Plastic surgery is as common on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County as fighting, expensive mansions, wine throwing (okay, that was just once), and cast changes. When one beloved star decided to get a recent procedure, her mom was perhaps a bit too honest.
Tamra Judge shared in early September 2024 that she decided to have a chemical peel and brow lift. She admitted that it looks rough right now, and she’s still in the process of recovery. But while you would hope that your mom would stop by with treats and kind words that everything is going to be okay, that’s unfortunately not what happened here.
Tamra shared that Sandy Baker, her mom, texted her and was super blunt about Tamra’s appearance. Sandy didn’t think her daughter looked good, and said her pals thought Tamra’s face looked like she crashed her motorcycle (that’s a new insult!).
While Sandy was right that “it looks so painful,” she said she wanted to throw up from looking at Tamra’s face, which is probably the worst thing you could say to someone when they’ve just had work done.
How did Tamra react? Did she cry? Tell her mom she was being mean? Swear she would never talk to her ever again? Well, this is Tamra, and she’s got one of the thickest skins of any Real Housewives cast member who has so much money they can afford any plastic surgery they want. She posted screenshots of her mom’s comments on Instagram and explained, “I literally can’t stop laughing. You guys know where I get my empathy from, right? I can’t, she’s too much.”
Tamra likely told her mom that recovery takes a while, and that her face was going to look pretty bad at first. Her face could look swollen or red for even several months, but hopefully the RHOC star’s face will return to normal before that. As for the brow lift, it could take Tamra 10-14 days to heal, according to The Cleveland Clinic.
Considering how many Real Housewives get cosmetic surgery (Rachel Fuda’s nose job is just one example), Sandra’s reaction is surprising. She must know that her daughter has gotten plastic surgery before; in 2021, she got her implants taken out because she suffered from breast implant illness, according to People. Even though Sandy might not approve of her daughter’s choices, Tamra (and anyone else) can do whatever they want with their body, and no one should criticize them for it.
But, as Tamra said, being honest is a family trait, and as a long-time RHOC fan, I can say with total authority that Tamra would likely joke around if her mom had the same procedures done. They seem to have a playful relationship, and Sandy even moved in with Tamra and her husband Eddie for a while after putting her condo on the market. Maybe Sandy was getting revenge on her daughter for telling RHOC viewers in the season 17 premiere that Sandy and her BF David were super loud while being intimate. They’re definitely a mother/daughter duo who don’t mince words.