“Real Housewives of Orange County” star Shannon Beador asserts that it was “illegal” for castmate Katie Ginella to record her — but will she file a lawsuit?
In an exclusive interview with Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea,” Beador explains that she has no plans to take Ginella to court over the drama that’s currently playing out on Season 19 of the hit reality show.
“No, I mean, I’m like, ‘Enough with the lawsuits,’” the longtime Bravolebrity says, referencing her legal back and forth with ex John Janssen over $75,000 that he allegedly loaned her for a facelift. (Beador settled the case in November 2024.)
While she doesn’t want to engage in a legal war with Ginella, Beador confirms that their feud is far from over.
“The bottom line is there was no good intention for her to record me. And in the state of California, it is not lawful to do so without the other person’s consent. And I had no idea it was happening,” the “Love Hotel” alum, 61, shares.
“This audio recording was made just a couple days after we got back from London last year. And I was at a really low moment then because I — through my own doing — was in a tough spot last season.”
As seen in the latest installment of “RHOC,” the ladies’ conflict began after Ginella captured an audio recording of Beador having a purported meltdown behind the scenes of a cast photo shoot days after filming for Season 18 concluded last year.
Tamra Judge was the one to spread the information among the group, also alleging that Ginella played the recording in front of Jennifer Pedranti and, more notably, Janssen’s fiancée and Beador’s onscreen foe, Alexis Bellino. The Bellino of it all particularly infuriated Beador as her litigation with Janssen was still ongoing at the time.
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Ginella, for her part, has denied ever playing the recording for Pedranti and Bellino, both 48, and maintains that she only sent it to her husband, Matt Ginella. She has repeatedly said sorry to Beador for recording her, though an apology has yet to be accepted.
“I never showed it to them or played it for [Pedranti and Bellino],” the 41-year-old said on Thursday’s broadcast of “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” “I talked about it.”
Speaking with “Virtual Reali-Tea” after our chat with Beador, Ginella said, “There’s 1,000 years of [Beador] having meltdowns on camera.”
The former sports broadcaster surmises that a “voice note to my husband” wouldn’t have been the most substantial piece of evidence to “indemnify” Beador in her case against Janssen, 62.
Still, Beador isn’t letting it slide. “Who cares what I did in that room? Who cares if Jenn heard it or not?” she tells “Virtual Reali-Tea.” “The fact is, Katie, you recorded me and you’re not allowed to do that without someone’s knowledge.”
Ginella, however, has conducted her own research and doesn’t feel she participated in anything unsanctioned.
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“In the state of California, you are not allowed to record somebody if it’s in a private place,” she says, claiming that Beador’s tailspin took place over the phone in clear earshot of herself and others.
“But when you walk into a public room with your phone on speaker, you’re not assuming privacy.”
“The Real Housewives of Orange County” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET with new episodes available to stream the next day on Peacock.