Erika Jayne is one of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills‘ most controversial cast members, but Bravo fans don’t give the entertainer-turned-entrepreneur enough credit. Not everything about Erika is evil, despite what Jennifer Lawrence thinks. At her worst in RHOBH season 12, Erika was mixing meds and lashing out at the very last person she should be. However, at best, she was giving hilarious monologues on boats, taking accountability, course correcting, and opening up in therapy.
Most RHOBH fans don’t think much of Erika in 2022, but there’s more to her than recent narratives portray. Between Tom Girardi’s embezzlement scandal and Erika’s friendship with Lisa Rinna, she’s associated with some shady characters. Most would probably classify benefiting from her ex-husband’s fraudulent business practices as Erika’s lowest low. However, her lashing out at Garcelle Beauvais’s fourteen-year-old son Jax was highly problematic. Erika wholeheartedly apologized and explained that anyone could have been on the receiving end of her drunken behavior.
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Erika Earned A Bad RHOBH Reputation
Erika also reinforced that her more sober self had commented on how respectful and grown-up Garcelle’s sons were. Garcelle appreciated the feedback and accepted the apology with one eye open. Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley laughing about the mistreatment of a young Black boy in broad daylight was arguably more offensive. While far from besties with Erika, Garcelle also later cosigned Erika’s assessment that when the RHOBH are communicating about social justice issues, “the conversation is changing, and it’s subtle, but the consequences are big.” While Erika’s ability to balance diplomacy and standing firmly in her truth is underrated, her initial splash in her early RHOBH years is equally unappreciated.
Erika’s RHOBH Origin Story
Few have shaken up a stagnated cast as Erika did with her glittered bodysuits, risque choreography, and cool veneer. Erika’s vocals might not be up to Kandi Burress’ standard. Still, every Bravolebrity musical act, from Candiace Dillard and Countess Luann to Vanderpump Rules greatest musical act Tom Sandoval, could learn something from her stage presence and production value. Labeled the ice queen early in her RHOBH tenure, Erika may have taught Bethenny Frankel how to “pat the puss,” but she wasn’t one to share secrets. After a divorce and endless lawsuits, Erika’s finally breaking down her walls and seeking support from her RHOBH community.
A New RHOBH Alliance Could Bring Out The Best In Erika
Erika may be used to The Fox Force five, but she’s arguably in better company with RHOBH’s latest and greatest duo, Garcelle and Sutton Stracke. Erika revealed her best self with Garcelle and Sutton Stracke separate from the group. Erika and Sutton’s equally quirky and independent southern spirits tend to clash, yet they quickly get along and find some common ground. Garcelle, who Andy Cohen apologized to on RHOBH, is also an independent thinker with no need to seek her peers’ approval.
Erika’s refusal to take on the moral responsibility for her husband’s failings is also controversial but admirable. As legal processes unfold, time will tell if Erika is guilty of wrongdoing. However, in the meantime, Housewives franchises aren’t about watching women play the martyr and bake cookies. They’re about seeing women as the complex human beings they are, as seen in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. There are plenty of stories where women submissively apologize for others’ failings. There are far fewer shows where women take the space to be angry and unapologetic. Erika in no way supports the mistreatment of Tom Girardi’s financial victims, but she’s also not trying to right his wrongs.
Next: Why RHOBH’s Erika Jayne Is Her Best Self Around Sutton & Garcelle
