Real Housewives roadblock. Bravo has been subpoenaed for footage of Erika Jayne as her legal struggles with estranged husband Tom Girardi continue to make headlines, Us Weekly can confirm.
The network has been asked to turn over unaired scenes from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which is currently rounding out its 11th season, by October 26. As the drama continues, attorney Jay Edelson alleged that the 50-year-old reality star has been “protected” by Bravo and producer Andy Cohen.
“We have all seen Bravo ride the Girardi embezzlement scandal to historically high ratings,” the lawyer exclusively told Us in a statement on Tuesday, October 12. “For the most part, Andy Cohen and Bravo have protected Erika, paying her — according to reports — as much as $600,000 to be on the show this year while allowing her to cast herself as the primary victim of Tom’s criminality.”
The estranged couple were accused of mishandling funds intended to help the families affected by a 2018 plane crash. Erika and Tom, 82, were slammed with multiple lawsuits one month after the Broadway performer filed for divorce in November 2020. Since then, the Pretty Mess author has continued to maintain her innocence — but she’ll be thrown into the hot seat during the upcoming RHOBH reunion special.
“Although the reunion trailer suggests that Andy is finally going to ask the tough questions of Erika, he is strategically doing so to increase his ratings and make Bravo even more money,” Edelson claimed to Us. “We believe that Bravo has a legal and moral duty to cooperate in our litigation so the true facts come out and the families of the Lion Air crash victims can get some justice.”
The subpoena serves as “a ‘put up or shut up’ moment for Bravo,” Edelson argued. “If Bravo chooses delay and obstruction, then it has officially become charter members of the increasingly large boatload of people looking to profit from the worst embezzlement scandal the legal industry has seen.”
Earlier this month, fans got a glimpse of the four-part reunion, which features a tense conversation between Erika and the Most Talkative author, 53. “We’re going to put you on a skewer and I’m going to fire up the barbecue,” Cohen tells the singer in the trailer as the Georgia native’s costars continue to press her about her potential involvement in Tom’s controversial actions.
The Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host then asks why Erika didn’t leave her marriage sooner, hinting, “I know what you make on this show.”
In return, the Dancing With the Stars alum pleads to her costars, “Can someone please back me the f–k up on what I am saying?!”
Us previously confirmed that Erika is being sued for $25 million in Tom’s bankruptcy case. The New York Times recently reported that the TV personality cashed in $600,000 for season 11 of the Bravo hit. Earlier this month, the pair’s home in La Quinta, California, sold for $1.25 million after being placed on the market to pay off creditors and other bills.
Part one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion airs on Bravo Wednesday, October 13, at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Diana Cooper