Tamra Judge Staunchly Defends Alexis Bellino Amid Shannon Beador Drama: 'She Doesn't Have a Mean Bone in Her Body'

Tamra Judge continues to keep The Real Housewives of Orange County fresh season after season.

The Bravo star has returned for the 18th installment of the iconic franchise and is keeping her fellow cast members accountable and on their toes.

Judge chats exclusively with OK! about the fallout between her and Shannon Beador , why people have the wrong idea about Alexis Bellino and her hit podcast with Teddi Mellencamp , "Two T's In a Pod."

"I want it to be known because there's a lot of people out there that don't know that I was very supportive of Shannon after her DUI. I was on the phone crying with her. We had some difficult conversations. I don't think she really liked that very much, but at the end of the day, we're not speaking because of Tres Amigas or Alexis Bellino. It's something that she did. It's something that she did to me behind my back, and I felt this is just the breaking point," the reality star says.

Despite their rocky past, Judge has been a strong advocate for Bellino, who has been dating Beador's former boyfriend John Jassen .

"Alexis was talking about coming back to the show before John Janssen," the blonde beauty spills of Bellino's big return. "She would call me and say, 'I want to do this, but I don't know, I don't know if this is a good idea.' At this point, she was dating John, and she said, 'I'm not a mean person. I don't want to kick Shannon while she's down. I know me dating John on the show is going to be difficult for her.' She always had Shannon's best interest at heart. I don't think people realize that. She's not a malicious person at all. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body."

When she's not appearing on reality television, Judge can be found chatting with her fellow reality stars alongside The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Mellencamp.

"I love it when I'm going to interview somebody that I don't know that well," she notes on the podcast. "Maybe I have expectations of them, or maybe they're not my favorite because of what they do on the show. When I interview them, I become great friends with them, and I love that."

"I've really gotten close to so many Housewives and our podcast is not about talking down about any Housewife or making fun of them. We always say like, 'We're watching as viewers . We're giving our opinion as a viewer,'" she adds. "You're only as good as this week's episode."

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.