Erika Jayne Shares Rare Insight Into John “Shrek” McPhee Romance

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Erika Jayne‘s love life is anything but a mess.

Okay, seriously, Erika is *finally* happy! She told everyone she’s having a “really nice time” with John, you guys! John “Shrek” McPhee – I know, the nickname is a little much, but he’s so sweet! Remember when they first started being linked back in July? I’ve been following everything since then, and it’s just so good to see her with someone who treats her well. I’m obsessed with them as a couple!

Erika shared on their iHeartRadio podcast, *Diamonds in the Rough*, that she recently had a fantastic trip to Panama with her husband, John. She said it was one of the best trips of her life, and she received stem cell treatment at a clinic there.

She continued, describing enjoyable dates – dinners, holding hands, and walks through old Panama City. She felt relaxed and happy, and appreciated the chance to clear her head.

Although Erika and her partner haven’t publicly confirmed their relationship with a red carpet appearance or on social media, she’s hinted that she’s open to whatever the future holds.

 

She admitted to feeling uncertain about the future, but said she was learning to be okay with that. Mostly, she expressed a strong desire for peace and calm after a difficult five years.

The past few years have been emotionally challenging for singer Erika Jayne. She filed for divorce from Tom Girardi in 2020 after over two decades together, but the divorce has been delayed due to legal issues involving her ex-husband. Tom Girardi received a prison sentence of over seven years this June for wire fraud.

After Tom was convicted, Erika told *Extra* last year that it was painful to see someone she cared for so much fall from grace. However, she knew she needed to accept the situation and focus on her own future, as there was nothing she could do to change what had happened. She emphasized that while she couldn’t control the past, she could control what lay ahead.

I’ve always admired John – he’s a retired Army special ops sergeant major, and honestly, he understands what it’s like to go through a tough divorce. He’s been there, too.

He explained on *The Megyn Kelly Show* in May that frequent deployments during his military career led to multiple divorces. He noted that most soldiers struggled to maintain their marriages during wartime, with only those in exceptionally strong relationships succeeding. He said, “The vast majority of guys end up divorced.”

Keep reading to see when Erika lands on TopMob’s definitive ranking of every Housewife ever.

Bravo’s reality show about Washington D.C. featured four women—Mary Amons, Lynda Erkiletian, Cat Ommanney, and Stacie Scott Turner—who didn’t exactly make a lasting impression. And then there was one woman who was so eager for attention, she actually crashed a party at the White House. We’ll be talking about her later.

Who?

Vaguely familiar, but…

Once upon a time, DeShawn starred on the same TV show as NeNe Leakes. Surprising, we know.

This one-season Housewife brought nothing to the Orange County table.

The newest cast member on the Utah edition of “The Real Housewives” had a dramatic and short-lived run. In January 2022, Jennie was let go from the show after old, offensive Facebook posts with racially insensitive content came to light. She later issued an apology, but the show decided to remove her from the cast.

Her defining trait was “cougar.”

Dr. Jen wasn’t known for causing trouble during season 16, and her short-lived marital issues with her husband, Ryne, weren’t very exciting. But we’ll always remember when she got noticeably tipsy on wine at the Dubrows’ famously strange, but fun, dinner party.

The nurse anesthetist’s first season was a disaster, best remembered by the embarrassing incident now known as “Esophagus-gate.”

Katie frequently talked about her charitable efforts, but she didn’t really engage much when filming. She made a brief appearance and then didn’t offer much support to the other cast members. Plus, leaving the cast’s group trip early is a major breach of etiquette in the world of reality television.

Charrisse is mostly remembered for her highly publicized marriage troubles during her two seasons on the show, and, of course, her famous champagne room.

A one-and-done Housewife, Shamari was at least fun?

Although it was refreshing to see some diversity on *The Real Housewives of Orange County*, Peggy ended up being a difficult cast member in season 12. Her arguments were strange and often stemmed from misunderstandings of simple words, and when she retreated to her room for a whole day during the Iceland trip, it became clear she wasn’t suited for the show’s lifestyle.

Nneka’s first season on the show focused on a surprising and dramatic conflict: she claimed Wendy Osefo’s mother practiced witchcraft. It was a shame, as it would have been great to see Nneka and Wendy connect over their Nigerian heritage instead of being caught in this unresolved feud.

Noella brought a lot of energy to season 16 of the show. Although viewers felt for her – her husband, James, unexpectedly left and filed for divorce just before filming began – it was her ongoing conflict with Heather Dubrow that kept her from being seen as the least interesting cast member. Perhaps with more time on the show, viewers will connect with Noella.

It’s rare to see a Real Housewife’s reputation decline so quickly. She went from being a peacemaker in her first season to facing accusations of anti-Semitism and constantly complaining – all sparked by a thrown cake – which led to her being fired after just two seasons.

It seemed like Amber and her husband, Jim, were acting out of desperation. And he was much more caught up in the problems than she was, which didn’t look good for either of them.

The only thing most people recall about Karent is that she worked as a dentist, and apparently, her colleagues didn’t care for her. Moving on!

This was a real person with a show on Bravo. We promise.

Jules was only on *RHONY* for one season, so it’s hard to place her higher on a ranking list. Still, she definitely brought the drama during her time on the show.

So unnecessary they couldn’t even get individual taglines.

I’ve always been so impressed by Nina. Like Sara Al Madani, she really embodies what it means to be a successful Arab woman today – skillfully balancing a modern lifestyle with our rich cultural heritage. She mostly stayed out of the drama during the first season, which I appreciated, but sometimes her quieter strength was a bit lost amongst the more outgoing personalities. I think she’s a real inspiration.

Taleen joined the second season of *RHODubai* and made a positive impression, but it’s hard to fully evaluate her after just one season.

Although she appeared on *America’s Next Top Model*, the reality star didn’t make a significant impact on *The Real Housewives of Atlanta* beyond her long pregnancy. However, she did deliver a memorable confrontation with Marlo Hampton while in Tokyo.

As a longtime Bravo fan, I usually need to see a Housewife for at least a season before I really form an opinion. But Katie really impressed me during her first season on RHOC! She didn’t hesitate to challenge Heather Dubrow right away, and honestly, it takes guts to call out someone like her. I was hooked immediately!

To be frank, Stephanie wasn’t a favorite of ours. Although she had the potential to be a compelling cast member due to her wealth, her constant use of her private jet to control the other women on season seven just didn’t sit right with us.

Maybe Steph can redeem herself if she returns for season eight.

Sara was known for her optimistic and positive attitude, which made her a joy to be around, though things were usually quite calm around her – except for the time she gave some unsolicited parenting advice to her co-star, Caroline Brooks. More importantly, she challenged common ideas about modern Muslim women in the Middle East, and that’s something to celebrate.

The new cast members on season 13 of *RHONJ* quickly fell into familiar patterns for Jersey Housewives, getting caught up in a season-long argument over something insignificant, which Andy Cohen later called pointless. Sadly, their second season didn’t offer much more depth or substance.

Larsa Pippen wasn’t a standout cast member during her first season on the show. When The Real Housewives of Miami returned in 2021, a major focus of her storyline was her past friendship with Kim Kardashian, along with her side hustle selling photos of her feet online.

After appearing on Bravo for one season, Ana tried out for *Next Food Network Star* in 2016, but unfortunately wasn’t selected.

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2025-10-15 00:22