Emily Simpson isn’t letting viewers get her down, even when it comes to her parenting.
The Real Housewives of Orange County star is firing back after some fans blasted her for signing on to Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition while her 10-year-old son, Luke, continues to deal with a serious health condition.
“I said yes to Wife Swap long before we started having a lot of issues with Luke,” Emily, 49, told Us Weekly on October 30. “We were concerned about that and if it would be too overwhelming for him, and I had to think about that.”
“It Was About Him Too”
Viewers learned during the RHOC season 19 premiere that Luke was diagnosed with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) — a condition that affects his eating habits and daily life.
Emily, who also shares Annabelle, 12, and Keller, 10, with husband Shane Simpson, says Wife Swap actually gave Luke a chance to shine.
“With Housewives, the majority of the time, it’s me filming with the other women, and then occasionally there are some things at home,” Emily explained. “But there’s a long period of filming, and 95 percent of it is me with the other women. I think Luke really enjoyed this, because it was about him too.”
Translation? Luke wasn’t just okay with filming — he liked it.
Fans Say “Too Much Reality TV,” Emily Says “Mind Your Business”
When news broke that Emily had signed on for Wife Swap, the internet had thoughts — and not all of them were nice.
She’s seen the comments: “I can’t believe she did another show.” But instead of clapping back with shade, Emily responded with gratitude.
“There have been so many moms that have helped me understand Luke better because they’ve been through it,” she shared. “They’ve given me advice, and they’ve given me recommendations. I’ve learned a lot about Luke through the viewers.”
Luke’s Big Breakthrough
Emily says things are finally turning around for Luke after moving him to a new school better suited to his needs.
“He’s blossomed since this new school. He loves it,” she said. “Math is his favorite subject. Now he gets excited to go to school, so that’s alleviated so much stress on him, on us, on the household. It’s been life-altering.”
That’s a major win for the Simpson family — and proof that Luke is thriving, cameras or not.
Family Over Fame
Emily admitted she’s thought about walking away from reality TV altogether, but her husband Shane reminded her that real life — and real coping — can’t happen in a bubble.
“Shane was like, ‘But does that really help him? Is that helping him learn how to cope? You should be able to leave the house or go be with friends or have a job or have a career,’” Emily recalled. “That’s things that kids have to be able to understand and deal with.”
Now, with a growing community of supportive moms and fans — who she calls “my people” — Emily says she’s not just surviving the reality TV grind, she’s learning from it.
As she put it: “I’ve learned a lot about Luke through the viewers.”
And honestly, that’s the kind of reality we love to see.
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