YouTube/Bravo Erika Girardi
It was “expensive” to be Erika Girardi.
During a recent appearance on Heather McDonald’s Juicy Scoop podcast, Girardi’s former “image-maker,” Troy Jensen, revealed what it was like to work for the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star. Jensen explained that he was originally hired as Girardi’s makeup artist, but ended up running “everything” involving the creative side of her brand and performance persona, Erika Jayne.
“I wasn’t just her makeup artist. I oversaw pretty much everything creative,” Jensen said during his appearance on the Juicy Scoop podcast. “[I did] her photography, I was overseeing the development of her website, her merch, even the logo that she still uses today. That was what I was brought in to do, [create] her image.”
And, one of the perks of working for Girardi seemed to be the pay. “I’d turn in my invoice on a Monday and I’d get paid by Wednesday,” Jensen alleged. “[And I was paid] by Tom’s office. I wasn’t paid out of this EG Global LLC. I was paid by Tom’s office.”
Currently, Girardi is entangled in a legal scandal involving her estranged husband, Tom Girardi. He is being accused of embezzling millions of dollars in client funds over the past few years, and was the subject of a recent documentary on Hulu called “The Housewife and The Hustler.”
Jensen Said That Girardi’s Marriage Seemed ‘Competitive’
During his appearance on The Juicy Scoop podcast, Jensen also admitted that it seemed like Girardi’s marriage to her husband felt “competitive.”
“I remember one time when they were together, and we were maybe getting ready for a show or whatever, and he came in and was like, ‘Hey how’s it going?’ And she goes, ‘How was your day, dear?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, I made $3 billion dollars today, how ’bout you?’ And she goes, ‘Oh, I sang in front of 3 billion queens today,’ Jensen revealed. “That was it… It kind of almost felt a little competitive.”
Jensen also added, “I worked with her very closely so I got to know her very well. And I got to know her, and her dynamic, and this Erika Jayne project was probably the most important thing to her. More than anything. More than probably her marriage, more than anything that she was doing. This was something I think she always wanted to do, and for whatever reason, Tom gave her this opportunity with sparing no expense.”
Other Employees of the Couple Have Spoken Out
Jensen is not the only former employee of the Girardi’s to weigh in. In July 2021, Kim Archie, a former legal consultant at Girardi Keese, also appeared on The Juicy Scoop podcast, where she accused the star of “terrible acting” on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
“That whole scene — and I watched it — did she take acting classes?” Archie said about Girardi’s breakdown during the July 14, 2021 episode of RHOBH. “I thought she went to, like, an art high school in Atlanta. She needs to get her money back from any classes because nobody was buying any of that. I mean, that was terrible acting. It was horrible.”
Archie was also the subject of the Hulu documentary, “The Housewife and The Hustler,” as she is the longtime best friend of Kathy Ruigomez, who is the mother of Joseph Ruigomez, a burn victim who alleged in the Hulu documentary that Girardi stole more than $11 million from him and his family.
Viewers can catch all-new episodes of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Bravo.
READ NEXT: Lisa Rinna Says It ‘Hurt Her’ to See Costars Gossiping About Erika Jayne