If there’s one person standing in the way of Jennifer Pedranti’s budding friendship with Shannon Storms Beador on The Real Housewives of Orange County, it might just be Alexis Bellino.
As seen on Season 19, Episode 16, none of the women seemed to be on the same page about exactly how good of friends Jenn and Alexis really were, though. So, on The Real Housewives of Orange County After Show, Jenn clarified the status of their friendship today.
“Shannon, you know, basically told me that she felt like if I could befriend Alexis, then I wasn’t a friend to her,” Jenn explained in the above clip. “I’ll tell you, that’s hard. Last year, Alexis was nothing but nice to me.”
Given Alexis and Shannon’s history, Jenn acknowledged that the friendship was a “massive problem” for the latter.
Meanwhile, Gretchen Rossi pointed out that she could “totally understand” Shannon’s point of view, to which Jenn replied, “I do, too. It’s hard. And just where dynamics have gone, I would say I’m closer with Shannon. I see Shannon more.”
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When an RHOC After Show producer asked Jenn if she felt like she could be friends with both Shannon and Alexis, she responded in the negative, adding, “I don’t want the toxicity.”
Her preference for Shannon wasn’t necessarily due to any wrongdoing on Alexis’ part, however.
“Alexis was always great,” Jenn continued. “Alexis would never bash Shannon to me, whenever we would talk. And she also asked that of me with Tamra [Judge]. She would say, ‘I know you don’t want me talking about Shannon; I don’t want you talking about Tamra.’ Respected.”
As Jenn concluded, “But it’s too deep, too much for Shannon. And I would say right now, the friendship I have with Shannon has moved past the friendship place that I was [in] with Alexis.”
Shannon Beador weighs in on Jenn Pedranti and Alexis Bellino’s friendship
Separately on the RHOC After Show, Shannon shared her perspective on the matter with castmate Heather Dubrow.
“Jenn would say things like, ‘She’s been nothing but sweet to me,'” she recalled, before shedding light on her issue with her and Alexis’ relationship. “If I see someone acting inappropriately towards another person and I don’t think it’s kind… I don’t wanna be friends with that person.”
Because Jenn sat through Alexis and now-husband John Janssen’s pre-taped statements at the Season 18 reunion, Shannon pointed out that she was well aware of their issues.
“It bothers me,” Shannon admitted, before later adding that everyone “can make their own choices,” regardless.
How Jenn Pedranti characterized her and Alexis Bellino’s friendship on RHOC
The topic of Jenn and Alexis’ friendship had previously arisen on RHOC‘s Oct. 23 episode while the ladies lunched in Amsterdam. After Gina Kirschenheiter brought up the conflicting stories about why Jenn was not attending Alexis and John’s wedding, she cleared up Shannon’s involvement in her decision.
“She didn’t ask me not to go,” Jenn elaborated, sharing that she declined the invitation only because Shannon “matters” to her.
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Wedding attendance aside, Emily Simpson wanted to know if Shannon was otherwise “OK with” Jenn “being friends with Alexis.” However, Shannon confirmed that she’d been under the apparently false impression that Jenn had “no relationship” with Alexis.
“I do like Alexis. I’ve told you that,” Jenn informed Shannon. “Your issue is your issue with Alexis. She’s never done anything to me.”
Citing their “disgusting” past drama, Shannon went on to say that she would judge her and Jenn’s friendship “a little bit” differently, knowing about their connection: “It’s not easy for me to be friends with someone who I know is close to someone who’s really not kind to me.”
As Shannon similarly put it to a producer, “I’m not a friend dictator, but if the situation were reversed, I wouldn’t be close to someone that hurt a friend of mine.”
Still, Jenn insisted, “I’m not super close with Alexis,” adding in a confessional, “Shannon has issues with Alexis; I don’t. Am I a s–ttier friend to you, Shannon, because of my friendship with Alexis? No.”
With just one episode left for them to hash things out, get a sneak peek at where Jenn and her castmates will be sitting at the RHOC Season 19 reunion.