Flipping Out star Jeff Lewis is opening up about a new lawsuit filed against Bravo by the woman he hired to be a surrogate mother for his daughter.
It was reported this week that Alexandra Trent filed a lawsuit against the Bravo network, claiming she never consented to having her delivery filmed, and that she was humiliated by “disgusting” comments made by Jeff on the show.
During the birth episode, that aired on Bravo in August 2017, Jeff joked: “If I was a surrogate, and I had known there was going to be an audience, I probably would have waxed. And that was the shocking part for Gage. I don’t think Gage had ever seen a vagina, let alone one that big.”
Alexandra states that while she agreed to have part of her surrogate journey filmed for the show, she did not agree to have cameras tape her giving birth to Jeff and his partner Gage Edward’s daughter Monroe. She also states that she was not even aware the delivery was taped until a business associate alerted her about it after the episode aired.
Well, Jeff is now speaking out about the legal ordeal, stating he is both surprised and upset over it.
“This is like a blow to the head. We are completely blindsided by this,” said Jeff to PEOPLE. “We are just devastated. I thought we had a nice relationship, a friendship. We treated her like an extended member of the family. So you can imagine this is pretty stunning.”
He went on to state that he believes money is the main motive behind this lawsuit.
“And this is where I’m so upset. Because, on one hand, I don’t want to tarnish this most amazing experience of my life,” Jeff, 48, continued. “We couldn’t be more grateful to this woman for birthing our child. We are indebted to her… we are so completely grateful to her, because without her, we wouldn’t have Monroe. But on the other hand, these are fabricated claims and are completely bogus and without merit. This smells to me like a financial shakedown.”
As for his crude comments, Jeff admits it was “a poor attempt at humor,” and states he sent flowers and an apology letter to Alexandra once he found out she was upset by it.
“I thought all was good,” he said. “We spoke to her for months and months! She sent gifts. We were reaching out and giving her updates and pictures. I’m telling you, this was an amazing experience. We were friends. She was a part of our family. We bought her a beautiful push gift. That’s what’s so insane to me. I thought this was over.”
Finally, Jeff reveals he is a bit skeptical over her claims that she wasn’t aware the delivery was being filmed.
“Flipping Out is not a hidden camera show. There were moments where there were two, three, four cameras. Everybody was mic-ed. There was a boom, there was a producer. There were production assistants… So how do you now say you didn’t know you were being filmed? It’s unbelievable,” he stated.
“Shame on her for mudding such a beautiful experience,” Jeff added. “I personally believe she will have to answer to God one day for what she’s done. And if I were her, I’d start drafting my apology now.”
Alexandra is seeking damages for unlawful recording, invasion of privacy and fraud. Bravo has yet to comment.
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