Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · July 11, 2025 · Entertainment

RHOC Drama: Tamra Judge's Autism Claim Backlash and Therapy Tears

Just minutes into the Season 19 premiere of Bravo's Real Housewives of Orange County , fans were already calling out Tamra Judge over her autism claims.

Tamra Judge's Autism Claims Exposed: Fans Call Out Reality Star's 'Fake Tears' and 'Disingenuous' Behavior

The highly anticipated premiere of Bravo's Real Housewives of Orange County has left fans reeling, with Tamra Judge's autism claims taking center stage. The 57-year-old reality star's tearful confession on her podcast in October sent shockwaves through the internet, but it seems that the drama was far from over.

In Thursday's Season 19 premiere, Tamra met with her psychotherapist, Dr. Mcayla Sarno, where she broke down in tears once again, claiming that talking about "stuff I don't wanna talk about" left her emotional. But fans were quick to point out the "fake tears" and accuse Tamra of using her therapy sessions as a platform for attention.

During Thursday's Season 19 premiere, she met with her psychotherapist again, Dr. Mcayla Sarno, where she broke down in tears about 'talking about stuff that I don't wanna talk about'

The drama unfolded as Tamra admitted that she had misspoken earlier, saying that she was wrong to claim she was "on the spectrum." Fans were left seething, with one Twitter user calling out Tamra's behavior as "horribly disingenuous."

But it seems that Tamra's attempts at damage control only fueled the drama. As fans took to social media to express their outrage, many pointed out that Tamra's tears seemed more like a publicity stunt than an actual emotional release.

One fan, @wrexweed, tweeted, "LMAOOOOO she's doing damage control for calling herself autistic like SIX MONTHS LATER holy s**t. She had this locked and loaded for the first week of filming probably. What a horribly disingenuous retread of something already horribly disingenuous #RHOC."

The reality star also admitted she was wrong about saying she was 'on the spectrum,' which fans also bashed as well on social media.

Meanwhile, @BelvedereMarti1 slammed Tamra's therapist, saying, "Who is this fake therapist not telling this monster that she's a narcissist soul sucker." The Twitterverse was abuzz with outrage and disbelief as fans called out Tamra for her perceived dishonesty.

But it wasn't just Tamra's autism claims that had fans talking. The premiere also teased a unique twist for the season, featuring all of the Housewives hooked up to lie detectors in an attempt to suss out the truth about various topics. Will this new tactic lead to some surprising revelations?

The drama continues when The Real Housewives of Orange County returns with its 19th season on Thursday nights at 9 PM ET on Bravo.

The therapist spoke about her 'unprocessed trauma' and the possibility that she may be on the spectrum, adding 'it's hard to say until you get an assessment.'

Other Juicy Moments from the Premiere:

  • Emily revealed that her 10-year-old son Luke, who barely eats, was diagnosed with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).
  • The group turned on Katie Ginneli after she seemingly spoke with a blogger about the group.
  • Fans are still reeling from Tamra's tearful confession and its implications for her autism claims.

Stay tuned for more updates on this season's drama-filled premiere!

Judge admitted, '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

She added, 'I just got annihilated, you know, publicly annihilated. I had a really s*****y last year,' as they showed a number of headlines and comments about her autism 'admission.'

Judge started crying again when they talked about her daughter Sidney, who she said, 'never even really gave me a chance'

She added that she doesn't want to get close to people anymore because she's, 'so afraid if I get close to people they'll turn on me'

Many fans weren't convinced by her therapy session, including @wrexweed, who tweeted, 'LMAOOOOO she's doing damage control for calling herself autistic like SIX MONTHS LATER holy s**t. She had this locked and loaded for the first week of filming probably. What a horribly disingenuous retread of something already horribly disingenuous #RHOC

Later on in the episode, when Emily revealed that her son's eating disorder could be linked to autism, he tweeted, 'Hey TAMRA look here's something real about autism, why don't you switch it up, try something new for a change, actually interact with reality instead of the ramshackle charade you project in its place #RHOC.'

Another X user dubbed @BravoTrollz added, 'Lmfaooo I totally forgot Tamra said she was on the spectrum #RHOC.'

Meredith's Bangs (@waterthose888) shared a GIF from The Office of Jenna Fischer dumping something in the trash, adding, 'Tamra therapy session.'

Sarah Schneider (@Sweet_Sarah19) tweeted, 'Tamra : ¿I¿m on the Spectrum¿ Me:' with a GIF of a woman smoking a cigarette and saying, 'Suck a d**k.'

Joni (@joni_cash7) added bluntly, 'Tamra talking about her trauma. She caused her trauma by being an explosive b***h!'

'Not only is Jenn¿s boyfriend, Ryan, saying Tamra Judge seeking therapy is ¿fake¿ but he backed it up by referencing when Tamra got ¿baptized¿ in the pool 10 years ago and her behavior never changed. Ryan is out for BLOOD this season #RHOC,' Dustin said.

Another fan - @aeldrew - admitted, 'I forgot the whole spectrum story plot. I¿m not sure how we¿re supposed to interpret this. Are we supposed to feel sorry for her or give her a pass? I don¿t care if you have autism or not, if you¿re an a**hole, you¿re an a**hole.'

One fan - @BelvedereMarti1 - even called out the therapist, stating, 'Who is this fake therapist not telling this monster that she¿s a narcissist soul sucker.'

Maria Cervantes (@9woodMac) added, 'Are we going to witness tamra cry trying to make people sorry for her then lash out and stir up sh*t every episode? I'll answer: yes.'

Zoe (@imightadid) added, 'I am crying at Tamra lmfao is this b***h for real??? #RHOC while tagging @TamraJudgeOC

The premiere also teased a unique twist that will likely be teased all season, showing all of the Housewives being hooked up to lie detectors, seemingly to suss out the truth about various topics, once and for all