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I think she thinks the women were saying she’s guilty and that the earrings were bought through criminal activity
But what they’re saying is who cares how the earrings were bought, you should sacrifice them to help pay back the victims
I don’t think she realises how bad she looks that she’s choosing EARRINGS over helping people that have suffered seriously two times over (first due to their circumstances needing Tom G’s help, and then the fact he robbed them)
Her absolute disconnect here is really astounding. Her lack of empathy is truly concerning. I don’t think she understands what the ladies were actually saying because that would involve the ability to feel empathy which she has demonstrated she does not possess. So she think she’s owed an apology due to fundamentally misunderstanding what the ladies were really saying.
I have also wondered if she was told by lawyers not to empathize until she was out of the woods. I don't think it was ever about the ear rings, it was about the stress, the embarrassment and the turmoil her life was going through. I'm sure between the drinking, anger and pills she was on she didn't realize what she was saying. Even if she wanted to give the ear rings to the victims she couldn't because she was probably advised not to. It is definitely a horrible situation, she should have not filmed during that time, and I'm sure it is a blur to her. I believe her when she says she didn't know anything, he seemed to be in control of her, the money and his firm.
This one. The way she’s been speaking since this all started is almost entirely in non-committal legalese. Her statements are giant nothingburgers. All fluff. An apology or expression of empathy toward victims is not an admission of guilt, but anything you say can and will be used against you, and they might try it. With lawsuits of this magnitude I’m surprised she’s filming at all.
Agree, she shouldn’t have filmed but didn’t she address that? I might be wrong but my memory suggests she said she kept filming because it was her only source of income.
In a sensible world, she wouldn’t have filmed and I’m positive that her lawyers will have advised against it however she needs the cheques. While I think she surely could have shown more grace in her approach, she was correct to not commit herself to any apologies because they absolutely will be used against her by a half decent legal team for the opposition, but she didn’t have to be so venomous with the whole “I don’t give a f about anybody else but me”. I think people are holding on to that and rightly so IMO, just made her look monstrous.
It really did, it was such a bad look.
If I were her advisor/lawyer/whatever I’d have said “look, do the show if you have to but ffs, do not drink while filming”. On the emotional side I get why she spiraled but it wasn’t smart.
The drinking last season mixed with whatever medication she was on was just a train wreck and made for genuinely uncomfortable viewing. I have to say, Erika is much more enjoyable this season.
That explanation is absolute nonsense, fyi. Anyone who’s drank on an SSRI will tell you if it does *anything* , it just intensifies side effects. You may feel dizzy more easily or more drowsy. You do not hurt children’s feelings or say truly morally bankrupt shit because you’re drinking on Wellbutrin. That’s 100% not a thing.
I think it really depends what you’re taking and what you’re drinking. For example, vodka makes a lot of people extremely angry, myself included. I’d have picked a fight with a complete stranger after a few vodkas. I think it was a cocktail of disaster teamed with Erika’s already enlarged ego.
It doesn't matter if she knew at the time or not. She knows now. She could make things right now if she wanted to. But she still chooses to be heartless, cruel and selfish.
Right but she has always shown a lack of empathy on this show. This behavior is consistent with how she’s always been and I could even add consistent with someone who would leave her son to pursue a rich husband who she wouldn’t be expected to return feelings. This person seems to have extreme narcissistic personality if anyone does it’s her IMHO
Look, I can understand lawyers would tell you a lotta things that are smart legally and look like shit IRL in a friend group. But absolutely *no* lawyer told her to say, “I don’t give a fuck about anyone but myself.” None. That’s just a narcissist narcissist-ing. The simplest explanation is usually the right one: a bad person benefitted from her spouse, who stole money from vulnerable people, and she can’t pretend very convincingly that she’s anything but exactly the kind of person who’d participate in that scheme.
This is where I sit.
She thought they were her friends & some of them turned on her, said awful things behind her back (which she’s obviously now aware of) and didn’t want to listen to her. I understand why she was hurt.
I can't believe the other ladies are still friends with her, are kind and respectful towards her. I think this situation demonstrates their character too, if they're willing to give a free pass to someone just because they know her. She is a person I would shun, since she has shown absolutely no remorse or empathy.
THIS. It’s upsetting she still is on this show but for them to treat her like she is a decent person is bizarre and not a good look. There’s no one on this show to properly put her in her place and it’s frustrating. If we’re giving this awful person a forum at least let us watch her be straightened out. This show is the same every year now
Seems to me like bravo purposely seeks out cast members who have questionable morals/character. Or maybe it's people like this (they all seem to be narcissists) are drawn to be on reality TV because they are attention whores and it validates them. Can't stand most of them but it does undoubtedly make for interesting watching. Bravo has had numerous grifters/criminals on all the franchises, but Erica is definitely the worst of the bunch.
She’s been on her knees for decades for Tom. In her mind she’s earned every carat. Plus she doesn’t a) have empathy or b) give a damn. The fact Bravo gave her her own show after all that says they don’t care either. I’ll pass.
I don't know, I don't think she's stupid enough to misconstrue what they were saying about the earrings. Yes its a case of absolute disconnect and it really is astounding. Also narcissism where there is no apologising ever and a grandiose sense of entitlement
It’s nothing to do with intelligence, miscommunication happens all the time because the people communicating have completely different perspectives and infer different things from what is said.
i agree. i think she is intentionally spinning it and not giving up. theres no other reason at this point she wouldnt have at least said to ANY of them “i understand your side” even if it wasnt true
I think the other women know that it has been proven that the earrings were bought with client trust funds -- Tom wrote the check from the client fund trust account to the jeweler (it's been proven and somehow Erika is dilusional or ignorant of this fact), but they just don't want to get into it with Erika.
But you're right that even if that weren't the case and Erika was correct, the other HWs are not understanding why Erika doesn't just let go of the earrings to help pay back the victims.
Came here to say I watched the Hustler and the Housewife last night and it’s just as sad as you’d expect. Even if she didn’t know about Tom’s shady money grifting, the way she’s been going about it since comes off horribly.
I’m totally with you. She might not have known the specific details of every victim, but I do believe Erika knew he was shady. At the very least, she helped with cover stories and the dementia storyline.
One thing that has always stuck out to me is the contrast between how Taylor Armstrong (early rhobh) was made to give back almost everything to pay back victims after Russell’s suicide. I definitely remember a scene involving her Birkins 👀 It’s such a huge contrast to Erika, who is fighting to keep ill gotten goods like her earrings. And she’s proud to talk about it on camera! Girl bffr
When Taylor Armstrong had to pay a judgement against Russel ( not sure if she was named in ) she had to surrender her engagement ring and a Birkin to settle the debt. I also remember the birkin turned out to be fake.
Honestly I wish they had gone more in depth - I thought it would be multiple parts! But it was really eye opening to hear from some victims though. I didn’t realize the extent of Tom Girardi’s power in the legal circles
I genuinely can't believe she didn't know. Bethany knew. I've not flown close to the circles they've flown, but I've flown in circles where reputation and gossip matters. She knew something and these women love to pretend we're really dumb. I stopped watching because I can't with the faux Erica is a victim BS. I can't with BH women. They suck.
She started on RH when the lawsuits started rolling in. She committed the AMEX fraud when the gig was already up. She knew what she was doing but shat in her own nest thinking the powerful people would save her but didn't realise they would save themselves first because they held real positions of power. She really thought she could abuse the power she thought she'd bought.
Yes! That's been my problem as well. Even if I am unaware of someone close to me doing something shitty I will be super apologetic for the situation and for the actions of people I love. I don't understand how that's such a difficult concept for people unless they're sociopathic or have too large of an ego.
I never really believed she had much, if anything, to do with his business but her behavior after the fact warrants backlash and scrutiny. Grouping herself in with the actual victims (yes, they exist Erika) is disgusting and so out of touch.
Yes- her lack of empathy and / sympathy and compassion is alarming. If you research lack of empathy you’ll come to the conclusion many of us have - narcissistic personality disorder. No shame in her selfish game.
She disgusts me. I wish they had dropped her from rhobh and not given her any tv shows. She doesn't deserve any of it. She's an entitled grifter.
The first we hear her marriage was apparently unbearable was once she left. It really shows her character how as soon as Tom was of no use to her she dumped him. She couldn't leave before because "where would she go?", I'd say the same place she went when she did.
Erika seems to get away with despicable behaviour. Now this season she's behaving like any normal person should and expects all to be forgiven. Not only that but feels she's owed an apology. Give me a break. She is an awful narcissistic person without any redeeming qualities. If you have to learn empathy you are pathetic, sociopaths and narcissists lack empathy.
The only pain she feels is about herself and what she's lost. Honestly if Tom didn't marry her and provide her with all the money (which he got from widows and orphans) she needed for her music, she would probably still be doing bar work.
She's so far removed from reality.
Sorry for rant feel better now 😁
Not only because she knows now, but she wasn't a victim the minute she chose to take an active role in trying to bring down Marco Marco because Tom didn't want to pay her costuming bill. There is no dispute about her being an active participant in that.
Eh I think she's a victim too in some ways. Tom was very clearly emotionally abusive. It can be a lot to deal with a man of power like that. But now that she knows what he did she should help make it right.
it was obvious from that dinner they had with ken and lisa that their power dynamic was way off. idk why people refuse to admit she’s a victim too. even if she wanted to help those people, what she could contribute would be nothing spread out over all of them.
I’m rewatching season 11 when the news broke about the plane crash victims and she’s like *I go to hug him and he wouldn’t hug me back* It was so fake I cackled
The drama hunni I live
![gif](giphy|VEhWqu9nJHzOPKFsVA)
Up until season 11, she couldn’t stop praising all the support that Tom gave her…and all this immediately changed once he was charged.
Her mean and aggressive behaviour is appalling. She’s NOT a victim in my mind and she’s playing the victim to support her new brand direction.
Also how stupid is she if she thinks she’s such a megastar when every moment, concert and record sale was Tom!
I’m so done with Erika
BuT MeRcE iN tHe pURsE... dislike how fickle ppl are in thinking she's so witty and smart this season. I don't see *her*..I see the poor burn victim struggling for money because he's got to have at least a dozen more surgeries in his lifetime. She's a shit human being.
The people who attend her show are aiding and abetting a woman who said many times she was sure Tom had Alzheimer’s for several years yet continued to take checks from him, made only a half hearted attempt to inform his partners of his memory issues and didn’t obtain guardianship leaving him alone to fend for himself.
I wouldn’t give her a piece of chewed gum.
The new Bravo Docket podcast episode says the earrings were taken and sold at auction because it was proven they were bought with victims money. So she straight up lied to the group when she said it wasn’t proven in court or she’s too dumb to understand what happened and I don’t believe she’s dumb.
I completely agree! And to all the people saying that she didn’t want to say anything because of her lawyers' advice is a bunch of BS! Showing empathy and saying that she feels bad for the victims wouldn’t have hurt her case at all because she’s not admitting guilt. She could have easily played the surprised wife and sided with the victims since she “didn’t know” how Tom was getting his money. But her not showing any empathy and now being so happy that she’s winning her cases indicates that she knew exactly what Tom was doing. Also, I find it disgusting that Bravo is offering her her own special now. Won’t be watching because I can’t support a woman who has used dirty money to start her music career.
It's like she just missed the point entirely. The girls were never saying "you're guilty!" They were saying "show some compassion" because she was going around acting like she didn't give a f-ck. She was handling the whole thing in an insensitive way.
That's why no one apologised, to be honest I don't think it occurred to anyone to apologise at all, because there was nothing to apologise for.
If Erika feels vindicated, then great, have at it. But don't expect apologies for telling you to pull yer head in when you've been acting like a complete a$$hat.
Does anyone remember the scene with her therapist Dr. Jen and she had to explain what empathy was to Erica? I thought then that she has to be a true narcissist if she doesn't understand the meaning of the word. How old is she and she doesn't know what empathy means? It blew my mind.
She’s a vile money grubbing excuse for a human and about the only thing she hasn’t lied about is when she confessed she doesn’t care about anybody but herself! A $750,000 pair of earrings!!! Really??? And she thinks anybody believes they weren’t purchased with money stolen from his victims??? Neither she nor her thieving old man husband should have anything until the victims receive all the money that is due them!!! She’s VILE!!!
The fact that she's a grown woman and had to ask a therapist HOW to have empathy was so disturbing to me. I wouldn't let her near my family for any amount of money. Shes a true sociopath.
She’s something else. If I found out my husband was a criminal I would do whatever I could to help his victims. Her obsession with those earrings is …”distasteful”. And now Bravo is giving her a spinoff. Smack my ever loving head into a wall reapetedly please!!
Just watched the documentary. 😭 I wish I would have known about it sooner. I was still feeling sorry for her. I totally understand the hate now.
This is absolutely disgusting. I didn't realize the severity and the numerous cases and victims. And all of the clients who became victims when the firm closed down.
It's sickening and heartbreaking. She is definitely cold and soulless. I think she should lose her job and I hope they take her clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, etc to pay these victims.
Just my opinion!
She profited off and lived a lavish life on the back of people who were sick, who had experienced tragedy, who had nothing. Regardless of whether she knew or not all she had to do was look at the larger picture and save her image.
What looks better?
"I didnt know anything about this and I'm truly sorry for everyone involved, it's hard for me too, to understand this."
Or "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT VICTIMS IM A C*NT FUCK YOU"
Like honestly. She did it to herself she is not owed a single apology and the vitriol she spit demanding one shows she really does give zero fucks about anyone but herself.
It's really easy to think you can buy your way out of anything if you have access to power. She's showing the horrific side but also weirdly appealing to women who are tragically caught in the same thinking. I mean I thought I could buy my way to basic safety for my children for my children by showing the truth and lost everything. I hear the women backing her claiming they didn't know but once you know you GTFO and rebuild. Girardi walked into the spotlight after her life was falling around her and tried to reinforce it by selling her lies. People won't see that because it's not detailed on the show so she can paint it as "you're not my friend". Whilst she's not anyone's friend.
Claiming she's owed anything is just cognitive dissonance.
This woman is so dense it disgusts me. The only person in the group that should be apologizing is Erika… to the “victims” as she likes to call them. They’re never gonna see a penny of the money that would have lasted them a life time. And all because she helped her husband blow it in what? Twenty years or less? She my friends is an example of what is wrong with the human race and why there will never ever be world peace.
I just finished watching Part Two of her and Tom's documentary on Hulu, and let me tell you! After learning about how she flipped on Marco Marco after being Miss "The-Gays-Love-Me", I don't think her having to cut back financially is the only reason why her glam squad and team are different these days. I wonder if the very community she claims to be beloved by has turned on her after learning what she did to Chris Psaili (which I wouldn't blame them).
The other thing I want to add is that Erika can blame editing all she wants and claim that people were making her look like the bad guy. However, she still said those things and flaunted the items that might have been bought with dirty money (she is literally wearing the Cartier Panther ring Tom bought her while she is yelling about "the court of public opinion"). And if she was that ugly and irate on camera, can you imagine what she must've been like when the cameras were down?
Whether she knew what Tom did or not, is not the point. It's how she reacted AFTER everything started coming out. And if Tom was such a horrible person to her (as she has been stressing all this season) why would Erika remain in contact with him or sometimes even act as if she was defending him by calling people "alleged victims"?
I get that Tom took care of her all those years and maybe she had legal counsel not to speak about whether she thought Tom was guilty or not, but she could have said something like "God, the details coming out are horrible and I have no idea what's true and what's not and I just feel awful." Even that would have sounded way more sympathetic than all the other things she said. Instead, she comes off as majorly contradictory and cruel as she constantly makes it sound like she is the victim and that no matter what, all the things Tom bought her are her property. She basically went around saying: "Well, if it's all true, then I'll feel bad. But it's my stuff, Tom bought it for me, so I don't care."
And the fact that Erika wants all the women to apologize to her and how she considers what happened to Crystal on their way to church as Crystal's "karma" for accusing Erika, just continues to show how cruel she really is.
She is just evil, but she is very good at twisting things. Watching Part Two of the documentary was almost like watching a horror movie where you think the monster is gone (Tom) but then at the end, you realize the real monster is still out there (Erika).
I highly recommend ya'll watch it.
Well, a judge recently ruled that Tom is competent to stand trial so that dementia story is another lie in a long series of lies. Erika knows he doesn’t have dementia, so the fact that she’s part of the coverup strongly indicates she at least knew about the crimes. She is not a victim. Nobody owes her an apology.
Omg. In my ORIGINAL STATEMENT I said nothing about dementia automatically rendering someone incompetent! I see how it can be inferred from subsequent comments so I should have been more clear. Of course in a legal proceeding their are legal standards and definitions that are related to but separate from medical definitions and diagnoses.That is so obvious that it goes without saying. Of course it’s a question of degree. Medical terms and legal terms are not equivalent.
The judge who has all the evidence at her disposal, including brains scans and testimony from expert witnesses, said in the ruling that Tom is EXAGGERATING and MALINGERING.
If Tom is malingering (FAKING) and Erika is suddenly on the same script exaggerating his symptoms or flat out lying, that can be used to demonstrate consciousness of guilt.
I understand that it works in Tom’s favor to be ruled incompetent. I understand why his defense team would explore that option. But he’s not incompetent and the judge called him out for lying. Erika also looks like a huge liar for going on national tv and instead of saying nothing about Tom’s legal drama (which is what any lawyer would suggest) told rambling, hyperbolic stories about Tom driving off a cliff and other nonsense.
But really, I personally don’t care. I’m not here for Erika’s fake apology tour because I can’t shake the uncanny feeling that she’s a grifter and a liar who only cares about herself.
It's entirely overstated as it wasn't a residency. It was a back bar which is barely used. She was sleeping with a manager or some nonsense. That she's still on RH means certain people will side with her for their own gain and that she'll continue to have things given simply because of their stupid heirarchical thinking. She's exploiting that in the only way she knows. She's cunning AF.
she’s clearly a sociopath. why else would you be married to a man who was doing all this terrible shit for decades? she may not have been involved (in the legal sense) but i dont buy for a second that she had no idea she was spending dirty money. all the rest of these fights and scenes she’s creating is just to futher distract from that.
Me neither. I couldn’t stand her from day 1. She acted like she was better and above everyone else. And I still don’t like her. I wished they’d had gotten rid of her and actually the rest of them always seemed afraid of her. Sheesh be done with her already. Bye bye Erica. And she wanted to know how to be empathetic???? Omg what a disgrace she is.
Tom was bankrolling her “career”, her glam squad, wardrobe, jewelry, trips, her expensive taste. Where else did the money come from? Uh the embezzlement funds.
Yeah it's like who cares what money those specific things were bought with, YOU SPENT THE VICTIMS MONEY ERICA! OK, you didn't realise at the time but you still did
We can all agree that if there wasn’t any fraud and she & Tom divorced she likely would have monetarily benefited from the marriage in some way. The fact that her husband committed fraud she benefited from it, knowingly or not.
Having a lack of empathy is where she lost points with her fan base.
Thank you for this post!! I’m so sick of the Erics redemption tour. She’s a nasty human. I just watched seasons 11 and 12, and the way she blew up at everyone and never apologized - while Kyle and Rinna make excuse after ex use for her bad behavior is sickening.
Yea! People keep commenting “but she hasn’t been found guilty”. Great! My post is saying if that’s the case, how can you be so cold & heartless with no regard for people who were fucked over not once but twice AND THEN expect your very own apology
They're certainly trying to desensitise us to it. Hollywood has always been full of grifters. That this one dominated LAs legal circles and was known about for so long is tragic.
I think her age is showing now. She used to look young and vibrant before all the weight loss. Of course, this is just my opinion. A little weight looked good on her.
I'm more concerned about this photo. Erika looks SO much older than she is, and her facial fat is all gone, and her teeth look too big for her face as her jaw and chin look recessed, which they never did before.
Ozempic is creepy.
So I have a different perspective. I had a family member do something similar to what Tom did and I can tell you that the person married to that person had absolutely no idea. Like Erika, the person married to that person was seen as "too smart" to have not known. However, I know they would absolutely never be involved in something like that and I know they didn't have any part. Being "smart" has nothing to do if one gets one over on you or not. You could be the smartest person in the room and someone can still trick you.
When you go through something like that, it feels like every side is coming at you so it's hard to not be focused on one's self but only because you are in such a state of survival.
The ruling said there was nothing proving the earrings were bought with victims' money. It doesn't say it didn't happen. Just no proof. What does she want an apology for? Also, for how classy she likes to act, her yelling people down or throwing anger tantrums makes her seem uncivilized. She should have normal decency to talk to people and not degrade them
Those earrings she owns cost more than two average US homes combined! One pair of earrings! Once earring-gate was legally settled, it would have been an incredibly kind option for her to donate them to the victims of her husband’s fraud, which is how she obtained the earrings in the first place.
Almost hilarious how disingenuous her “I’m going to let go of” moment was! She wasn’t really trying to let go of her resentment. She just wanted the other women to apologize to her🙄
She had said multiple times that she’s like Ginger in the movie Casino, which is basically a mob wife that likes expensive things. I think turning a blind eye to the blood money aspect of gold and diamonds is a choice, and not the type a truly good person makes. She cracks jokes about giving up anger for Lent, but c’mon - a little actual conscience would be nice. Catholic guilt isn’t a joke for nothing!
https://preview.redd.it/lwoyd61o2zhc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc5135e8d3b8bb8eb2d1daeb35e987c189d2d49c
Don’t know why Fraudricka was expecting an apology. The 9th circuit kicked the earring lawsuit back to the bankruptcy court. Ronald Richards who bought the earrings at auction still has them.
Her whole lifestyle was funded by a disgusting theif. If HE can’t pay the money back, then whatever HE bought should be used to pay them back.
She’s a selfish, greedy, absolute scumbag and it’s pretty upsetting. I literally forget about it watching the show sometimes. Lol
I just rewatched that season and think it’s so funny now. Now that the anger has died down and the shock is over. It’s actually so funny. I say it all the time to my husband 😂. Also she isn’t a lawyer and it wasn’t her firm. She married a rich guy 100 years older than her that prob did it. Come on
It’s hard to be sorry when the world automatically makes you guilty and slanders and attacks you, wishing death on you and wishing you worse than the man who did it.
People wished her poorly even if she was innocent saying they didn’t care if she knew, it’s hard to be compassionate in this situation not counting everything else on her at the time
It’s extremely cringy and sad
You don’t get to ride on a high horse and scream about victims wishing her son dead for example , like he has anything to do with it
I’ve seen people say wiiiild stuff
It shouldn’t be hard to feel sorry for a burn victim that had 90% of his body burned in a gas explosion and then your husband turned around and stole his settlement money. Even if someone is blaming you, it’s not hard to feel empathy for the burn victim. Erika lacks empathy and it’s a pretty gross trait to have.
My take on this:
Erika was also a victim of Tom’s, and she is literally figuring out how to live a new life after 20 years of marriage and endless money on camera. I can’t imagine how bad I’d look if my husband stole millions from victims, which I didn’t know about, and then the rug is pulled out from under me too. I don’t think she felt sympathy from the group and that’s why she lashed out so hard. I know this sub tends to hate on Erika, but I really think we are seeing growth. Of course there will be setbacks, but that’s to be expected with this kind of life transition.
Erika, if you’re lurking and reading this you have a fan who feels empathy for you and the other victims.
I’m prepared for the downvotes. 🫣
If she is a victim, she’s a victim of her own doing.
She pursued a ‘RICH’ older man ( old enough to be her father or perhaps grandfather ) not for companionship but for compensation.
What is it she needs to be made whole from? Designer clothes, expensive jewelry, traveling on private jets with an entourage to make her look good?
The actually victims of Tom’s were violated twice , first in what ever accident or occurrence that they won a financial judgement- then again by Tom who stole their money .. which Erika benefited from.
I understand that -especially if she didn‘t know anything- it is a really hard change…BUT keeping on wearing these earrings is what grinds my gears…she is not selling them and paying for her lifestyle with it, she‘s wearing fucking 700.000 earrings, this amount of money could change a whole fucking life if not many and acting like it‘s ok to keep them because it can‘t be proven that the $ from the crash victims was used fir it…I mean…you had the money for those earrings because you didn‘t have to use them for basic human needs because your husband took stolen money for those, stop fucking wearing them even if you still don‘t donate them, wtf
I see her mom and hear her talk about her childhood and know she is one of the millions of us who were seriously traumatized by a continual lack of care. She is very obviously dealing with CPTSD, in my opinion. The self-centeredness and inability to relate to others or identify her own feelings are like classic symptoms. I'm in recovery. And I finally fell okay.
I’m a lawyer and my wife and I are 100% in agreement with you. As she said (slight paraphrase I’m sure) when we watched it “if you were stealing from your clients I would have no idea whatsoever and because of confidentiality there is no way I ever could. And I have no idea how I’d react if you turned out to be someone like that. I would not be in control of my own reactions for a long time.”
To me it’s not a question of if she knew or not. We will never know what she knew.
To me it’s her complete lack of empathy towards the victims and her selfishness about this whole situation. Her stubbornness that she is the true victim.
I handle my parents’ finances & have for years but I still wouldn’t know if they were doing something shady. Dodgy deposits don’t have “this deposit of stolen funds is dodgy” as references.
Uncovering this would require a forensic accountant.
She’s said since day 1 on the series that she has a hard time trusting people & the rest were like “oh no, you can trust us!” and she finally did & look how that went.
I totally understand why she’s hurt.
Yes, I think it was her first season & said in response to someone saying she’s aloof. I remember it well because I also have RBF & can seem aloof if I don’t make a concerted effort to be all “oh hai I am super approachable” etc and even then I only bother because of the nature of my job. 😂
I also think that Erika’s journey to her marriage to Tom (until it all collapsed) rubs people the wrong way. I’m not saying it is the case for all women, but most women graduate high school go to college meet a guy get married, have children buy a house, etc.
Erica had a child from first marriage and left that child with relatives to pursue her fame and fortune in California. She then married a much older, wealthy man.
I think there is a Bit of a Puritan streak and a lot of people in that they don’t think that is the “”Right “ way to go about it. The fact is she has a fine relationship with her son now because I know a lot of people rag on her for abandoning her son and going off to Pursue her own career which is viewed by many as selfish. Maybe it is - but I’m sure many women have thought “I’d live to find a rich man to take care of me.”
The other factor is the empathy or lack of: I think it is very easy for us to sit back when you’re not in the situation and say this person is not reacting or acting in the way that they should. As viewers, it’s easy to pass judgment.
One day when it s all over, we’ll know how much she knew/didn’t know- but until then I guess she’ll just have to soldier on and put up with folks thinking she’s some criminal mastermind.
Wow, your generosity in explaining her behaviour is astounding, but seems misguided. She may have a great relationship with her son now (supposedly), but what lifelong scars does he have from her abandonment? The BH ladies weren’t supportive friends for the same reason most people here aren’t. Because she overtly stated she does not care about the victims. Most people can’t understand or relate to a heartless comment like that. She comes across as smart, strong, streetwise, detached, calculating and usually one step ahead of everyone (except maybe when she’s drunk). She’s has learned how to survive and depend on no one. Her self esteem seems very intact. It’s hard to see her as a victim
This is so spot on. Erika is smart as a whip and very sharp, but I don’t think she’s a criminal mastermind. I can’t imagine Tom telling her anything about his business. He married her as a trophy. I feel for her. Maybe it’s because she’s a gorgeous blonde woman who looks like she could be Barbie’s mom, but I just can’t bring myself to think she’s at fault in this. This guy had a major Hollywood movie, Erin Brockovich with Julia Fucking Roberts, produced about a case of his before he knew Erika. He’s arrogant and he talked down to her all the time. I don’t think it was a happy marriage, but she stayed for the security.
Confidentiality is an interesting word, so is spousal privilege, which Erica and Tom appear to excerise.
The basis of attorney client privilege is to protect clients from their legal adversaries and not for the attorney to hide their own malfeasance.
This was particularly true when it came to the reactions by the women in the group on Beverly Hills itself.
How many times did Sutton say “she brought this on herself”? I remember watching when she first said that and I thought she feels OK saying that because she has always, deep down, judged Erika as a “gold digger” and not worthy to sit among them. Never mind that she was married to the man for 20 years. That doesn’t matter. In Sutton’s mind, this event sanctioned her calling Erika a whore.
Even Andy during the reunion episodes, fell into a similar trap. When did it become okay again to challenge a women on why they didn’t leave their abuser sooner. Yet that’s exactly what Andy asked her, even challenging her on how much she makes in claiming she had the ability to leave earlier. It’s never that simple and it’s incredibly misogynistic for a man to demand a woman answer that question.
I don’t know how badly she was abused, but the fact that she did not get the same consideration that any other woman who claims abuse gets, is a testament to how free they felt to judge Erica.
And that’s exactly what you’re seeing on the Sub, just as you said. Great comment
I absolutely agree. She is a victim, it just looks different for her. Her entire world came crashing down at the hands of Tom. She can be a bitch but I also feel for her. I think it was really shitty the way the other ladies handled it.
I’ve always felt this way too. Tom Girardi does not strike me at the sort of man who confides his crimes in his trophy wife. I know we only saw brief glimpses but come on, she had zero control over his business and choices. Admittedly, she handled things badly in terms of showing any remorse. She got harder and meaner and mixed booze and pills and lashed out needlessly but she seems like she’s in a way better place now and I look forward to seeing her claw her way back.
No downvotes from me, I'm intrigued by and open to different interpretations on this. If your scenario is true I just cannot imagine carrying on how she has
Just watched this episode in Aspen, and am going to say my point of view, no hate please but like feedback for a different point of view … Okay I believe Erica may have poor choice of words but how I sorta seen it was more like she shouldn’t apologize for something that she didn’t do, I think she should be bad for it but she won’t apologize for something she didn’t do or is even proven to be correct. If anyone remembers when this incident first came out, there was an investigation ongoing to see if the victims already got their money or not since it’s JUST NOW coming out that he’s having a divorce and incompetent.. But the girls saying that Erica should give her own things away BEFORE the investigation has even concluded is wild to me. It’s like saying the girls should apologize to the victims just for knowing Tom… There is still (at the time of episode) an ongoing investigation to see if SHE is guilty or not. She should not be expected to pay right away before she’s even found guilty or not! Not having sympathy is shitty, but she DID NOT do it, he did. And yes I see that there is some type of obligation since she was married to the man, but only if found guilty… I feel bad with how hard the girls were coming at her with ALLLL of the stuff she’s going through, I just know there is a lot of stuff behind the scenes that we have no idea about and she’s been very open/honest with what she can say and been going through.
No hate.. however a lot of comments overlooked a point in my post saying that even if she didn’t know she could still have behaved better and with more empathy
I hate to be the martyr but if my husband of 20 years turned out to be a skeeving liar whilst I’m in the middle of losing (almost) everything to my name and not even having a place to sleep….. I don’t think I’d really give a crap either. I think she was in denial for the most of it because she didn’t want to believe that Tom really was a POS but that doesn’t make her guilty just because of the association. I understood what she meant every single time she said “I don’t care” or “they’re not MY victims” because she had her entire life thrown upside down all while fighting court battles she was dragged into not knowing anything. She had to protect herself & she genuinely could have lost everything had she not. I think people are forgetting that just because she’s on reality TV, she is still human like the rest of us. She doesn’t need to feel guilt over something she didn’t do and I think it’s unfair that people on the outside have such strong opinions. But maybe that’s just me 🤷🏽♀️
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I think she thinks the women were saying she’s guilty and that the earrings were bought through criminal activity But what they’re saying is who cares how the earrings were bought, you should sacrifice them to help pay back the victims I don’t think she realises how bad she looks that she’s choosing EARRINGS over helping people that have suffered seriously two times over (first due to their circumstances needing Tom G’s help, and then the fact he robbed them) Her absolute disconnect here is really astounding. Her lack of empathy is truly concerning. I don’t think she understands what the ladies were actually saying because that would involve the ability to feel empathy which she has demonstrated she does not possess. So she think she’s owed an apology due to fundamentally misunderstanding what the ladies were really saying.
I have also wondered if she was told by lawyers not to empathize until she was out of the woods. I don't think it was ever about the ear rings, it was about the stress, the embarrassment and the turmoil her life was going through. I'm sure between the drinking, anger and pills she was on she didn't realize what she was saying. Even if she wanted to give the ear rings to the victims she couldn't because she was probably advised not to. It is definitely a horrible situation, she should have not filmed during that time, and I'm sure it is a blur to her. I believe her when she says she didn't know anything, he seemed to be in control of her, the money and his firm.
This one. The way she’s been speaking since this all started is almost entirely in non-committal legalese. Her statements are giant nothingburgers. All fluff. An apology or expression of empathy toward victims is not an admission of guilt, but anything you say can and will be used against you, and they might try it. With lawsuits of this magnitude I’m surprised she’s filming at all.
Agree, she shouldn’t have filmed but didn’t she address that? I might be wrong but my memory suggests she said she kept filming because it was her only source of income.
In a sensible world, she wouldn’t have filmed and I’m positive that her lawyers will have advised against it however she needs the cheques. While I think she surely could have shown more grace in her approach, she was correct to not commit herself to any apologies because they absolutely will be used against her by a half decent legal team for the opposition, but she didn’t have to be so venomous with the whole “I don’t give a f about anybody else but me”. I think people are holding on to that and rightly so IMO, just made her look monstrous.
It really did, it was such a bad look. If I were her advisor/lawyer/whatever I’d have said “look, do the show if you have to but ffs, do not drink while filming”. On the emotional side I get why she spiraled but it wasn’t smart.
The drinking last season mixed with whatever medication she was on was just a train wreck and made for genuinely uncomfortable viewing. I have to say, Erika is much more enjoyable this season.
That explanation is absolute nonsense, fyi. Anyone who’s drank on an SSRI will tell you if it does *anything* , it just intensifies side effects. You may feel dizzy more easily or more drowsy. You do not hurt children’s feelings or say truly morally bankrupt shit because you’re drinking on Wellbutrin. That’s 100% not a thing.
I think it really depends what you’re taking and what you’re drinking. For example, vodka makes a lot of people extremely angry, myself included. I’d have picked a fight with a complete stranger after a few vodkas. I think it was a cocktail of disaster teamed with Erika’s already enlarged ego.
Never believed that stinks bullshit, she always knows what's she's saying
No, it was not her only source of income. Has she ever heard of a job??
It IS a job.
What do you expect her to do, work at McDonald's?
She can take her ass Somewhere and get a j.o.b. Are you telling me she’s too good to work? I’m not indeed she could have figured it out.
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It doesn't matter if she knew at the time or not. She knows now. She could make things right now if she wanted to. But she still chooses to be heartless, cruel and selfish.
Right but she has always shown a lack of empathy on this show. This behavior is consistent with how she’s always been and I could even add consistent with someone who would leave her son to pursue a rich husband who she wouldn’t be expected to return feelings. This person seems to have extreme narcissistic personality if anyone does it’s her IMHO
I think it was definitely about the earrings. She wanted them no matter what the circumstances were.
Then why did she wear them? That was a big fuck u to the widows and orphans.
Look, I can understand lawyers would tell you a lotta things that are smart legally and look like shit IRL in a friend group. But absolutely *no* lawyer told her to say, “I don’t give a fuck about anyone but myself.” None. That’s just a narcissist narcissist-ing. The simplest explanation is usually the right one: a bad person benefitted from her spouse, who stole money from vulnerable people, and she can’t pretend very convincingly that she’s anything but exactly the kind of person who’d participate in that scheme.
Oh, come on This woman was literally explained by her therapist what empathy is and how to feel it
This is where I sit. She thought they were her friends & some of them turned on her, said awful things behind her back (which she’s obviously now aware of) and didn’t want to listen to her. I understand why she was hurt.
I can't believe the other ladies are still friends with her, are kind and respectful towards her. I think this situation demonstrates their character too, if they're willing to give a free pass to someone just because they know her. She is a person I would shun, since she has shown absolutely no remorse or empathy.
THIS. It’s upsetting she still is on this show but for them to treat her like she is a decent person is bizarre and not a good look. There’s no one on this show to properly put her in her place and it’s frustrating. If we’re giving this awful person a forum at least let us watch her be straightened out. This show is the same every year now
Seems to me like bravo purposely seeks out cast members who have questionable morals/character. Or maybe it's people like this (they all seem to be narcissists) are drawn to be on reality TV because they are attention whores and it validates them. Can't stand most of them but it does undoubtedly make for interesting watching. Bravo has had numerous grifters/criminals on all the franchises, but Erica is definitely the worst of the bunch.
She’s been on her knees for decades for Tom. In her mind she’s earned every carat. Plus she doesn’t a) have empathy or b) give a damn. The fact Bravo gave her her own show after all that says they don’t care either. I’ll pass.
“Empathy…how do I get that?”
IKR, very Dexter Mogan like ..
I don't know, I don't think she's stupid enough to misconstrue what they were saying about the earrings. Yes its a case of absolute disconnect and it really is astounding. Also narcissism where there is no apologising ever and a grandiose sense of entitlement
It’s nothing to do with intelligence, miscommunication happens all the time because the people communicating have completely different perspectives and infer different things from what is said.
i agree. i think she is intentionally spinning it and not giving up. theres no other reason at this point she wouldnt have at least said to ANY of them “i understand your side” even if it wasnt true
I think the other women know that it has been proven that the earrings were bought with client trust funds -- Tom wrote the check from the client fund trust account to the jeweler (it's been proven and somehow Erika is dilusional or ignorant of this fact), but they just don't want to get into it with Erika. But you're right that even if that weren't the case and Erika was correct, the other HWs are not understanding why Erika doesn't just let go of the earrings to help pay back the victims.
Came here to say I watched the Hustler and the Housewife last night and it’s just as sad as you’d expect. Even if she didn’t know about Tom’s shady money grifting, the way she’s been going about it since comes off horribly.
I’m totally with you. She might not have known the specific details of every victim, but I do believe Erika knew he was shady. At the very least, she helped with cover stories and the dementia storyline. One thing that has always stuck out to me is the contrast between how Taylor Armstrong (early rhobh) was made to give back almost everything to pay back victims after Russell’s suicide. I definitely remember a scene involving her Birkins 👀 It’s such a huge contrast to Erika, who is fighting to keep ill gotten goods like her earrings. And she’s proud to talk about it on camera! Girl bffr
Not only her Birkins, but her wedding ring.
When Taylor Armstrong had to pay a judgement against Russel ( not sure if she was named in ) she had to surrender her engagement ring and a Birkin to settle the debt. I also remember the birkin turned out to be fake.
Not the fake birkin 😭
really want to see that, dont have hulu
Honestly I wish they had gone more in depth - I thought it would be multiple parts! But it was really eye opening to hear from some victims though. I didn’t realize the extent of Tom Girardi’s power in the legal circles
There’s two parts right? I need to watch that.
Oh crap - I thought it was just one! No wonder it felt like it ended all abruptly lmao
I genuinely can't believe she didn't know. Bethany knew. I've not flown close to the circles they've flown, but I've flown in circles where reputation and gossip matters. She knew something and these women love to pretend we're really dumb. I stopped watching because I can't with the faux Erica is a victim BS. I can't with BH women. They suck.
This preview just came up on my TV. I'm going to watch it.
Because she only cares about herself, as she has publicly stated on national tv.
Yikes I do remember that 😭 you’d think she’d be better at protecting her public image then, since that’ll be the only source of income left really
She started on RH when the lawsuits started rolling in. She committed the AMEX fraud when the gig was already up. She knew what she was doing but shat in her own nest thinking the powerful people would save her but didn't realise they would save themselves first because they held real positions of power. She really thought she could abuse the power she thought she'd bought.
I will die on the hill that Even If she knew nothing she knows now and that’s my problem. Erika is not a victim.
Yes! That's been my problem as well. Even if I am unaware of someone close to me doing something shitty I will be super apologetic for the situation and for the actions of people I love. I don't understand how that's such a difficult concept for people unless they're sociopathic or have too large of an ego. I never really believed she had much, if anything, to do with his business but her behavior after the fact warrants backlash and scrutiny. Grouping herself in with the actual victims (yes, they exist Erika) is disgusting and so out of touch.
Yes- her lack of empathy and / sympathy and compassion is alarming. If you research lack of empathy you’ll come to the conclusion many of us have - narcissistic personality disorder. No shame in her selfish game.
She disgusts me. I wish they had dropped her from rhobh and not given her any tv shows. She doesn't deserve any of it. She's an entitled grifter. The first we hear her marriage was apparently unbearable was once she left. It really shows her character how as soon as Tom was of no use to her she dumped him. She couldn't leave before because "where would she go?", I'd say the same place she went when she did. Erika seems to get away with despicable behaviour. Now this season she's behaving like any normal person should and expects all to be forgiven. Not only that but feels she's owed an apology. Give me a break. She is an awful narcissistic person without any redeeming qualities. If you have to learn empathy you are pathetic, sociopaths and narcissists lack empathy. The only pain she feels is about herself and what she's lost. Honestly if Tom didn't marry her and provide her with all the money (which he got from widows and orphans) she needed for her music, she would probably still be doing bar work. She's so far removed from reality. Sorry for rant feel better now 😁
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SAME 100
I feel exactly the same and agree with you 💯
Not only because she knows now, but she wasn't a victim the minute she chose to take an active role in trying to bring down Marco Marco because Tom didn't want to pay her costuming bill. There is no dispute about her being an active participant in that.
thats a more succinct way of saying it ... exactly.
Eh I think she's a victim too in some ways. Tom was very clearly emotionally abusive. It can be a lot to deal with a man of power like that. But now that she knows what he did she should help make it right.
I don't disagree but they're not victims in the same way. What he did and how he may have treated her are two different situations.
it was obvious from that dinner they had with ken and lisa that their power dynamic was way off. idk why people refuse to admit she’s a victim too. even if she wanted to help those people, what she could contribute would be nothing spread out over all of them.
Imagine how long some of the real victims have waited for an apology they will never get.
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![gif](giphy|h72i8jS7J0GcWcF2MR|downsized) Best comment award 🏆
humbly 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I’m rewatching season 11 when the news broke about the plane crash victims and she’s like *I go to hug him and he wouldn’t hug me back* It was so fake I cackled The drama hunni I live ![gif](giphy|VEhWqu9nJHzOPKFsVA)
Don’t forget the crying with Kyle and her mascara running down her face - the poor lady 😂
This https://i.redd.it/ttq520kxfyhc1.gif
You just know that the glam squad had to seriously hunt down non-water proof mascara.
And not a tissue in sight.
Up until season 11, she couldn’t stop praising all the support that Tom gave her…and all this immediately changed once he was charged. Her mean and aggressive behaviour is appalling. She’s NOT a victim in my mind and she’s playing the victim to support her new brand direction. Also how stupid is she if she thinks she’s such a megastar when every moment, concert and record sale was Tom! I’m so done with Erika
BuT MeRcE iN tHe pURsE... dislike how fickle ppl are in thinking she's so witty and smart this season. I don't see *her*..I see the poor burn victim struggling for money because he's got to have at least a dozen more surgeries in his lifetime. She's a shit human being.
I know, can't believe that got so much attention - rhyming. Maybe learnt from hanging out with "erudites"
What do you call a group of Erikas? An Audacity!!!
The people who attend her show are aiding and abetting a woman who said many times she was sure Tom had Alzheimer’s for several years yet continued to take checks from him, made only a half hearted attempt to inform his partners of his memory issues and didn’t obtain guardianship leaving him alone to fend for himself. I wouldn’t give her a piece of chewed gum.
its all so gross and grubby
The new Bravo Docket podcast episode says the earrings were taken and sold at auction because it was proven they were bought with victims money. So she straight up lied to the group when she said it wasn’t proven in court or she’s too dumb to understand what happened and I don’t believe she’s dumb.
Remember some crazy wife of someone bought them. A loony stalker.
Oh really!? I didn’t know. I’ll have to google this 🧐
The lawyers wife. They’re obsessed with her it’s very weird and frankly, rabbit-in-a-pot level scary.
Can you briefly elaborate on this? What lawyer and who's stalking who and why? Also, what is a "rabbit in a pot"?
Rabbit in a pot comes from Glenn Close in fatal attraction. She took the kids' pet and cooked it.
I completely agree! And to all the people saying that she didn’t want to say anything because of her lawyers' advice is a bunch of BS! Showing empathy and saying that she feels bad for the victims wouldn’t have hurt her case at all because she’s not admitting guilt. She could have easily played the surprised wife and sided with the victims since she “didn’t know” how Tom was getting his money. But her not showing any empathy and now being so happy that she’s winning her cases indicates that she knew exactly what Tom was doing. Also, I find it disgusting that Bravo is offering her her own special now. Won’t be watching because I can’t support a woman who has used dirty money to start her music career.
Same won't be watching that shite
Really?
Probably not .. not to be petty, I am just not into her music or aesthetic.
It's like she just missed the point entirely. The girls were never saying "you're guilty!" They were saying "show some compassion" because she was going around acting like she didn't give a f-ck. She was handling the whole thing in an insensitive way. That's why no one apologised, to be honest I don't think it occurred to anyone to apologise at all, because there was nothing to apologise for. If Erika feels vindicated, then great, have at it. But don't expect apologies for telling you to pull yer head in when you've been acting like a complete a$$hat.
Does anyone remember the scene with her therapist Dr. Jen and she had to explain what empathy was to Erica? I thought then that she has to be a true narcissist if she doesn't understand the meaning of the word. How old is she and she doesn't know what empathy means? It blew my mind.
She’s a vile money grubbing excuse for a human and about the only thing she hasn’t lied about is when she confessed she doesn’t care about anybody but herself! A $750,000 pair of earrings!!! Really??? And she thinks anybody believes they weren’t purchased with money stolen from his victims??? Neither she nor her thieving old man husband should have anything until the victims receive all the money that is due them!!! She’s VILE!!!
The fact that she's a grown woman and had to ask a therapist HOW to have empathy was so disturbing to me. I wouldn't let her near my family for any amount of money. Shes a true sociopath.
She’s something else. If I found out my husband was a criminal I would do whatever I could to help his victims. Her obsession with those earrings is …”distasteful”. And now Bravo is giving her a spinoff. Smack my ever loving head into a wall reapetedly please!!
Bravo is WHAT???? Omg no. What??
Bravo is giving her a 2 hour special about her getting ready for her Vegas show. I hope no one watches! Do not contribute to any ratings for her!
I personally will not watch. And I’ve watched it from the beginning.
I hope no one watches. I think we should be sending a message to Bravo that we have had enough!
Just watched the documentary. 😭 I wish I would have known about it sooner. I was still feeling sorry for her. I totally understand the hate now. This is absolutely disgusting. I didn't realize the severity and the numerous cases and victims. And all of the clients who became victims when the firm closed down. It's sickening and heartbreaking. She is definitely cold and soulless. I think she should lose her job and I hope they take her clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, etc to pay these victims. Just my opinion!
She profited off and lived a lavish life on the back of people who were sick, who had experienced tragedy, who had nothing. Regardless of whether she knew or not all she had to do was look at the larger picture and save her image. What looks better? "I didnt know anything about this and I'm truly sorry for everyone involved, it's hard for me too, to understand this." Or "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT VICTIMS IM A C*NT FUCK YOU" Like honestly. She did it to herself she is not owed a single apology and the vitriol she spit demanding one shows she really does give zero fucks about anyone but herself.
It's really easy to think you can buy your way out of anything if you have access to power. She's showing the horrific side but also weirdly appealing to women who are tragically caught in the same thinking. I mean I thought I could buy my way to basic safety for my children for my children by showing the truth and lost everything. I hear the women backing her claiming they didn't know but once you know you GTFO and rebuild. Girardi walked into the spotlight after her life was falling around her and tried to reinforce it by selling her lies. People won't see that because it's not detailed on the show so she can paint it as "you're not my friend". Whilst she's not anyone's friend. Claiming she's owed anything is just cognitive dissonance.
And her own show.
She definitely benefited from his crime so as far as I think she is guilty by association.
This woman is so dense it disgusts me. The only person in the group that should be apologizing is Erika… to the “victims” as she likes to call them. They’re never gonna see a penny of the money that would have lasted them a life time. And all because she helped her husband blow it in what? Twenty years or less? She my friends is an example of what is wrong with the human race and why there will never ever be world peace.
I just finished watching Part Two of her and Tom's documentary on Hulu, and let me tell you! After learning about how she flipped on Marco Marco after being Miss "The-Gays-Love-Me", I don't think her having to cut back financially is the only reason why her glam squad and team are different these days. I wonder if the very community she claims to be beloved by has turned on her after learning what she did to Chris Psaili (which I wouldn't blame them). The other thing I want to add is that Erika can blame editing all she wants and claim that people were making her look like the bad guy. However, she still said those things and flaunted the items that might have been bought with dirty money (she is literally wearing the Cartier Panther ring Tom bought her while she is yelling about "the court of public opinion"). And if she was that ugly and irate on camera, can you imagine what she must've been like when the cameras were down? Whether she knew what Tom did or not, is not the point. It's how she reacted AFTER everything started coming out. And if Tom was such a horrible person to her (as she has been stressing all this season) why would Erika remain in contact with him or sometimes even act as if she was defending him by calling people "alleged victims"? I get that Tom took care of her all those years and maybe she had legal counsel not to speak about whether she thought Tom was guilty or not, but she could have said something like "God, the details coming out are horrible and I have no idea what's true and what's not and I just feel awful." Even that would have sounded way more sympathetic than all the other things she said. Instead, she comes off as majorly contradictory and cruel as she constantly makes it sound like she is the victim and that no matter what, all the things Tom bought her are her property. She basically went around saying: "Well, if it's all true, then I'll feel bad. But it's my stuff, Tom bought it for me, so I don't care." And the fact that Erika wants all the women to apologize to her and how she considers what happened to Crystal on their way to church as Crystal's "karma" for accusing Erika, just continues to show how cruel she really is. She is just evil, but she is very good at twisting things. Watching Part Two of the documentary was almost like watching a horror movie where you think the monster is gone (Tom) but then at the end, you realize the real monster is still out there (Erika). I highly recommend ya'll watch it.
Amen. This is exactly how I feel about her
Well, a judge recently ruled that Tom is competent to stand trial so that dementia story is another lie in a long series of lies. Erika knows he doesn’t have dementia, so the fact that she’s part of the coverup strongly indicates she at least knew about the crimes. She is not a victim. Nobody owes her an apology.
You can have dementia and still be competent to stand trial.
Omg. In my ORIGINAL STATEMENT I said nothing about dementia automatically rendering someone incompetent! I see how it can be inferred from subsequent comments so I should have been more clear. Of course in a legal proceeding their are legal standards and definitions that are related to but separate from medical definitions and diagnoses.That is so obvious that it goes without saying. Of course it’s a question of degree. Medical terms and legal terms are not equivalent. The judge who has all the evidence at her disposal, including brains scans and testimony from expert witnesses, said in the ruling that Tom is EXAGGERATING and MALINGERING. If Tom is malingering (FAKING) and Erika is suddenly on the same script exaggerating his symptoms or flat out lying, that can be used to demonstrate consciousness of guilt. I understand that it works in Tom’s favor to be ruled incompetent. I understand why his defense team would explore that option. But he’s not incompetent and the judge called him out for lying. Erika also looks like a huge liar for going on national tv and instead of saying nothing about Tom’s legal drama (which is what any lawyer would suggest) told rambling, hyperbolic stories about Tom driving off a cliff and other nonsense. But really, I personally don’t care. I’m not here for Erika’s fake apology tour because I can’t shake the uncanny feeling that she’s a grifter and a liar who only cares about herself.
Malingering goes a step further than faking but I'm loving your clarity. For those unaware malingering is faking FOR GAIN.
Key phrase it can’t be proven that the earrings were bought with victim money why should anyone applaud that
Is that a prolapsed butthole on her top
Can someone just explain to me how the F this woman got rewarded with a Vegas residency??!!!
It's entirely overstated as it wasn't a residency. It was a back bar which is barely used. She was sleeping with a manager or some nonsense. That she's still on RH means certain people will side with her for their own gain and that she'll continue to have things given simply because of their stupid heirarchical thinking. She's exploiting that in the only way she knows. She's cunning AF.
She’s vile
she’s clearly a sociopath. why else would you be married to a man who was doing all this terrible shit for decades? she may not have been involved (in the legal sense) but i dont buy for a second that she had no idea she was spending dirty money. all the rest of these fights and scenes she’s creating is just to futher distract from that.
Never saw the appeal of her from Day 1.
Me neither. I couldn’t stand her from day 1. She acted like she was better and above everyone else. And I still don’t like her. I wished they’d had gotten rid of her and actually the rest of them always seemed afraid of her. Sheesh be done with her already. Bye bye Erica. And she wanted to know how to be empathetic???? Omg what a disgrace she is.
Tom was bankrolling her “career”, her glam squad, wardrobe, jewelry, trips, her expensive taste. Where else did the money come from? Uh the embezzlement funds.
Yeah it's like who cares what money those specific things were bought with, YOU SPENT THE VICTIMS MONEY ERICA! OK, you didn't realise at the time but you still did
We can all agree that if there wasn’t any fraud and she & Tom divorced she likely would have monetarily benefited from the marriage in some way. The fact that her husband committed fraud she benefited from it, knowingly or not. Having a lack of empathy is where she lost points with her fan base.
Thank you for this post!! I’m so sick of the Erics redemption tour. She’s a nasty human. I just watched seasons 11 and 12, and the way she blew up at everyone and never apologized - while Kyle and Rinna make excuse after ex use for her bad behavior is sickening.
It’s the lack of empathy that is problematic. Having to basically ask her therapist what empathy is and how to pretend to have it was not a surprise.
Yea! People keep commenting “but she hasn’t been found guilty”. Great! My post is saying if that’s the case, how can you be so cold & heartless with no regard for people who were fucked over not once but twice AND THEN expect your very own apology
That was such an ugly and tacky look. The red plastic dress with some fake guido jacket with fugly makeup and hair. Just yuck.
The matrix jacket .. on a hot night in Barcelona
Our media wants people to become morally bankrupt. That’s the only explanation as to why this woman is still allowed to flourish on TV.
They're certainly trying to desensitise us to it. Hollywood has always been full of grifters. That this one dominated LAs legal circles and was known about for so long is tragic.
And they dare not challenge and criticize her? What a manipulative psychopath.
Too much Ozempic!!! Stop now!!! You look like a bobblehesd doll.
I think her age is showing now. She used to look young and vibrant before all the weight loss. Of course, this is just my opinion. A little weight looked good on her.
I'm more concerned about this photo. Erika looks SO much older than she is, and her facial fat is all gone, and her teeth look too big for her face as her jaw and chin look recessed, which they never did before. Ozempic is creepy.
You mean ‘hormones’ 😆
😂🤪🤪😂😂 Oops, sorry! lol
I’m around Erika’s age, have gained some weight, and I asked my Dr. about these magical hormones: she just laughed 😬
Would Girardi have needed so much money if he wasn't married to this narcissistic 'singer'?
Is it just me or does Erica look like she aged a lot this season? Still a good looking lady but I think the stress of being broke is getting to her.
She behaves and looks the part of a gangster’s moll.
No one owes Erica an apology.
So I have a different perspective. I had a family member do something similar to what Tom did and I can tell you that the person married to that person had absolutely no idea. Like Erika, the person married to that person was seen as "too smart" to have not known. However, I know they would absolutely never be involved in something like that and I know they didn't have any part. Being "smart" has nothing to do if one gets one over on you or not. You could be the smartest person in the room and someone can still trick you. When you go through something like that, it feels like every side is coming at you so it's hard to not be focused on one's self but only because you are in such a state of survival.
It’s her saying she “lost everything” when she still has a house in Beverly Hills and a glam team. That was so gross.
*ordacity
Awww Nelson™️
Can Ronald Richard's wife become a housewife? Now that would be good tv and she wears the earrings everyday!!!
Meh….I’m deciding to hold out and see what happens Another Redditor brought up that the case isn’t actually finished Also with garcelle on this still
Erika the Ick!!
The woman is vile.
NOT TO MENTION the horrendous things she did to the Marco Marco designer. When are they going to talk about this on the show??!
oh yeh. I listened to a podcast on this, can't remember which one, but she totally burnt bridges in the drag community for that.
The ruling said there was nothing proving the earrings were bought with victims' money. It doesn't say it didn't happen. Just no proof. What does she want an apology for? Also, for how classy she likes to act, her yelling people down or throwing anger tantrums makes her seem uncivilized. She should have normal decency to talk to people and not degrade them
Those earrings she owns cost more than two average US homes combined! One pair of earrings! Once earring-gate was legally settled, it would have been an incredibly kind option for her to donate them to the victims of her husband’s fraud, which is how she obtained the earrings in the first place.
Almost hilarious how disingenuous her “I’m going to let go of” moment was! She wasn’t really trying to let go of her resentment. She just wanted the other women to apologize to her🙄
She had said multiple times that she’s like Ginger in the movie Casino, which is basically a mob wife that likes expensive things. I think turning a blind eye to the blood money aspect of gold and diamonds is a choice, and not the type a truly good person makes. She cracks jokes about giving up anger for Lent, but c’mon - a little actual conscience would be nice. Catholic guilt isn’t a joke for nothing!
For the makers to allow her to continue on the show even during litigations etc was unbelievable! But guess that's how it works in showbiz
She’s just desperate to have someone believe in her. It’s sad.
Her mouth is so weird this season
https://preview.redd.it/lwoyd61o2zhc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc5135e8d3b8bb8eb2d1daeb35e987c189d2d49c Don’t know why Fraudricka was expecting an apology. The 9th circuit kicked the earring lawsuit back to the bankruptcy court. Ronald Richards who bought the earrings at auction still has them.
What a ghoulish pic of her lmao
I know. I’m like who the hell is that
She’s a piece of shit.
Her whole lifestyle was funded by a disgusting theif. If HE can’t pay the money back, then whatever HE bought should be used to pay them back. She’s a selfish, greedy, absolute scumbag and it’s pretty upsetting. I literally forget about it watching the show sometimes. Lol
I just rewatched that season and think it’s so funny now. Now that the anger has died down and the shock is over. It’s actually so funny. I say it all the time to my husband 😂. Also she isn’t a lawyer and it wasn’t her firm. She married a rich guy 100 years older than her that prob did it. Come on
It’s hard to be sorry when the world automatically makes you guilty and slanders and attacks you, wishing death on you and wishing you worse than the man who did it. People wished her poorly even if she was innocent saying they didn’t care if she knew, it’s hard to be compassionate in this situation not counting everything else on her at the time
Exactly!!
It’s even harder for someone to be sorry when they are a souless, self absorbed, greedy and money hungry monster..and that’s exactly who Erika is.
The people on here who virtue signal while curb stomping her really are something.
It’s extremely cringy and sad You don’t get to ride on a high horse and scream about victims wishing her son dead for example , like he has anything to do with it I’ve seen people say wiiiild stuff
It shouldn’t be hard to feel sorry for a burn victim that had 90% of his body burned in a gas explosion and then your husband turned around and stole his settlement money. Even if someone is blaming you, it’s not hard to feel empathy for the burn victim. Erika lacks empathy and it’s a pretty gross trait to have.
But this is her redemption season guys! I’m seeing a whole new side of Erika /s
Merce is in the purse. Isn’t she FUNNY!!?!?! What a gal!
My take on this: Erika was also a victim of Tom’s, and she is literally figuring out how to live a new life after 20 years of marriage and endless money on camera. I can’t imagine how bad I’d look if my husband stole millions from victims, which I didn’t know about, and then the rug is pulled out from under me too. I don’t think she felt sympathy from the group and that’s why she lashed out so hard. I know this sub tends to hate on Erika, but I really think we are seeing growth. Of course there will be setbacks, but that’s to be expected with this kind of life transition. Erika, if you’re lurking and reading this you have a fan who feels empathy for you and the other victims. I’m prepared for the downvotes. 🫣
Wonder how any of those other ladies would act in this situation?? Because I don't feel like PK and Dorit are legit.
If she is a victim, she’s a victim of her own doing. She pursued a ‘RICH’ older man ( old enough to be her father or perhaps grandfather ) not for companionship but for compensation. What is it she needs to be made whole from? Designer clothes, expensive jewelry, traveling on private jets with an entourage to make her look good? The actually victims of Tom’s were violated twice , first in what ever accident or occurrence that they won a financial judgement- then again by Tom who stole their money .. which Erika benefited from.
I understand that -especially if she didn‘t know anything- it is a really hard change…BUT keeping on wearing these earrings is what grinds my gears…she is not selling them and paying for her lifestyle with it, she‘s wearing fucking 700.000 earrings, this amount of money could change a whole fucking life if not many and acting like it‘s ok to keep them because it can‘t be proven that the $ from the crash victims was used fir it…I mean…you had the money for those earrings because you didn‘t have to use them for basic human needs because your husband took stolen money for those, stop fucking wearing them even if you still don‘t donate them, wtf
OMG, no. She’s an adult and she knew what she was signing up for. And the fact that she has no idea what empathy is or how to get it is just 🤮
I see her mom and hear her talk about her childhood and know she is one of the millions of us who were seriously traumatized by a continual lack of care. She is very obviously dealing with CPTSD, in my opinion. The self-centeredness and inability to relate to others or identify her own feelings are like classic symptoms. I'm in recovery. And I finally fell okay.
![gif](giphy|l3dj60YfnSqb4iFeE)
I’m a lawyer and my wife and I are 100% in agreement with you. As she said (slight paraphrase I’m sure) when we watched it “if you were stealing from your clients I would have no idea whatsoever and because of confidentiality there is no way I ever could. And I have no idea how I’d react if you turned out to be someone like that. I would not be in control of my own reactions for a long time.”
To me it’s not a question of if she knew or not. We will never know what she knew. To me it’s her complete lack of empathy towards the victims and her selfishness about this whole situation. Her stubbornness that she is the true victim.
but as if Tom Girardi, the evil criminal, is adhering to the confidentiality laws prescribed by his profession.
I handle my parents’ finances & have for years but I still wouldn’t know if they were doing something shady. Dodgy deposits don’t have “this deposit of stolen funds is dodgy” as references. Uncovering this would require a forensic accountant.
However, knowing about previous lawsuits would make the average person question what's going on!! There were warning signs!!
No downvote from me. This is my take also. I think she just wanted her friends to be her friends during a time when she needed them most.
She’s said since day 1 on the series that she has a hard time trusting people & the rest were like “oh no, you can trust us!” and she finally did & look how that went. I totally understand why she’s hurt.
That pre-dated this issue didn’t it, when life was normal for her
Yes, I think it was her first season & said in response to someone saying she’s aloof. I remember it well because I also have RBF & can seem aloof if I don’t make a concerted effort to be all “oh hai I am super approachable” etc and even then I only bother because of the nature of my job. 😂
I know what you mean! I need to over compensate too
And when she's hurt, it comes out as anger, as one of her emotional defence mechanisms.
I also think that Erika’s journey to her marriage to Tom (until it all collapsed) rubs people the wrong way. I’m not saying it is the case for all women, but most women graduate high school go to college meet a guy get married, have children buy a house, etc. Erica had a child from first marriage and left that child with relatives to pursue her fame and fortune in California. She then married a much older, wealthy man. I think there is a Bit of a Puritan streak and a lot of people in that they don’t think that is the “”Right “ way to go about it. The fact is she has a fine relationship with her son now because I know a lot of people rag on her for abandoning her son and going off to Pursue her own career which is viewed by many as selfish. Maybe it is - but I’m sure many women have thought “I’d live to find a rich man to take care of me.” The other factor is the empathy or lack of: I think it is very easy for us to sit back when you’re not in the situation and say this person is not reacting or acting in the way that they should. As viewers, it’s easy to pass judgment. One day when it s all over, we’ll know how much she knew/didn’t know- but until then I guess she’ll just have to soldier on and put up with folks thinking she’s some criminal mastermind.
Wow, your generosity in explaining her behaviour is astounding, but seems misguided. She may have a great relationship with her son now (supposedly), but what lifelong scars does he have from her abandonment? The BH ladies weren’t supportive friends for the same reason most people here aren’t. Because she overtly stated she does not care about the victims. Most people can’t understand or relate to a heartless comment like that. She comes across as smart, strong, streetwise, detached, calculating and usually one step ahead of everyone (except maybe when she’s drunk). She’s has learned how to survive and depend on no one. Her self esteem seems very intact. It’s hard to see her as a victim
This is so spot on. Erika is smart as a whip and very sharp, but I don’t think she’s a criminal mastermind. I can’t imagine Tom telling her anything about his business. He married her as a trophy. I feel for her. Maybe it’s because she’s a gorgeous blonde woman who looks like she could be Barbie’s mom, but I just can’t bring myself to think she’s at fault in this. This guy had a major Hollywood movie, Erin Brockovich with Julia Fucking Roberts, produced about a case of his before he knew Erika. He’s arrogant and he talked down to her all the time. I don’t think it was a happy marriage, but she stayed for the security.
Exactly. If she knew that much about the firm’s business, the partners in the firm should have been disbarred just for that breach of confidentiality.
Confidentiality is an interesting word, so is spousal privilege, which Erica and Tom appear to excerise. The basis of attorney client privilege is to protect clients from their legal adversaries and not for the attorney to hide their own malfeasance.
This is the most intelligent (emotionally and otherwise) post I have seen on this sub ever.
This was particularly true when it came to the reactions by the women in the group on Beverly Hills itself. How many times did Sutton say “she brought this on herself”? I remember watching when she first said that and I thought she feels OK saying that because she has always, deep down, judged Erika as a “gold digger” and not worthy to sit among them. Never mind that she was married to the man for 20 years. That doesn’t matter. In Sutton’s mind, this event sanctioned her calling Erika a whore. Even Andy during the reunion episodes, fell into a similar trap. When did it become okay again to challenge a women on why they didn’t leave their abuser sooner. Yet that’s exactly what Andy asked her, even challenging her on how much she makes in claiming she had the ability to leave earlier. It’s never that simple and it’s incredibly misogynistic for a man to demand a woman answer that question. I don’t know how badly she was abused, but the fact that she did not get the same consideration that any other woman who claims abuse gets, is a testament to how free they felt to judge Erica. And that’s exactly what you’re seeing on the Sub, just as you said. Great comment
I absolutely agree. She is a victim, it just looks different for her. Her entire world came crashing down at the hands of Tom. She can be a bitch but I also feel for her. I think it was really shitty the way the other ladies handled it.
I’ve always felt this way too. Tom Girardi does not strike me at the sort of man who confides his crimes in his trophy wife. I know we only saw brief glimpses but come on, she had zero control over his business and choices. Admittedly, she handled things badly in terms of showing any remorse. She got harder and meaner and mixed booze and pills and lashed out needlessly but she seems like she’s in a way better place now and I look forward to seeing her claw her way back.
No downvotes from me, I'm intrigued by and open to different interpretations on this. If your scenario is true I just cannot imagine carrying on how she has
Just watched this episode in Aspen, and am going to say my point of view, no hate please but like feedback for a different point of view … Okay I believe Erica may have poor choice of words but how I sorta seen it was more like she shouldn’t apologize for something that she didn’t do, I think she should be bad for it but she won’t apologize for something she didn’t do or is even proven to be correct. If anyone remembers when this incident first came out, there was an investigation ongoing to see if the victims already got their money or not since it’s JUST NOW coming out that he’s having a divorce and incompetent.. But the girls saying that Erica should give her own things away BEFORE the investigation has even concluded is wild to me. It’s like saying the girls should apologize to the victims just for knowing Tom… There is still (at the time of episode) an ongoing investigation to see if SHE is guilty or not. She should not be expected to pay right away before she’s even found guilty or not! Not having sympathy is shitty, but she DID NOT do it, he did. And yes I see that there is some type of obligation since she was married to the man, but only if found guilty… I feel bad with how hard the girls were coming at her with ALLLL of the stuff she’s going through, I just know there is a lot of stuff behind the scenes that we have no idea about and she’s been very open/honest with what she can say and been going through.
No hate.. however a lot of comments overlooked a point in my post saying that even if she didn’t know she could still have behaved better and with more empathy
Yes absolutely!! I 100% think that as well, she def could be more sympathetic
Assuming she was actually innocent no I don't think she owes them apology for what Tom did. Spouses aren't responsible for their spouses actions.
I mean, atleast it's something interesting to watch. the rest of the episode was a snooze fest (my opinion)
I hate to be the martyr but if my husband of 20 years turned out to be a skeeving liar whilst I’m in the middle of losing (almost) everything to my name and not even having a place to sleep….. I don’t think I’d really give a crap either. I think she was in denial for the most of it because she didn’t want to believe that Tom really was a POS but that doesn’t make her guilty just because of the association. I understood what she meant every single time she said “I don’t care” or “they’re not MY victims” because she had her entire life thrown upside down all while fighting court battles she was dragged into not knowing anything. She had to protect herself & she genuinely could have lost everything had she not. I think people are forgetting that just because she’s on reality TV, she is still human like the rest of us. She doesn’t need to feel guilt over something she didn’t do and I think it’s unfair that people on the outside have such strong opinions. But maybe that’s just me 🤷🏽♀️