"He's kept quiet"— The Real Housewives of Orange County's Alexis Bellino defends John Janssen at reunion

In The Real Housewives of Orange County (RHOC) season 18 part two reunion special, which aired on November 14, Alexis Bellino addressed her ongoing relationship with John Janssen and her decision to defend him in the face of persistent allegations and claims.

Before even taking the stage, Alexis said that despite being the subject of various claims, primarily from Shannon Storms Beador, she chose to stand up for John, saying,

"Shannon has had a voice for four years and he's kept quiet."

According to Alexis, she feels obligated to address these issues, as she believes John has been unfairly portrayed and misrepresented.

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The Real Housewives of Orange County reunion highlights: Alexis Bellino on John’s silence

Alexis Bellino explains her decision to speak out

Before stepping on The Real Housewives of Orange County stage, Alexis Bellino spoke with fellow cast member Tamra Judge in her trailer, explaining her perspective on defending John. Alexis stated,

“Honest to God, I don’t want to fight. And I just want to go out and speak the truth.”

She added,

“I’m not gonna bring him up. But they’re going to continue with the lies, and I’m going to have to defend him because he doesn’t have a voice.”

Alexis expressed that she felt this approach was necessary due to John's limited engagement in public discussions about their relationship.

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Tamra Judge’s suggestion and Alexis’s response

Tamra Judge advised Alexis to avoid speaking directly on John’s behalf to prevent further conflict. According to Alexis, however, this option was complicated by what she described as inaccurate claims made against him.

Alexis noted that if John “had never been lied about,” she would not feel obligated to comment, describing her statements as necessary for addressing ongoing issues raised by other cast members.

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Heated exchange between Alexis and Shannon on stage

Shortly after joining the main stage, Alexis and Shannon engaged in a discussion that highlighted points of contention between them. During this exchange, Alexis stated,

“You gotta go back to your emails and check the truth because you have a really strange relationship with the truth.”

This statement appeared to address prior comments Shannon had made about her relationship with John Janssen. Emily Simpson referenced a previous The Real Housewives of Orange County confessional in which John had reportedly made a similar observation about Shannon, remarking that:

“Shannon has an interesting relationship with the truth.”

Gina Kirschenheiter echoed this sentiment, adding that Alexis’s words were “exactly what John said… verbatim.” Shannon then responded to Alexis by telling her to “stop being John’s mouthpiece,” to which Alexis replied,

“I have to because you’re lying.”

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Legal issues between Shannon and John

Los Angeles Premiere Of Season Two Of Amazon Freevee's "Hollywood Houselift With Jeff Lewis" (Image via Getty)

The Real Housewives of Orange County reunion also addressed a legal matter between Shannon and John, which became a point of focus during the season. Shannon stated that John had sued her for $75,000. He reportedly provided Shannon with two loans to cover a cosmetic procedure during their relationship.

According to Shannon, John later offered to settle for a reduced amount of $70,000, but she noted that he had declined to sign a mutual non-disparagement agreement. This financial dispute remained unresolved at the time of the reunion and contributed to the discussions between Alexis and Shannon regarding past grievances.

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Watch The Real Housewives of Orange County reunion special, which aired on Bravo. Stream episodes on Peacock to watch all the season 18 drama unfold.