Offering more context. After Bethenny Frankel claimed that she heard rumors about Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi‘s financial situation, Andy Cohen confirmed that he got the same information from the reality star.
During a segment on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the host, 53, asked his guest Kyle Richards what she thought about the “claims Bethenny made on her podcast,” to which Richards, 52, responded, “You tell me.”
“She did tell us those things,” Cohen admitted to Richards on Wednesday, September 29, before noting that they discussed it more at the upcoming Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion.
Richards, for her part, added: “I have the same opinion you probably have.”
Cohen’s confirmation comes after the former Real Housewives of New York City star, 50, alleged that she was warned about Erika, 50, and Tom, 82, by her late ex, Dennis Shields. After claiming that the former lawyer’s money issues were a “well-known secret,” Frankel detailed telling Erika’s makeup artist, Kristofer Buckle, Cohen, Lisa Rinna and Richards about the rumors.
“When this came out … Andy called me and said, ‘Holy s–t. You really do know it all. You told me about this years ago,’” Frankel alleged on her “Just B With Bethenny Frankel” podcast earlier this month. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I told you.’ … I knew about this whole thing. I knew since, yeah, probably 2017 and 2018, I knew about this.”
In December 2020, Erika and Tom were named in a class action lawsuit that claimed they embezzled money meant for families of the victims of a 2018 plane crash. The legal woes came one month after the “Pretty Mess” performer filed for divorce after more than 20 years of marriage.
Since then, Tom’s health has declined as he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia. He has been placed under a conservatorship, with his brother Robert Girardi recently named as his permanent conservator.
Erika, for her part, has denied that she had any prior knowledge about Tom and his legal firm allegedly being involved in misusing funds.
After Frankel’s comments made headlines, the Skinnygirl founder clarified that she was only made aware of Tom’s alleged legal issues.
“I don’t quote-unquote know Erika Jayne,” the businesswoman said on her podcast on Tuesday, September 28. “I’ve met her and we’ve done this sort of Instagram thing and she was at my house doing the crossover Housewives episode. I have no idea if she knew [about Tom’s actions]. I know nothing about their marriage, nothing about their life. … We’re not all experts on someone else’s lives.”
She continued: “I knew that I knew. I knew that I told people. This is about, like, some people you know, you know that their husbands are cheating on them … and maybe the spouses don’t know. Or maybe they don’t want to know.”
