Why Are Tamra Judge and Her Daughter Sidney Estranged?
Tamra Judge and her daughter, Sidney Barney, have been estranged for years. Judge has discussed the estrangement several times during her run on The Real Housewives of Orange County, but her recent breakdown on a cast trip has renewed interest in their strained relationship. So why don’t they speak?
Things turned tense during Tamra Judge’s divorce
Tamra Judge broke down over her estrangement from her daughter during the most recent season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, but the tension between them goes back more than a decade. Things began to unravel in 2011, when Tamra split from Simon Barney, Sidney’s father.
Sidney chose to live with her father. Tamra and Simon’s son, Spencer, chose to live with Tamra and, eventually, Eddie Judge. Their youngest child, Sophia, splits her time between both homes. Tamra didn’t expect it to go that way, though. She has called the decision “sudden” and said she was shocked when her eldest daughter left home at 14 and never returned.
Tamra’s version of events: Parental alienation
For years, Tamra blamed the estrangement on “parental alienation” caused by her bitter divorce from Sidney’s father. In her telling, she was the mother who had been pushed out, and she repeatedly said she believed her daughter would come back someday.
Tamra once claimed that a court-appointed therapist believed Sidney was a victim of parental alienation and that Simon was enjoying his role as the “gatekeeper.” However, there is no court record of that interaction.
Sidney’s version: The spotlight
Sidney Barney, who has mostly stayed out of the public eye, has given a very different account. In a 2015 Facebook post, written after Tamra discussed her divorce and custody battle at an RHOC reunion, Sidney called her mother “embarrassing” and “mentally/verbally abusive.” Her biggest complaint was that Tamra lives her life in front of the cameras and keeps little private, while Sidney wanted privacy.
Sidney later revealed that she had asked her mother years earlier to stop discussing her publicly, but Tamra didn’t honor those requests. Sidney also turned the alienation claim back on her mother, alleging that Tamra was the one trying to alienate her children from their other parent.
The mother and daughter have had moments when they seemed close to finding common ground, but none has led to a reconciliation. Whether Tamra’s recent comments will help or hurt is anyone’s guess.
