RHOBH: A Timeline of Erika Jayne & Tom Girardi's Relationship & Split
Erika and Tom Girardi seemed to have a solid marriage, so the divorce filing came as a shock to fans. Here is a timeline of the couple's relationship.
Early last month, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne filed for divorce from her husband, Tom Girardi, after 21 years of marriage. This came as a shock to fans, as many thought they had a solid relationship.
Erika joined the cast of the reality series in 2015. At the time, her castmates and fans of the show were taken aback by the 32-year age difference between the couple. While the relationship seemed odd at first, the interactions between Tom and Erika were always sweet and genuine. When news of their divorce came to light, fans were shocked to see this once-solid relationship end. Here is a timeline of the couple's relationship and their untimely breakup.
According to People, Erika and Tom met in the '90s when she was a cocktail waitress at a restaurant called Chasen's in Los Angeles, California. At the time, Erika was 27 years old, newly divorced, and a single mother to her son, Thomas. After visiting the restaurant many times and developing a friendship, Tom decided to ask Erika out on a date. The couple connected about their past, as they both grew up with very little and had to work hard for a buck. Just a few months later, Erika and her son moved in with Tom. Six months after that, he proposed and the couple married in 1999 at the same restaurant where they met.
When the 49-year-old joined the cast of RHOBH, she was open about their relationship, but Tom made few appearances during her first couple of years on the Bravo series. Even though he did not appear often, Tom was supportive of Erika's singing career and her stint on Broadway as Roxie Hart in Chicago. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tom was unable to see Erika make her Broadway debut, as the show shut down during the week he was supposed to be in the audience.
A month ago, it was reported Erika filed for divorce from Tom after over 20 years of marriage. Erika published a statement about the divorce, writing, "After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi," she continued. "It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect and with the privacy that both Tom and I deserved." According to court documents obtained by E!, Erika requested spousal support and asked to court to not allow Tom to request the same from her. Recently, Tom submitted a response to Erika's divorce filings, citing "irreconcilable differences" behind their break up. He also asked the courts to eliminate the ability to award spousal support to Erika, as well as for her to pay his attorney fees. Since then, there have been rumors that the split is a sham and they are trying to hide from their embezzlement lawsuit. but only time will tell with this relationship.