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Credit: Instagram
Tamra Judge is sharing where she stands with her 40-year-old son, Ryan Vieth, following a messy feud that started with his social media activity, which has included support for President Donald Trump and apparent transphobia.
As she also spoke of her three younger children, including Sidney Barney, 26, Spencer Barney, 25, and Sophia Barney, 21, whom she welcomed during her marriage to ex-husband Simon Barney, 62, the 59-year-old Real Housewives of Orange County star looked back on her estrangement with Ryan and explained what kind of grandmother she is to his 11-year-old daughter, Ava.
“It started off with [Ryan’s] social media stuff, and I said that I didn’t align with the things he was saying, and I don’t agree with it, and I think you need to stop, and then he got mad, and he left. And then it turned into, ‘Well, you’re not a good grandma, and you’re not there for Ava all the time,’” Tamra shared on the September 24 episode of the RHOC: After Show.
“I’m like, ‘I work. I’m not the grandmother that my mom was to you, because she was a stay-at-home mom and she took care of you when I wasn’t there. And I get that and I wish that it could be like that. But right now, I’m working towards not only my future retirement, but also for you kids,’” she continued. “So, there will be a day where I’m gonna slow down, but right now is not it. I’m the grandma that’s gonna buy you a Gucci bag.”
According to Tamra, her fight with Ryan was ugly. But in the end, she said, “I won.”
“Even on Mother’s Day, he told the other kids, like, ‘You know, Mom might give you sh*t about stuff, and Mom might say things that you shouldn’t believe in and trust. And at the end of the day, she’s usually right.’ So, there you have it. We’re great 1790421272. He calls me every single day,” she shared.
Although Tamra said there will come a period when she will spend more time with Ava, she’s not the type of grandmother right now who can “just bring the grandchildren over and hang out with them all day long.”
“I also have been raising kids for 40 years. And it’s kind of like, you know what, I don’t want to raise anybody else’s kids at this point unless I have to. And they’re doing a great job, so we’ll leave it at that,” she added.
Also on the RHOC: After Show, Tamra offered an update on Sophia, who experienced “a lot of anxiety” years ago when she was splitting time between Tamra and Simon’s homes.
“[It] was very difficult for her, and the anxiety was overwhelming for her. So at the age of 14 or 15, she moved in with me full time, and unfortunately her relationship with her dad kind of diminished. They haven’t talked in five years, maybe,” Tamra revealed, adding that Spencer is also not speaking to his dad.
“[But] I’m the bad parent because of Sidney,” she went on.
As RHOC fans well know, Tamra has been estranged from Sidney for years and endured a number of public feuds with her in regard to things said publicly, as well as things seen on the show.
“People don’t understand, like, the divorce separated the family and kids went certain ways, and it’s not the way I want. It’s never been that way, so it’s a sad situation,” she admitted.
Tamra then spoke of Sophia’s trauma, noting that high school was “horrible” for her.
“I was worried for her. She went from having a best friend in middle school and having a friend commit suicide, and then going to high school and being bullied and then the fallout with her dad,” Tamra recalled. “She just went through so much, and then she finally, she came out of it. She really took her life and went, ‘I can’t do this anymore. And I’m responsible for my own feelings. I’m going to work out. I’m going to be positive. I’m going to move forward. I’m going to go to college. I’m going to do these things.’ And she did it … It was hard, but she came out of it. I kept saying, ‘God, please, make her okay.’”
In addition to focusing on entertainment aspirations, Sophia has found love with boyfriend Nico, who Tamra said has been “such a positive influence on her life.”
“They’ve been dating a year. This is the first guy Sophia’s been with. She was a virgin when she met him. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Do I love him, and do I want him to get married one day? Sure. But she’s almost 21. She’s young,” Tamra shared. “Nico has one more year where he’s going to school, and then after that they want to, like, pack it up and move to New York.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 20 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
