Alexis Bellino and John Janssen reflected on the “overwhelming” amount of “hate” they received amid The Real Housewives of Orange County during their latest public appearance earlier this week.
Weeks after confirming they were engaged just after nine months of dating, Alexis, 47, and John, 62, admitted they’re in a “no-win” situation as Alexis wondered why she didn’t receive more empathy amid season 18 and John suggested that his ex-girlfriend, Shannon Beador, 60, doesn’t deserve the sympathy she’s gotten from fans.
“What’s so difficult is that it’s, like, we’re in a vortex where all of the hate is based on things that aren’t true,” John told Us Weekly on October 10. “And me having no voice has been very difficult … Then, Lex feels the responsibility to try and help me and then she gets criticized for that. It’s a tough no-win deal.”
“[We’re] in a no-win situation,” Alexis agreed. “[But] it’s OK ’cause now it’s done … We can close that door and open the door to the wedding.”
As they approach their one-year anniversary, Alexis and John are looking ahead to their wedding but continuing to face backlash for her claims of the potential release of pre-DUI videos taken of Shannon and his $75,000 lawsuit against her.
“I am the one that has the videos and nothing has ever come outta my mouth that I was ever gonna show them to anybody,” John clarified. “That was never a possibility.”
Of the videos, Alexis admitted she “regrets” mentioning them — sort of.
“I thought I [spoke about the videos] off-camera. Like, you film for 12 hours and I was with my good girlfriends,” Alexis explained. “You think you do something and then it’s like, ‘Oh shoot, the cameras were rolling. I didn’t even remember that.’ I told friends about them off-camera, I thought. And so, it is what it is, but I don’t really have any regrets ’cause the truth is the truth and we have truth on our side.”
While Alexis was then asked if she had “empathy” for Shannon amid their feud, Alexis turned the tables, wondering if “anyone [had] empathy” for her.
“What about me?” she asked, “I had to be on a show just lost my mom [and] wasn’t eating, wasn’t sleeping, was barely getting out of bed, filmed a show and still put on my big girl panties to go film with his ex-girlfriend, which is just as hard. I’m tired of hearing about that. I have sympathy for her, but at the same time it’s, like, I had to do a really fricking hard job and I got beat down the entire season.”
Also during the interview, John said Shannon is “masterful at eliciting sympathy that she doesn’t deserve.”
“I know I’ll take heat for that, but it’s the truth,” he declared.
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
