
The Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge has opened up about the intense backlash she faced after claiming to be on the Autism spectrum last year.
Judge sparked controversy in October when she said on her podcast that she was “on the spectrum,” referring to Autism spectrum disorder, after just one therapy session and no formal diagnosis. Her therapist told her at the time that many of the symptoms she was experiencing “were all signs of being on the spectrum.”
Speaking to her therapist on Thursday’s premiere episode of the 19th season of the hit Bravo show, Judge said: “I know when you mentioned that to me, I had gone home and went on my podcast, and I misspoke. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“I just got annihilated, you know, publicly annihilated,” she continued. “I had a really s****y last year. It was very hurtful. People think I don’t have feelings, and it’s not true. I’m tired of being called a horrible human being because I’m not.”
Judge explained in the televised therapy session that she’s spent the last three or four months “just talking about stuff that I don’t want to talk about.” Some of those things include her custody battle with her ex-husband, Simon Barney, her daughter Sidney “leaving” her, and the absence of her father.
“I realized that you have to dig up those things that are buried deep inside of you, because those are the things that come out when you get angry,” Judge said in a confessional during Thursday’s episode.
She then acknowledged to her therapist that she was having intrusive thoughts and sensory issues. Her therapist then explained how Judge’s unprocessed trauma can mimic the symptoms of Autism spectrum disorder.
“It’s hard to say until you get an assessment,” the therapist confirmed.
Judge, a mainstay on the franchise for most of the 19 seasons, also acknowledged how her past traumas impact her friendships.
“I’m so afraid if I get close to people, they’ll turn on me,” she explained. “So I just keep a wall up so they don’t get close. I don’t nurture my friendships. I think my biggest struggle is trusting people. I’ve got very few people that I can really talk to.”
“I just don’t want to lash out when I’m mad, even if somebody’s done me wrong,” she added. “I want to fix things.”
Judge sparked concern earlier this year when she appeared to signal that she had quit the reality show.
“It was a long run! When life gives you real problems, this reality s*** doesn’t make sense. Peace out. I’m out,” Judge wrote on Instagram story in early March.
She followed up her cryptic statement with a selfie of her at the airport with an animated sticker that read: “Mental health is health!”
Judge didn’t say anything else or elaborate on what exactly she was planning to leave, though many fans believed she was talking about the reality show, as the entire cast of RHOC was on a trip in New Orleans at the time.
That cast trip is expected to be featured later this season on RHOC.