RHOC's Emily Simpson Speaks Out on Shannon Beador's DUI Arrest

Days After Shannon Beador was arrested for DUI and hit and run, The Real Housewives of Orange County's Emily Simpson shared her hopes for her costar after hitting "rock bottom."

By Brett Malec Sep 22, 2023 4:00 PMTags
Watch: RHOC's Emily Simpson Talks Shannon Beador's DUI Arrest

Emily Simpson is breaking her silence on Shannon Beador's arrest for DUI and hit and run.

In fact, The Real Housewives of Orange County star revealed she was "shocked" to learn about her costar's run-in with the law in the early hours of Sept. 17.

"Honestly, I had to look at it multiple times because I thought maybe it was something that someone made up," the attorney told Entertainment Tonight Sept. 21. "I was blown away."

Emily shared that she reached out to Shannon via text after learning about the incident in Newport Beach last weekend.

"I just asked her how she was and I said, 'I hope you're doing OK, and if you need anything, please, you can reach out,'" the 47-year-old revealed. "I think she needs space."

Emily added that after the dust settles, "At some point, I'm gonna text and call and see how she is."

The Bravolebrity further noted ongoing concerns about her costar, pointing to RHOC's current 17th season, which saw castmates confront her over allegedly calling them after drinking to complain about her then-boyfriend John Janssen.

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"I feel like we've seen her spiraling," Emily noted. "We've had conversations, just as a cast, about her, worrying about her."

However, she hopes something good will come from the tragic incident.

Todd Williamson/Bravo via Getty Images)

"I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, hope that—sometimes people actually hit rock bottom and take accountability and to have an 'aha' moment," Emily told ET. "Where they say, 'Yeah, maybe I do need some help,' and I hope that this is her 'aha' rock-bottom moment."

After news of her arrest broke Sept. 18, Shannon's attorney Michael L. Fell told E! News in a statement, "I spent quite a bit of time with Shannon yesterday. She is extremely apologetic and remorseful. We will be awaiting the official information on this case as it becomes available, and Shannon is prepared to accept full responsibility for her actions."

In addition to Emily, Tamra Judge also recently shared her thoughts on the shocking news. "I talked to her the day after this supposedly happened," the former fitness coach said on the Sept. 18 episode of her podcast Two T's in a Pod, noting that Shannon "did not say one word" about her arrest at the time. "That's why I instantly thought it was a lie. This is life-changing. This is going to change her life."

Tamra added, "I feel bad for her. I'm just happy nobody got hurt."

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)

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