Erika Jayne Says Tom Girardi Divorce Is 'Complicated' And 'Difficult To Explain'
After announcing their split in November, Erika Jayne is finally opening up about her divorce from Tom Girardi.
On an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that aired on Wednesday, June 16, the 49-year-old addressed the split after dropping the news on her costars via text message.
"There's so many layers to this divorce," Jayne said. "It's so f***ing complicated. It's very difficult to explain."
"You know, I'm sure that they were very shocked and that they're going to have a lot of questions," she said ahead of speaking to her castmates about the divorce face-to-face.
Jayne's costars didn't hold back when it came to expressing their shock at the news. In the episode, the ladies — sans Jayne and Garcelle Beauvais — attended a 2020 election party at Kyle Richards' home, when the mom-of-four asked if anyone had spoken to Jayne that day.
"I didn't know [about the divorce] until she sent that text to us today at 9:15 [this morning]," Lisa Rinna revealed. "I instantly called her and, you know, I was just as surprised as we all were."
Dorit Kemsley said that it "was a surprise" to learn of the split: "We don't know enough about what's happening."
Later, the divorce was brought up amongst the group while the ladies waited for Jayne to arrive at Sutton Stracke's Parisian-themed party. "I was shocked to hear about Erika," Beauvais admitted. "I didn't see it coming."
"I remember when I met her last year. We had this amazing lunch. And the moment she mentioned [Tom], she welled up," the 54-year-old added. "I felt the love, you know? And I said, 'That's what I want.'"
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Kemsley noted that Jayne is "one of those [people] that she holds certain things to her chest and when she's ready, she shares when she feels comfortable." Rinna chimed in, "That's when you need your girlfriends."
The reality stars marveled at how no one was aware of Jayne's troubles during a recent cast trip to Lake Tahoe, with Kathy Hilton gushing about what "a sport" the Pretty Mess author was at the time.
"You think she really filed? That it's her idea?" Beauvais asked, prompting Rinna to confirm that Jayne did file for divorce.
Beauvais then openly wondered aloud if Jayne "should wait" before separating from the 82-year-old. "I know what you're thinking," Kemsley said, seemingly insinuating that Girardi could die of old age soon. "I literally know what you're thinking."
"I don't know, I just feel like they've been married that long..." the Coming 2 America actress added.
In a teaser for the upcoming episode, Jayne told her fellow RHOBH stars that she "did not see it ending this way" and "I was going to hold that man's hand until he died."
Jayne filed for divorce from the lawyer in November after 21 years of marriage. "This is not a step taken lightly or easily. I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together," she told E! News at the time.
Since then, the divorce has become the least of Girardi's legal problems amid a string of lawsuits. In December, the estranged couple were sued for allegedly embezzling $2 million from a settlement fund for the families of victims of a 2018 plane crash.
Girardi was later hit with a lawsuit as his company claimed he allegedly breached an agreement with Wells Fargo Vendor Financial Services. Girardi's former firm partner, Robert Keese, also sued the former attorney to dissolve their business venture, 1126 Wilshire Partnership. Keese and other attorneys claimed that Girardi did not pay them the estimated $315,000 they earned from the partnership.
Girardi has also been placed in a conservatorship amid health concerns.
