The success of The Real Housewives of Orange County has spawned several spin-offs across the U.S. The series will always be known as the OG Real Housewives show, with one of its most prominent stars being Tamra Judge. Tamra did not star in the first-ever season of RHOC, but was introduced in Season 3. Fans have followed Tamra’s long journey on the series, including seeing her get a divorce, calling Alexis Bellino “Jesus jugs,” her constant feud with ex-friend Vicki Gunvalson, and finding love again with Eddie Judge.
What fans also got to see in the early seasons of RHOC is Tamra’s life as an Orange County mom. The reality star is a mother to four children, but after her nasty divorce from first husband, Simon Barney, their kids basically disappeared from the show. That is, until her youngest daughter, Sophia, made a return in Season 18. However, fans shouldn’t count on all of her children returning to our TV screens.
Tamra Judge’s Daughter Sophia Barney Returned To RHOC In Season 18
Fans of The Real Housewives of Orange County will remember seeing Tamra Judge’s children when they were much younger on the series. Following the end of RHOC Season 5, Tamra and her then-husband of 13 years, Simon Barney, separated. Unfortunately, that also meant that viewers would no longer be able to see the former couple’s children, Sidney, Sophia, and Spencer Barney. As People stated, Simon refused to sign documentation that would allow his children to appear on the reality show.
Tamra’s three children were not shown on the series, although her oldest son from a previous relationship, Ryan Vieth, continued to make appearances. However, that all changed when Season 18 of RHOC aired in July. Fans finally got to see a much-older Sophia make her debut and were thrilled.
Fans had not seen Sophia on the series since she was 4-years-old. But, after she turned 18, she decided she wanted to take part in RHOC. In a confessional for the latest season, Tamra states, “You haven’t seen Sophia in over 10 years because her dad would not sign the agreement to allow her to film. She’s been living with me this entire time. She is now 18 and getting ready to go to college.”
Speaking to People about her return, Sophia admitted that she was glad she could be on the hit series again. It also meant that she didn’t need to hide from cameras every time the show was filming in her home.
“It was frustrating hiding in the shadows. I had to tiptoe around the cameras all the time. And seeing my mom do it my entire life, it seemed like there was something happening in my life that I was kind of a part of, but always an outsider to.”
Tamra was just as happy to get to have her daughter on the show. During their joint People interview, Tamra called Sophia her “best friend,” adding, “Which, I think a lot of people wouldn’t understand because they haven’t seen our bond over the years.”
This Is Why Fans Won’t See Spencer On RHOC Anytime Soon
With the return of Sophia Barney on RHOC, fans wondered if that meant Tamra Judge’s other children would also be making appearances. According to Heavy, in a September Instagram Story Q& A while Tamra was recovering from a major surgery, a fan asked Tamra if viewers would be seeing her youngest son, Spencer, on the season.
The fan asked, “What’s new with Spencer? Would love to see you him and Sophia do a scene!” In a video response, Tamra revealed that seeing Spencer on RHOC would probably never happen because he isn’t a fan of being in front of the camera.
“Spencer is a behind-the-scenes type of kid. He’s not even a kid anymore, he’s 24-years-old. He just graduated college from Cal State Fullerton, and he’s living in the general area. He did go with me to Watch What Happens Live and we were in New York for about three or four days and we had a great time but he’s pretty shy.”
Via: YouTube/Bravo
Spencer has been in a few episodes of the series ever since turning 18, which allowed him to film since he was an adult. Fans might remember in Season 13 of RHOC, when Tamra threw Spencer a 18th birthday party. In that episode, Spencer appeared extremely timid and not very comfortable in front of the cameras.
Tamra even shared how different her son was compared to her. “He really is like a 90-year-old man. He has his life planned out, he loves politics, he’s into history, he likes to communicate. So not me.”
How Is Tamra’s Relationship With Her Older Daughter, Sidney?
Although Spencer does not like to be on camera, it is great to see that Tamra has a great relationship with both him and Sophia, since fans have not seen them on the show for so long. Unfortunately, her relationship with her older daughter, Sidney, isn’t exactly as sweet as they have had a difficult relationship since Tamra’s divorce from Simon.
via Instar
In Season 12, Tamra spoke about their non-existent relationship, and it was heartbreaking to hear. “Being erased from your child’s life, you instantly feel like a bd parent. People don’t realize it’s happening to 20 million people in the world.
In a 2023 appearance on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live, Tamra gave an update about the status of her relationship with Sidney. Fans learned that the mother and daughter are slowly rebuilding a relationship. Stating that they are in a “good” place, Tamra added, “I actually saw her at Sophia’s [high school] graduation, and things were nice.”
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