She saw the warning signs. Real Housewives of Orange County star Emily Simpson may not have been in former costar Vicki Gunvalson’s inner circle, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t see the red flags in her relationship with Steve Lodge.
“I wasn’t surprised [about their split] just because when we were at her engagement party I remember talking to Vicki’s brother and her brother told me at the engagement party that they were never gonna get married and [Steve] wasn’t into her. So I was like, ‘Wow, that was a lot,’” Emily, 45, exclusively revealed on the Tuesday, January 18, episode of Us Weekly’s “Getting Real with the Housewives” podcast. “I felt like he was an opportunist and I think the red flags were there.”
The businessman, 63, announced that he proposed to Janis Carlson on January 3, three months after he and Vicki, 59, called off their engagement. The exes started dating in 2016 and Steve popped the question three years later.
Following the news of Steve and Janis’ engagement, the Coto Insurance president told Us that Steve was a “fame whore and is all about staying relevant.” Emily, for her part, saw the former RHOC star’s point of view.
“I just think Vicki wanted her love tank filled and she wanted it to work out and she wanted to see the best him,” Emily explained to Us on Tuesday. “She thought they had a future together, but I think he was, you know, in it for the camera time or whatever, and then he moved on. So, you know, I feel badly for her.”
Despite Emily and Vicki having a rocky relationship, with the former longtime Bravo star previously calling the lawyer the “worst casting decision Bravo has ever made,” Emily would still want to see Vicki back on the RHOC.
“I wouldn’t mind Vicki back on the show. I think Vicki’s good on the show,” Emily told Us. “I think she’s funny and I think she’s quirky and I think she says funny things and I think she does funny things and I think she’s good TV.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.