Erika Jayne. Jen Lowery/MEGA
Taking it too far? Erika Jayne‘s attempts to distract herself took a turn when the reality star “blacked out” after getting drunk during a holiday party.
During the Wednesday, July 27, episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Erika’s costars showed concern for her behavior after she appeared to be too intoxicated at several events. The singer, 51, for her part, revealed that she was “on other things” in addition to taking Lexapro and Wellbutrin.
Garcelle Beauvais pointed out that her costar’s recent behavior was becoming a cause for concern. “She won’t shut up. It’s awkward,” the model, 55, said during a confessional interview, before adding later in the episode, “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.”
The Real cohost also questioned if Erika’s actions hinted at another issue — which didn’t sit right with Kyle Richards.
“I think I’m ultra-sensitive to, if someone says this person’s drinking too much, honestly, because of our sister, Kim [Richards],” Kyle, 53, said. “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.”
Crystal Kung Minkoff sided with Garcelle after running into her own issues with Erika.
“I think Kyle’s idea of being a loyal friend is 100 percent backing the person,” the Real Coco cofounder, 39, 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.”
Crystal added: “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.”
Erika’s behavior while filming season 12 came amid personal and legal issues for the performer. The Pretty Mess author filed for divorce from husband Tom Girardi in November 2020 after 21 years of marriage. One month later, the pair were accused of embezzling $2 million in settlement funds from the families of Lion Air Flight 610 victims.
The Georgia native, who was dismissed from the fraud lawsuit but has also been named in other cases, opened up about her ups and downs during a conversation with Lisa Rinna.
“The holidays are hard for everybody,” Erika explained. “And they were particularly hard for me this year because you have great memories of your family and the holidays before in the past and when things were loving and great.”
Lisa, 59, noted that Erika was acting as if she was “out of control,” adding, “You have gone through a tremendous trauma. 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.”
Erika agreed that her “reckless” behavior can no longer continue. “The truth is I could have hurt myself,” she added. “It just can’t happen like that.”
Earlier this year, the TV personality discussed mixing “alcohol and antidepressants” while cameras were rolling. “You can’t go through what I have gone through the previous season and not feel something,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in May. “I wanted to have some fun and I wanted to not feel so heavy. So that’s what I did.”
At the time, Erika explained she was still “mourning” her marriage. “I think that gets lost in the sensationalized version of it all. This was someone I was married to for over 20 years and was with, like, 23 [years]. It’s difficult,” she added. “There are real moments of sadness, real moments of — like when the holidays came around, you know, for Christmas, I would just remember how much fun we would have. … But what are you going to do with that? These things happen in life. They happen to everyone; everyone’s mourning something.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
