Tamra Judge Explains How a Photo Caused a Rift With Her Daughter in 'RHOC' Reunion

Tamra Judge opened up Monday about how posting a photo of her estranged daughter's graduation [...]

Tamra Judge opened up Monday about how posting a photo of her estranged daughter's graduation caused a massive fight between the two during the first half of the Real Housewives of Orange County reunion special.

Judge and her daughter Sidney Barney have long been at odds, with Barney distancing herself from her mother after the 2011 divorce of Judge and her father Simon Barney. Sidney opted to live with her father full-time, and Judge has said in the past that years would go by in between times she saw her daughter.

In June, fans had hope that the two were finally mending their relationship when Judge posted a photo of Sidney's graduation photos. But about a month later, Sidney went on a long Facebook rant about how her mother had gone against her wishes by making the reunion public.

"[My father] forced me to let [Tamra] come to my graduation because it was a milestone. When I told my mother that she could come I gave her a few conditions. All I asked was that she remains cordial with my father and my stepmom and to not post anything about my graduation, anywhere," Sidney wrote on Facebook.

"Not even two weeks after I graduated she posted a photo of me and shared it with her one million followers knowing that it would get picked up by the press. The one thing I asked and have been asking for 4 years now has been to not talk about me because I don't want to be in the spotlight," she continued. "But Again breaking her promises as per usual, she puts herself, her fame, her reputation, and her bank account before me. If she really wanted a relationship she would keep her promises and recognize that it is no one else's fault but hers that I do not want her in my life."

"It was something I had been thinking about for the past few years. It was the next milestone in her life that I didn't want to miss. And when I was invited, I was so grateful. I was so happy," Judge said. "But then I started thinking, 'Why am I not helping her? Why am I not picking out the dress? Why am I not planning it?' It's just so hurtful."

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Judge went on to say her relationship with Sidney now is "not good" and that she accepted "some blame" for that, especially when it comes to posting the graduation photo.

"I stupidly posted a picture of her and I on graduation, which she had asked me not to do," Judge said, adding that she only posted the photo after tabloids were reporting that she had not been invited.

"I was just so hurt, I was so hurt," Judge said. "There were so many horrible stories that were coming out and I was impulsive."

In Sidney's August rant, she said she was horrified that her mother continues to talk about her on the Bravo reality show. "My mother continues to talk about me despite me requesting her to stop speaking of me [publicly] as I don't want to be associated with her or the show," she wrote. "She was no mother to me."

Sidney claimed she left her mom's house because she was "neglectful (leaving us at home with no food or simply ignoring us entirely)," had "constantly put herself first" and was "mentally and emotionally abusive."

Asked by host Andy Cohen about Sidney claiming she put her fame first, Judge said it was "not true" and "hurtful."

"If I had done something absolutely horrible to her to warrant this, I'd get it. But I was nothing but a loving mother. That's it," Judge told Cohen.

Judge said it's hard not to include her relationship with Sidney on the show.

"When your child turns their back on you, it's very hard to keep it from a reality show," Judge said. "When you're on a reality show and half your heart is missing? How do you stay quiet about that? I didn't expect that to come out, I didn't. And I think that she'll understand that when she gets older and she has her own kids. She'll understand how hard it is."

The second part of The Real Housewives of Orange County season 12 reunion airs Monday at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

Photo credit: Instagram/@TamraJudge

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