking and it was confusing, so I feel like that’s a good cliffhanger.
New episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County air at 9 p.m. Thursdays on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream on Peacock on Fridays.