Heather Dubrow didn’t wait long to confront Gina Kirschenheiter over claims she “researched” Katie Ginella’s custody drama. In fact, Heather called Gina out instantly.
“Oh, I called her that night. She did not pick up,” Heather, 56, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, August 14, referring to Gina, 41, who stirred the pot earlier this month. “We talked, and I’d say, I did light her up a little bit. I’m gonna be honest. And then I apologize later for lighting her up.”
During The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 reunion in fall 2024, Emily Simpson raised eyebrows when she brought up Katie’s past custody issues and legal woes — which weren’t previously discussed on the show.
When Gina was asked on the August 7 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen why she didn’t scold Emily, 49, for bringing up the sensitive topic, she dropped a bombshell about Heather’s alleged involvement.
“I did tell Emily at the table; you should apologize for digging into her past. … I think that’s out of bounds,” Gina told Andy Cohen, before claiming, “Emily did not do the research for that. Emily is not the one who knew about that. She was told about that right before the reunion.”
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Cohen, 57, inquired “who” did the research and after taking a minute, Gina, alleged, “It was Dubrow. I love her, but she’s the one who told Emily about it.”
Heather quickly clapped back Gina’s claims writing via an Instagram comment, “Let’s set the record straight. First of all, I do not research anyone. That is not my MO. I do not have time or interest to try to dig something up on other people.”
Heather doubled down on her claims that she wasn’t digging into Katie’s past, telling Us on Thursday, “At that period of time between when we were done filming and the reunion, there were a lot of articles [that] came up about Katie, more than, you know, the custody.”
She alleged, “There were lawsuits, and this person that got arrested, all there were lots and lots of articles, and we were all passing them to each other, like, ‘Oh, my gosh, did you see this? Did you see this?’”
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Heather insisted, “There was no malintent, and there’s certainly — and this is what I really want to clear up — there was no research. I didn’t look anything up. I didn’t dig anything up. There was nothing like that. This was just stuff that was coming out in the media. … and we were sharing them with each other.”
She noted that Gina’s allegation on WWHL “made it sound so salacious” because she used the word “research,” which Heather said, “I didn’t care for.”
Heather, however, nipped it in the bud as soon as she saw Gina’s interview, telling Us that they are all good now.
“I love her. We’re great friends,” Heather said of Gina, adding that she also spoke with Emily. “We all talked about it, but like I said, it was a period of time where everyone was sending each other information.”
Heather also pointed out that Katie wasn’t a one-off, because all of the Housewives have faced issues in the press — and know that their costars text about it.
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“If something comes out in the media about me or me and [my husband] Terry [Dubrow], it is all passed around,” Heather said. “The good, the bad, the ugly, we share that stuff. I’m not mad that the girls will do that when it’s about us.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.