Tamra Judge is opening up about the support she gave to Shannon Beador following her DUI and hit-and-run arrest in September 2023.

While also discussing Alexis Bellino‘s romance with John Janssen, 60, and a potential reconciliation with Shannon, 60, the 56-year-old Real Housewives of Orange County star revealed that she supported Shannon after the arrest as she also defended Alexis, saying that she considered Shannon’s feelings before she returned to the show.

“I was very supportive of Shannon after her DUI. I was on the phone crying with her. We had some difficult conversations. I don’t think she really liked that very much, but at the end of the day, we’re not speaking because of Tres Amigas or Alexis Bellino,” Tamra confirmed to OK! Magazine on July 23. “It’s something that she did. It’s something that she did to me behind my back.”

As for Alexis’ return, Tamra shut down claims of the former cast member returning to rub her romance with John in Shannon’s face, saying it was discussed before they began dating.

“She would call me and say, ‘I want to do this, but I don’t know, I don’t know if this is a good idea.’ At this point, she was dating John, and she said, ‘I’m not a mean person. I don’t want to kick Shannon while she’s down. I know me dating John on the show is going to be difficult for her,’” Tamra revealed. “She always had Shannon’s best interest at heart. I don’t think people realize that. She’s not a malicious person at all. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”

During another interview, Tamra spoke of Alexis’ relationship with John — and how it differs from John’s romance with Shannon.

“They seem extremely happy and that’s all I have to go off of,” Tamra told E! News. “They’re cute together, they have fun together. They’re traveling, they’re doing all the things. Their families like each other and he was never like that with [ex] Shannon [Beador] ever.”

In fact, Tamra said, John is a “totally different” person with Alexis than he was with Shannon.

“They didn’t travel, their families didn’t like each other,” Tamra said of Shannon and John. “So I do believe maybe two good people just don’t belong together.”

Moving on to Shannon’s drinking, Tamra pointed out that it always seems to be mentioned on RHOC.

“There’s not one season where somebody hasn’t talked about her drinking,” Tamra noted. “I was the one that was always dealing with her issues while she drank. At the point you got a DUI, it is time for you to open your eyes and realize you have a problem and you need to get help because this is rock bottom as far as I’m concerned. You drove your car into a house. And it just wasn’t for her.”

While Tamra and Shannon have been estranged for several months, Tamra said, “You never know,” when asked about a potential reconciliation.

“I don’t know,” she shared. “I just know that for me personally, I was extremely busy. You know, I have three podcasts, I have a business, I have a husband, I still have a daughter at home. It was really hard for me to start traveling all around and [then] some things were said about me by Shannon that I thought, ‘You know, why am I busting my butt to do this when you’re talking behind my back?’ I don’t need friends like that.”

“I don’t need the money,” Tamra added. “You need the money.”

The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo.