RHOC’s Tamra Judge Reflects on Reunion with Estranged Daughter Sidney Barney
Tamra Judge fought back tears while reminiscing about a touching moment with her estranged daughter, Sidney Barney.
“She visited the house to go to lunch with Sophia, and I stepped outside. We embraced,” Tamra, 58, recounted during the Thursday, November 6, episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County. “We shared life updates for around 30 minutes, and she’s very kind.”
Before saying farewell, Tamra recalled a profound question from her daughter that she will never forget.
“Then she asked, ‘Mom, can I hug you goodbye?’ And we hugged, and I held her tightly for a long time, saying, ‘I can’t let you go. I just can’t let you go,’” Tamra shared during part one of the season 19 reunion. “It was truly a special moment. She’s starting to come around.”
Tamra shares Sidney, Spencer, and Sophia with her ex-husband, Simon Barney. She also has an adult son, Ryan Vieth, from a previous relationship.
During The Real Housewives of Orange County’s Season 11 reunion in 2016, Tamra revealed to host Andy Cohen and her co-stars that Sidney sided with Simon after their tumultuous divorce.
“My eldest daughter, Sidney, said, ‘I don’t want to live with you anymore. You’ve ruined my dad’s life,’” Tamra recalled on the show. “[She] left that day and hasn’t returned.”
In the most recent season, Tamra’s relationship with Sidney came into focus when she accused co-star Gretchen Rossi of “contacting” her estranged daughter.
“Sidney posted something about me, and Gretchen began communicating with her,” Tamra claimed in a confessional interview, while an image of her Facebook post appeared on screen. “That’s one of the lowest and most disgusting things you can do: involve someone’s child.”
When faced with the accusations, Gretchen, 47, argued that commenting on a social media post differs from direct contact.
“It’s not the same thing,” Gretchen clarified. “Do you really want to play this game? It’s not the same. I merely commented on a public Facebook post your daughter made.”
In a screengrab from the show, Gretchen remarked, “You have no idea how your brave words are supporting so many who have been harmed by your Mother’s manipulation and lies as well…”
During the season 19 reunion, other cast members shared insights about their children. Jennifer Pedranti proudly discussed her son, Dawson, graduating from boot camp and becoming a Marine.
Meanwhile, Emily Simpson provided an update on her son, Luke, after revealing his diagnosis of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). He has since been evaluated for PANDAS, a subset of ARFID.
“I would never have thought to have my child tested for PANDAS if it weren’t for these mothers who watched and contacted me,” she said. “It’s been a wonderful community to share information and learn from, and it means a lot to me.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. You can stream past episodes anytime on Peacock.
