"Sickening" — The Real Housewives of Orange County fans support Shannon after she learns John Janssen owns her DUI video

The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 released its latest episode on Thursday, September 5, 2024. The ladies headed to the wine country for Heather's fundraising event with Family Equality. While others attempted to enjoy themselves, things turned upside down for one cast member. Shannon had an emotional breakdown dealing with John Janssen's lawsuit against her.

Her vulnerability peaked when she discovered John and his partner Alexis owned her DUI video. They claimed that Shannon allegedly almost ran over John's daughter with her car. Shannon felt physically unwell and immediately asked her lawyer to pay John whatever he wanted. She called him a "monster" for pushing her into a corner.

Although Alexis admitted she urged John to "just settle," the latter refused to budge. He was adamant about retrieving $75,000 from his ex. The Real Housewives of Orange County fans took to X to slam John for allegedly extorting money from Shannon while weakening her by holding on to her DUI video. They supported Shannon amidst the chaos.

"My heart absolutely shatters for Shannon. She’s literally being blackmailed with those videos by John. This is so beyond disgusting, it’s sickening. It’s borderline unwatchable. Nobody deserves to suffer through a breakup like Shannon is, especially after her DUI," one fan wrote.

"Poor Shannon. This is horrible. She doesn’t deserve this," a netizen commented.

"It breaks my heart to see Shannon break down every episode like this this so far all season, like is it going to get better for her??" another fan tweeted.

The Real Housewives of Orange County fans criticized John and Alexis for their demeanor towards Shannon.

"I feel so bad for Shannon, she made a mistake but John is torturing her like a psychopath. I hope he gets nothing out of her and I hope she counter sues for blackmail," one user reacted.

"Gut-wrenching ooooh Shannon they did you so dirty casting Alexis. Pure torture- not entertaining at all. Shame on producers & network," a person wrote.

"Alexis saying Shannon is ruining John’s image when both John and Alexis are hell bent on kicking a woman when she’s down….Those two dunderheads are the only ones damaging their image," a fan tweeted.

At the same time, many The Real Housewives of Orange County fans called out John for "threatening" and "blackmailing" Shannon for money.

"So wouldn’t this be considered blackmail/extortion which is illegal? Threatening to leak videos of Shannon if she doesn’t pay? And on camera? This is so messed up," a user commented.

"John Jansen is literally blackmailing Shannon, this is sick! We need to defend Shannon," one netizen wrote.

"watching this season makes me sick . John J is he Getting air time to blackmail Shannon this is the worst season ever, Alexis is pathetic," one fan tweeted.

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"I told the truth" — The Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon reveals details about her relationship with John

The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member confided in Heather about her history with John. She said she never lied about her financial equation with him. Even if it made him "look bad," she confirmed she was truthful about everything.

"I told the truth. I did pay for things for the first half of our relationship. He wants everyone to think he's a good guy and I'm sorry, I know what the truth is," Shannon said.

The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member paid John around $35,000. However, he rejected the offer while Shannon refused to go up one more penny. When Gina accidentally revealed Alexis and John owned ring videos from her DUI accident, Shannon had a mental breakdown. While physically shaking, she called her lawyer and asked him to pay John whatever he sought.

During her conversation with Heather, Shannon admitted John never cared for her. She revealed it took her seconds to become unconscious after crashing her car on the pavement.

Despite sending a picture to John directly after the accident, he did not respond until much later in the night. He not only ignored the message but seemingly "went to bed" leaving The Real Housewives of Orange County star in danger.

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The Real Housewives of Orange County airs every Thursday on Bravo at 9 pm ET.