Erika Girardi, also known under her stage name as Erika Jayne, is a performer and currently a full-time cast member on Season 12 of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
On Wednesday’s night episode of the RHOBH titled The Weight of Words, Erika Jayne opened up to Lisa Rinna and explained why she can’t divorce Tom Girardi right now.
The two women were shown FaceTiming while they were in quarantine. They both tested positive for COVID-19.
During the video call, Lisa asked Erika if she had talked to Tom at all. Rinna seemed surprised when the Pretty Mess author confessed that Tom had reached out to her after he heard she was ill.
Lisa inquired some more, saying she read that Tom would now be represented in their divorce by his brother. Erika confirmed this news and added that his former lawyer was very expensive. She guesses her estranged husband probably can’t afford him anymore.
Erika Jayne went on to explain to Rinna: “I can’t get a divorce right now. Like, I’m legally separated, so my life has moved on and everything is separate. But I can’t get a divorce right now. There is so much legal s**t going on.”
Erika might have to pay Tom alimony
In her confessional, Erika tells us, “It’s ironic but if I was divorced from Tom, I’d have to pay him alimony.” She continues laughing: “I’ll stay married, thanks!”
Tom Girardi was, for most of his career, a very powerful and sought-after attorney. However, he has been hit with multiple million-dollar lawsuits. He has allegedly embezzled settlement funds meant to go to the family of the passengers who died on Lion Air Flight 610.
The XXPEN$IVE singer has displayed a very lavish and over-the-top lifestyle in past seasons. She always said she could afford this extravagant lifestyle thanks to her powerhouse of attorney of a husband. But now, the money seems to have evaporated and Tom can’t even afford to pay a lawyer.
Is Erika’s divorce from Tom Girardi a sham?
Throughout her six years on the RHOBH, fans and castmates have questioned the 33-year age gap between Erika and her husband. But she has always been adamant that she is very happily married.
The Pretty Mess singer has said multiple times she was forever grateful to Tom for taking in her and her son and providing a beautiful life for them.
At some point, fans could see cracks in her marriage as Tom didn’t read her memoir titled The Pretty Mess and didn’t go see her debut on Broadway as Roxie in Chicago. She defended him both times at the RHOBH reunion shows and in interviews.
However, in November 2020, after 21 years of marriage and one month before all the lawsuits hit her husband, Erika filed for divorce.
Many fans and even fellow Housewives questioned if the divorce was a sham to hide assets, as Erika had never hinted at any trouble before. Although some of her castmates said that she would complain about Tom when the cameras weren’t rolling.
She has also been on a campaign to excuse Tom, saying he is at a memory loss facility. She maintains having told people close to Tom that he had a mental issue for years now.
In this week’s episode, she said in her confessional that “when Tom calls, sometimes he is super present, and sometimes he thinks I’m someone else.” She went on to say that her only solace is to know that Tom is in a safe place, but she knows what this place is.
She concluded, “I’ve been down this road with my grandmother.”
Erika Jayne has maintained her innocence throughout it all, even suggesting at one point that her husband’s alleged victims may actually be lying.
In the RHOBH mid-season teaser, we saw that some of Erika’s castmates will clash with her on her refusal to want to help the victims or even acknowledge them. Erika Jayne has already been the subject of some controversy this season as she crossed a line with co-star, Garcelle’s son Jax.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.