Emily Simpson is sounding the alarm ahead of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” season 19 premiere. From an explosive feud with new cast member Katie Ginella to deeply personal challenges at home, Simpson says this season pushed her to the brink—both on camera and off. Recently, she teased a finale that left everyone “shocked” and “uncomfortable,” and admitted she even considered walking away from the show entirely.
Emily Simpson Previews Explosive RHOC Drama
As RHOC gears up for its season 19 premiere on July 10, Simpson is setting the stage for a season packed with unexpected tension. In a recent interview Simpson described the upcoming season as “dynamic” and “fun”—but also hinted that things take a sharp turn by the finale.
“The end is shocking and uncomfortable, at least it was for me,” she teased on Access Hollywood‘s Housewives Nightcap. “It’s between two people, but we’re all kind of sucked into it and then we all are uncomfortable and then we all kind of don’t know what to do with it.”
Much of the pre-season buzz has centered around Simpson’s conflict with new cast member Katie. In last season’s reunion, Ginella accused Simpson’s children of saying negative things about Heather Dubrow—a claim based on something allegedly overheard by her daughter, who babysat for Simpson.
“I’m nowhere with Katie,” Simpson said bluntly on the “So Bad It’s Good” podcast hosted by Ryan Bailey. “I’m not friendly with Katie. I don’t have any desire to have a relationship with someone that crosses certain boundaries.”
She added, “When someone doesn’t respect those boundaries—even after they’ve been told what the boundaries are—and then they go behind closed doors in the dark and do deceitful things, I don’t have any respect for that.”
Simpson even admitted to hiring a lawyer. “I did [hire one] because there’s a real problem,” she explained. “It’s difficult enough to be on a reality TV show with a family and children and a husband and deal with other women. Now it’s become these housewife blogger people inserting themselves into the episodes, and it’s like, I already have enough to deal with.”
Emily Admits She Nearly Quit RHOC Amid Family Struggles
While tensions with Ginella made for headline-worthy drama, Simpson also revealed a much more personal struggle: navigating her son Luke’s health issues while trying to stay connected to her husband, Shane Simpson.
In the season 19 trailer, Simpson is seen mentioning divorce—a moment that sparked concern among fans. While she confirmed that she and Shane are still together, she admitted the pressure nearly broke them.
“When I said it, that was a real concern,” she said. “We were in the trenches during those four months of filming, we weren’t on the same page, we were parenting differently, we were butting heads.”
Simpson added that the couple had no time alone and were emotionally drained. “Every day it was waking up and just trying to get through the day and struggling and going to bed crying at night and then waking up and doing it again the next day.”
Her transparency led her to second-guess whether being on the show was the right decision. “There were several times where I went to Shane and said, ‘I don’t know if this is the best thing. Maybe I should quit,’” she shared.
Ultimately, she stayed—but not without concern for her son. “I just hope that I didn’t do anything that was detrimental to my child,” she admitted. “It was a struggle between being very open and wanting to protect my son at the same time.”
Season 19 of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” premieres July 10 on Bravo.
