Erika Girardi.Photo: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
Erika Girardifaced some hard truths in this week’sReal Housewives of Beverly Hills.
During Wednesday’s episode, each of the women seemed to be worried about Erika, 51, following several incidents where she appeared to be very intoxicated. The ladies were especially concerned after Erika revealed to her friends that she is taking Lexapro and Wellbutrin, and also “on other things.”
Diana, 49, laughed it off but the others — includingLisa Rinna,Kyle Richards,Garcelle Beauvais, andCrystal Kung Minkoff— were visibly concerned. (Sutton StrackeandDorit Kemsleydidn’t attend the party because both had tested positive for COVID-19.)
“I think Erika probably misses the spotlight,” Garcelle, 55, commented in a confessional following the awkward moment. “She won’t shut up. It’s awkward.”
“Erika, I think has had far too much to drink and her behavior, I think it’s not respectful and it feels a little bit out of control,” Crystal, 39, said in a confessional.
The cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12.Tommy Garcia/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
At one point, Lisa tried to get Erika to put her drink down but she refused.Kathy Hiltonlater joined the conversation and Erika tried to explain why she didn’t attend her daughterParis' wedding.
After noting that she wanted to get some things off her chest, Erika said with slurred speech, “You invited me to a lot of events. And the truth is, I didn’t want to bring my scorn and my f—ing Scarlett letter on to your daughters and on to you.”
She then broke down in tears. “I didn’t want to bring that f—ing shame,” she added.
Kathy, 63, eventually walked away and joined Kyle, 53, Crystal, Garcelle, andSheree Zampino, who all asked how Erika was doing. “It’s getting out of control,” Kathy responded.
Garcelle told Kathy about how inappropriate Erika had beentowards her 14-year-old son at her birthday party four weeks prior. “You don’t ever want to put yourself in a position of drinking and then losing control and doing something stupid,” Kathy said.
Lisa Rinna (left) and Erika Girardi.Getty (2)
But Garcelle was firm in her stance on the subject. “I know we’re all friends and I just feel like sometimes we can’t always be in denial just for the safety of our friendship,” she said, before bringing up how “out of control” intoxicated Erika was in Mexico and on the boat.
“I think I’m ultra-sensitive to, if someone says this person’s drinking too much, honestly, because of our sister, Kim,” Kyle said. In a confessional, she added, “It’s very dangerous to throw around labels like that, like a drinking problem. And Garcelle wants me to say that, she’s baiting me. So, I’m not doing that.”
“But I’m just saying that sometimes there doesn’t need to be an excuse for something. It can just be bad,” Garcelle replied.
In her own confessional, she said, “Maybe tonight will be the night where everybody sees that Erika is having a hard time. I mean, I’ve been saying it all along. I know I’m right. I don’t wanna be right but it’s happening right in front of us.”
“But it should not be an excuse for poor behavior,” Crystal told Kyle and Garcelle.
“I think Kyle’s idea of being a loyal friend is 100% backing the person,” Crystal said in a confessional. “I actually disagree on that. When I’m doing something wrong, I expect my good friends to call me out, not just back me blindly.”
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The following day, Lisa went to Erika’s house to have an honest conversation with her. After expressing concern, Lisa told Erika she was “s—faced” at the party and that she was slurring her words. Lisa then asked if she blacked out when she got home.
“Yeah, I hit my head,” Erika confessed. “Then I vomited. This is the fallout of everything that happened,” she added, referring toher divorce and scandal.
“With the anti-depressants, what happens is one drink is five times stronger, maybe more,” Lisa said. “You were out of control.”
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Erika eventually agreed that her actions had been reckless. “The truth is, I could’ve hurt myself,” she admitted. “It just can’t happen like that.”
“You have gone through a tremendous trauma,” Lisa told her. “Your husband was not the guy that you or any of us thought he was and you have had to deal with it because you were married to him. You went to this place because you’re in a lot of pain.”
“I come from experience. I’ve seen it,” Lisa said in her confessional, noting how her sister, Laurene, died from a drug overdose when she was just 6 years old. “So, I understand why Erika would want to self-medicate or numb herself or try to have a good time or what not. I understand it.”
“You have to stop this now because you can’t do it anymore,” she said to Erika. “It’s just not who you are.”
Though Erika admitted the truth was hard to accept, she agreed. “Because I’ve always prided myself on always being so controlled, I pushed it too far. I did the wrong thing. Sometimes, you know, it’s hard to be really honest with your friends but thank you for saying, ‘Hey, you know what, you gotta stop that s—’.”
“We all hit rock bottom. Everybody has a rock bottom moment. I think that this is yours,” Lisa said.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsairs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
