Credit: MEGA
Vicki Gunvalson is fighting back against harassment claims from her former fiance, Steve Lodge, who recently leaked a “drunk” voicemail from her and her Real Housewives of Orange County co-stars Shannon Beador and Tamra Judge.
Just under two years after their messy split, which was plagued by claims of cheating from 61-year-old Vicki, Steve claims he’s being “harassed” with drunk phone calls from Vicki and says he wants his former partner to leave both him and his wife, Janis Carlson, 38, alone.
“I want to be left alone. Leave my wife and I alone,” Steve demanded during an interview with The U.S. Sun on July 3. “I would hope she would please get on with her life and stop talking about or trying to contact me and my wife.”
While Steve said Vicki is blocked from his phone, he received a “drunk dial” from Shannon’s phone after midnight at the end of May. And during the call, it was clear to the former police officer that the tres amigas were “all drunk and spewing nonsense.”
“Hi, Steve. It’s Shannon Beador. How are you? I’m with Tamra right now and she just fell off her chair,” Shannon reportedly began as laughing was heard in the background. “I’m sorry. That was rude. We were just wondering how you are.”
“We wrote you a really nice poem too. Maybe Tamra and I will restate the poem and we can send you the video,” she continued. “Vicki, do you think that’s a good idea?”
“I have it recorded,” Vicki replied.
But then the seemingly harmless chatter comes to an end with Vicki bringing up Steve’s alleged cheating, accusing him of striking up a romance with Janis before the end of their relationship.
“I have a bone to pick with him. Why were you sleeping next to me while you were sleeping with Janis? And you told her that we were just friends. We weren’t friends!” Vicki declared. “You were sleeping next to me, living in my house for free and my condo, and doing everything with me.”
“I went to Sacramento with you to help you with (inaudible)… In any event, he was doing it with her while he was sleeping next to me. That means he used me!” she added.
As Vicki continued to yell, Shannon reclaims her phone and tells Steve she’s “so sad about that.”
“That wasn’t nice. She didn’t mean it. She really didn’t mean that,” Shannon claimed. “You know what? I guess we were remembering the time right when I met [John Janssen, her ex-boyfriend]. It was like early 2019 where you and I, the three of us, had a dinner plan in Newport Beach and we walked into the restaurant and we’re like, ‘Oh my God, there’s Steve sitting at the bar.’ And you were like, ‘What are you doing here?’ Do you remember that dinner? I’m sorry, Steve.”
“That wasn’t a good day. Okay, I wish you well with the new wife,” Shannon added.
But in response to Steve’s claims of “harassment,” Vicki, who has been dating real estate developer Michael Smith for a year-and-a-half, denied the allegation, explaining that a voicemail is “not harassment.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 17 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.