Erika Jayne got emotional while offering an inside look at her personal struggles on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
The Thursday, February 26, episode of the Bravo show featured a scene between Erika, 54, and her therapist, Dr. Jenn Mann. The women discussed the fallout of Erika’s split from disgraced lawyer Tom Girardi and more details from the Pretty Mess author’s past abusive relationship, which was revealed during last week’s episode.
“I have an upcoming trial, and they’re taking me to trial for $25 million. This is the bankruptcy trustee. You know I have a $10 million tax bill as well that Tom left me with,” Erika said. “You know how people always say, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ Well, the worst happened.”
Erika started to cry when her therapist noted that “the worst” happened to Tom, 86, and not her.
After Erika’s 2020 split from Tom, her estranged husband was hit with a series of lawsuits alleging that he embezzled funds earmarked for clients at his law firm. While Erika was never charged with a crime, the trustee presiding over Tom’s bankruptcy case later sued her for $25 million that the firm allegedly spent on her. The trial for that lawsuit is set to begin later this year.
Erika has denied all allegations of wrongdoing, arguing that she had no knowledge of her husband’s business and no reason to believe he was not successful. Tom, for his part, was convicted of wire fraud in 2024 and sentenced to seven years in prison. Their divorce has not yet been finalized.
“I’m really tired. I’m just f***ing tired,” Erika said during Thursday’s episode, noting that things aren’t “that great.”
Erika Jayne Says Discussing Tom Girardi Feels Like ‘Cutting Open’ a Wound
Erika continued through tears: “No one understands how hard that is to smile and say, ‘No, it’s going to be OK. It’s fine.’”
As their session continued, Erika told her therapist about her recent dinner with Denise Richards and Sutton Stracke. Last week’s RHOBH episode had Erika revealing that she was in a relationship that “turned into chaos” following her split from Tom.
“I thought it was the right time to talk about what had happened to me last year. Of course, nobody knew,” Erika said on Thursday. “There’s a lot of shame around that. Getting hit or choked or kicked.”
Erika started sobbing when asking her therapist whether she did “the right thing” by talking about her past experience with abuse. Erika also admitted that she “blew it off” the first time she brought up the incident.
“I don’t know what to do now,” Erika said. “Just in life. I don’t know what to do. I feel so lost and I worked hard on getting here. I’m healthy, but at the same time, am I really living?”
She added, “Am I really happy? Or am I just f***ing treading water until all of these cases are over? Everybody wanting answers. ‘What do you think and how does it feel?’ I’ll tell you how it feels, it feels like I’m f***ing crushed and I’m trying really hard not to be crushed.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
