Dr. Simone Whitmore Reveals the Real Reason for Her Drama With Dr. Jackie Walters
"Good girlfriends of 20 years, they don't stay silent," the Married to Medicine OBGYN said of their falling out.
Dr. Simone Whitmore and Dr. Jackie Walters always seemed to have an unbreakable bond. So, when we found out their friendship was strained at the Married to Medicine Season 7 reunion, to say we were surprised would be an understatement.
Even though Dr. Simone and Dr. Jackie ended up hugging and pledging to move forward with their friendship by the end of last season's reunion, the OBGYNs were still not in a good place when Season 8 of Married to Medicine kicked off on March 7.
Dr. Simone and Dr. Jackie sat down to discuss where their friendship was at at Dr. Damon Kimes' 50th birthday party in the March 14 episode of Married to Medicine. "I think that when we were in New York, for you to tell me your relationship with Heavenly [Kimes] and your relationship with me were equally as important to you hurt my feelings," Dr. Simone shared. "I'm thinking some s--t I built with you for 20 years, we're worth more."
Though Dr. Jackie agreed, she said that she was still hurt over Dr. Simone not having her back when it came to her drama with Buffie Purselle last season. "Understand, I was having your back and the entire time telling Buffie that's not your heart, that's not who you are, because I know who you are," Dr. Simone said in response. "But if, you know, apparently, maybe you don't know me."
The subject soon turned to Dr. Simone and Dr. Heavenly's lingering issues surrounding the dentist's social media comments about Dr. Simone's husband, Cecil Whitmore. Things got heated, and Dr. Simone exited the party before any resolution could occur.
For those still wondering how all of this drama could destroy such a longtime friendship as Dr. Simone and Dr. Jackie's, Dr. Simone explained exactly what her issue is with her fellow OBGYN during her appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on March 14 (clip above), noting how they, along with Dr. Heavenly, "were a fun trio."
"We had a great time as a trio. When Heavenly and I had the conflict regarding her tweets against Cecil, Jackie has always been a person who stepped in. She told me when I was wrong, she told Heavenly when she was wrong," Dr. Simone shared. "And that year she sat silent. And good girlfriends of 20 years, they don't stay silent."
Host Andy Cohen then shared his hope that Dr. Simone and Dr. Jackie can one day get their friendship back on track. "I am hoping that there is a big resolution coming up," he said.
During the WWHL After Show, Dr. Simone confirmed that Toya Bush-Harris' sighting of someone who looked like Dr. Jackie during her son Michael's graduation party in the March 14 episode of Married to Medicine was not actually the OBGYN, who was not invited to the event, and was "just a joke."
Dr. Simone also explained why she and Dr. Jackie weren't able to repair their relationship after such a positive end to the Married to Medicine Season 7 reunion.
"We did do our studying together. We left there really on one page, and I had kind of hoped things were going to be back to normal," she said. "But then, Andy, the pandemic hit, and there wasn't any calling people. I was more concerned with what was going on with my practice, with my patients, with my family. And I didn't see her at the hospital or bump into her as often. After the studying passed, after the holidays, we both dropped the ball as friends — period."
Dr. Jackie shared a similar sentiment during her appearance on WWHL earlier this month. "I think Simone and I didn't put in the work. I mean, we agreed to do it, we meant well, but if you really want to cultivate a friendship and come from where we were, you have to put in the work," she shared. "Somebody has to call somebody. You have to make a point to spend time together, and we didn't do the work."
She added that it seemed like neither of them wanted to make the first move. "She didn't call me, I'm not calling her. And she kind of half-hearted spoke to me at the hospital, so I'm not calling her," Dr. Jackie recalled her thoughts at the time. "So I take full ownership of that."
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