Andy Cohen spoke out about the accusations surrounding the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Girardi and her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, after the release of the Hulu documentary, The Housewife and the Hustler.
Cohen addressed the allegations during the Wednesday, June 16, episode of SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live when a caller asked how the ABC News Originals special would “affect Erika’s future” on the Bravo hit reality series.
“Well, I don’t know,” Cohen replied, according to Us Weekly. “I don’t think that documentary will affect her future on the show.”
The caller then described how the project was “the first thing I ever saw as a viewer that made me not want to watch the show or watch her on the show, just because seeing her life of opulence, knowing that that money was stolen money, made it a little bit icky.”
Cohen, however, called into question the legitimacy of the claims made in the documentary while also admitting that the accusations against Tom are serious. “I will say the idea that Danielle Staub and Dana Wilkey are the experts in this documentary about Erika is questionable at best. So I kind of realized I wasn’t gonna learn anything new from them about Erika,” he said. “The Tom Girardi stories continue to be deeply disturbing, and we have to see how this plays out.”
The Housewife and the Hustler, which premiered last week, featured interviews with Tom’s alleged victims, who claim he stole their settlement money after representing them as their lawyer.
Law360 features reporter Brandon Lowrey said that Erika’s role as “secretary” of Tom’s Girardi Financial company raises “questions” about “what she knew, whether she benefited from this, what she’s received in that capacity.” Although the reality star has not been charged, the journalist added that it will “be hard for her to say she didn’t know that anything was going on.”
Erika and Tom made headlines in November 2020 when the Bravo reality star filed for divorce after 20 years of marriage. The following month, the estranged couple was sued for fraud and embezzlement.
In addition to accusing them of swindling $2 million in settlement funds intended for families of victims of a 2018 plane crash, class action firm Edelson PC claimed in federal court documents that the divorce was “simply a sham attempt to fraudulently protect Tom’s and Erika’s money from those that seek to collect on debts owed by Tom and his law firm.”
Tom faced a second lawsuit later that month, alleging that his company breached a written agreement and conversation with Wells Fargo Vendor Financial Services. The bank sought immediate payment on the $882,715 outstanding bill.
The 82-yar-old was placed under a temporary conservatorship in February when his brother assumed control of his daily activities and personal care. One of Tom’s attorneys claimed in court in December 2020 that he was hospitalized for a “serious illness,” raising questions about his mental competency. Court documents revealed in March that Tom was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Photo Credit: Bravo Media/NBCUniversal; E! Entertainment; Girardi & Keese
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