Emily Simpson absolutely thought of her children before saying “yes” to filming Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition.
“I said yes to Wife Swap long before we started having a lot of issues with Luke,” Emily, 49, exclusively shared with Us Weekly on Thursday, October 30. “We were concerned about that and if it would be too overwhelming for him, and I had to think about that.”
During the season 19 premiere of The Real Housewives of Orange County in July, viewers learned Emily’s 10-year-old son was diagnosed with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).
According to Emily — who also shares Annabelle, 12, and Keller, 10, with husband Shane Simpson — Wife Swap was a different type of show that Luke enjoyed being part of.
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“With Housewives, the majority of the time, it’s me filming with the other women, and then occasionally there are some things at home,” she explained. “But there’s a long period of filming, and 95 percent of it is me with the other women. I think Luke really enjoyed this, because it was about him too.”
On the Tuesday, November 4, episode of Wife Swap, Emily will swap lives with Caley Svensson. While the Orange County, California, resident is used to living with do-it-all dad Shane, Emily will experience a different lifestyle when she stays with hands-off dad Erik Svensson.
While the Bravo star has seen comments from online critics saying, “I can’t believe she did another show,” she continues to see all the positives of sharing her family’s life.
“There have been so many moms that have helped me understand Luke better because they’ve been through it, and they’ve given me advice, and they’ve given me recommendations,” Emily said. “I’ve learned a lot about Luke through the viewers.”
Since first sharing her son’s health journey, Emily said her son has moved to a different school “geared toward kids like him that don’t really fit into that traditional type of classroom.”
“He’s blossomed since this new school. He loves it,” she said. “Math is his favorite subject. Now he gets excited to go to school, so that’s alleviated so much stress on him, on us, on the household. It’s been life-altering.”
While there were times the “Legally Brunette” podcast host thought about stepping away from reality TV, it was her supportive husband who reassured her that everything was going to be OK.
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Now, she has a brand-new support system — who she calls “my people” — who have given her encouragement and hope.
“Shane was like, ‘But does that really help him? Is that helping him learn how to cope? You should be able to leave the house or go be with friends or have a job or have a career,’” Emily recalled. “That’s things that kids have to be able to understand and deal with.”
Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET. The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET. Stream old episodes anytime on Peacock.
