Emily Simpson Weighs in on Heather Dubrow & Katie Ginella Paparazzi Drama: "She Messed Up"
The RHOC cast member said Katie's paparazzi claims against Heather were initially "compelling." But does she still feel that way?
Emily Simpson is keeping it 100.
In a recent interview with Page Six's Virtual Reali-Tea podcast, The Real Housewives of Orange County mom shared her honest thoughts about the ongoing drama between Heather Dubrow and Katie Ginella. The OC ladies had an uncomfortable exchange in Season 18, Episode 4 when Katie accused Heather of staging paparazzi photos with her plastic surgeon husband, Dr. Terry Dubrow.
Emily told the podcast hosts she found the allegations believable, especially after Katie cited a paparazzi friend who purportedly confirmed the stunt via text.
“When Katie first told me — when she told me, she’s very compelling,” Emily recalled. “She speaks very calmly, she speaks very intelligently, and she has this [paparazzi] contact.”
Emily admits she believed Katie's paparazzi claims against Heather
While the allegations didn't exactly shock Emily, they also didn't change her opinion of Heather.
“First of all, let me just say, I don’t care whether she does or not,” Emily said about Heather allegedly calling the paparazzi. “It doesn’t make me think any differently about Heather, if she does or if she doesn’t. You know what? If she does, it makes sense to me. She lives in LA, her husband’s famous, she’s famous. If they do, I’m like, ‘OK, well maybe that works for you. That’s for your brand. That makes sense for you.'”
She continued: “Clearly, I’m not calling the paparazzi. They’re not interested in me… But [the Dubrows] have a very glamorous life in LA so that makes sense to me.”
Emily says Katie has become "less and less credible"
Although she thought the paparazzi story was plausible, Emily revealed that her trust in Katie had waned over the past year. Why? Well, the OC mom didn’t provide exact details but reassured fans more will be revealed in the upcoming episodes.
“As the season progresses, I feel like Katie just becomes less and less credible,” Emily said. “So then I go back and think, ‘Well, maybe when she initially told me [about Heather’s alleged paparazzi calls] there wasn’t a lot of credibility there.'”
What advice did Emily give to RHOC newbie Katie?
Emily also shared the piece of advice she gave to Katie right before she confronted Heather with her so-called “evidence.” In Season 18, Episode 4, Katie presented a text she received from her aforementioned paparazzi friend. The OC newbie said she had asked him if there was any truth to the claims that Heather had called the paparazzi to take photos of her and her hubby. The insider seemingly confirmed the rumors by simply replying, “Yes.”
“This is where I think she messed up,” Emily told the podcast hosts. “When she showed me that screenshot, I was like, is it compelling? Yes. Is it clear and convincing? Absolutely not. So I said to her… I was like, ‘Look, you have to get your ducks in a row. This [screenshot] isn’t a lot.’”
Heather responds to Katie's paparazzi "evidence"
Heather addressed the drama in the August 1 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where she continued to deny Katie’s staged photo claims. Host Andy Cohen asked Heather if she thought Katie had provided “convincing evidence” in Episode 4, to which Heather replied: “From some rando named Mark when I swore on the lives of my children? Yeah, no.”
