Speaker 1: Hey guys, Welcome back to another episode of Casual Chaos.
Speaker 2: This week.
Speaker 1: I have a guest that some of you might recognize
Speaker 1: from the early days of The Real House Ives in
Speaker 1: New Jersey, LEXI you wan to welcome to Casual Chaos.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's so nice to see you.
Speaker 1: It's so nice to see you. I'm like so giddy
Speaker 1: right now.
Speaker 2: No, it's been so long. I can't even pinpoint how
Speaker 2: long it's been.
Speaker 1: I know, I mean, we'll dive into all of it,
Speaker 1: but I was really trying to remember when the last
Speaker 1: time was. And I don't even know if you were
Speaker 1: at Audrianna's communion.
Speaker 2: I wasn't, so then I really don't know. I don't
Speaker 2: know either.
Speaker 1: I mean, my last memories were, you know, obviously running
Speaker 1: around the brown Stone, Jacqueline's house, Caroline's house, your mom's house,
Speaker 1: obviously your old house, running through your mom's closet, just yeah,
Speaker 1: little things like this, yes, and then walking in and
Speaker 1: animals everywhere there the little chihuahua what was what was
Speaker 1: his name?
Speaker 2: Crazy? The one with other arms?
Speaker 1: Oh crazy, Yes, that was your mom's baby. But I
Speaker 1: have random memories of all of this stuff. But I
Speaker 1: don't know when the last time was I really don't.
Speaker 2: Loveably ten years ago, which is so crazy because it
Speaker 2: doesn't feel like that.
Speaker 1: I've been back and forth to California. I've seen your
Speaker 1: mom and Dave, but I've just never seen you.
Speaker 2: The timing has always been always off. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well, now you're in New York. How does it feel
Speaker 1: coming back to Jersey? Do you ever get anxiety about it?
Speaker 2: I get so much anxiety about it. I really try
Speaker 2: to avoid it at all costs, honestly. But I was
Speaker 2: just there to see my dad and my whole Greek's
Speaker 2: out of the family.
Speaker 1: How is your relationship with your dad now?
Speaker 2: He's the best dad? Yeah? He's always been the best dad,
Speaker 2: the most consistent and normal and all of the chaos
Speaker 2: of how we were raised, my dad was like my
Speaker 2: normal sounding boy. So he's great.
Speaker 1: Because when we were younger, did your dad not want
Speaker 1: you to doing the show?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: I have random memories. This is where it's coming back
Speaker 1: to me. But I'm having such random memories of everything
Speaker 1: from when we were little.
Speaker 2: You were so little. But the first season, I don't
Speaker 2: think anybody knew what it was going to be or
Speaker 2: what we were getting ourselves into. And once it kind
Speaker 2: of came out and it was as big as it was.
Speaker 2: My dad was like, and my mom, we need to
Speaker 2: pull Lexi out of this because I was just struggling
Speaker 2: so much in school. I was twelve when the first
Speaker 2: season aired, and I was so nerdy, so unfortunate looking.
Speaker 2: It was like in the ultimate you know, awkward phase.
Speaker 2: And it's like aired on national television, which luckily you
Speaker 2: were able to see it coming because you were like
Speaker 2: so little. Very few people can say that they went
Speaker 2: through what we did with their awkward faces being displayed
Speaker 2: for the whole time, you know, world to have an
Speaker 2: opinion on it.
Speaker 1: It's definitely a crazy experience. But I remember you didn't
Speaker 1: have an easy time in school. No, I had to
Speaker 1: leave my school.
Speaker 2: It was this whole thing. I was basically like tortured
Speaker 2: over it. Like it wasn't regarded as a cool thing.
Speaker 2: It isolated me. Did you feel that way too? Honestly?
Speaker 1: And I feel like this stereotype kind of lives in
Speaker 1: Jersey a little bit about the different counties for sure,
Speaker 1: But in Morris County we look at Bergen County as, oh,
Speaker 1: these are where the rich kids live. You know, everyone's
Speaker 1: got it together in this County. And that's just how
Speaker 1: people in Morris County see it. Not that the people
Speaker 1: in Morris County. You know, people obviously have money in
Speaker 1: Morris County, but people don't view that county as that definitely,
Speaker 1: so yes, a status thing, one hundred percent. You know, Oh,
Speaker 1: there's nice houses in Bergen County, really nice areas.
Speaker 2: Stuff like that in Lakes has such a connotation to
Speaker 2: it now too.
Speaker 1: I remember they would go get their hair done at
Speaker 1: the Cocoa Chateau.
Speaker 2: Yeah, chateau. That's where it all started.
Speaker 1: That's where it all started. When I was growing up,
Speaker 1: I might have had I think one person really stuck
Speaker 1: with bullying me. I guess you could say it was bullying,
Speaker 1: but just kind of comments throughout the years. When I
Speaker 1: was in elementary school, middle school, high school, it was
Speaker 1: the same person that constantly tortured me, and I.
Speaker 2: Was like, what is wrong she? Now, I would love
Speaker 2: to know it was a guy. What is a boy?
Speaker 2: I'm so unexpected right, Usually the girls are the mean
Speaker 2: one I know.
Speaker 1: But I have to say I was fortunate enough that
Speaker 1: people really didn't bother me in Moville. They really didn't.
Speaker 1: And even when I got to Rutgers. It was more
Speaker 1: so fans coming up to me, and so I really
Speaker 1: didn't receive the hate.
Speaker 2: I think it was a timing thing. I went into
Speaker 2: it at that age, like you were so little when
Speaker 2: it all started, and then it kind of evolved and
Speaker 2: it became something cool. But in the beginning, there were
Speaker 2: so many women in New Jersey that were so envious
Speaker 2: of our moms and wish that they got that attention
Speaker 2: and that opportunity. It was just a perfect storm of
Speaker 2: bad timing and that's why my mom left.
Speaker 1: So she left right after season two, and she, I
Speaker 1: think felt like this wasn't for her when it was happening,
Speaker 1: and as much as she had my mom stick up
Speaker 1: for her, literally filip a table for her, I think
Speaker 1: it was just very overwhelming. But I think there was
Speaker 1: also so many other components to it too. You know,
Speaker 1: it was affecting you a lot, but then I think
Speaker 1: it was also getting in the way of her relationship
Speaker 1: with Caroline and Jacqueline created such a mess, such a mess.
Speaker 1: Do you feel like everything that is transpired to present
Speaker 1: day Do you feel like if the show was never
Speaker 1: a thing, that everything would have happened.
Speaker 2: You know, family dynamics are complicated. You understand that too.
Speaker 2: The personalities are so different. I think it's a shame
Speaker 2: because we had such a large and amazing family, and
Speaker 2: for my grandparents, I wish that they got to see unity.
Speaker 2: We are so different. Yeah, we're just so different. Yeah.
Speaker 2: I really don't see a lot of common ground between
Speaker 2: us and the rest of the family.
Speaker 1: Your mom also came back season six, Yes, for one year.
Speaker 2: The only reason she went back is because her family
Speaker 2: left and she was going through the divorce. I was
Speaker 2: about to go to college, and she's like, this is
Speaker 2: a job. Do you want to go to college? It
Speaker 2: doesn't pay for itself. We got to do it, and
Speaker 2: I was totally open to it at that point. That
Speaker 2: season was so boring.
Speaker 1: You know, that was the worst season in Jersey Sty
Speaker 1: So boring. Yeah, no, that one was bad, But you
Speaker 1: know what, the season was boring because everyone kind of
Speaker 1: got along and the people that were fighting were around
Speaker 1: care No.
Speaker 2: One cared about it exactly.
Speaker 1: So they wanted you know, your mom to be fighting
Speaker 1: with Caroline and Jacqueline. They wanted my mom and her
Speaker 1: brother to rip each other's heads off.
Speaker 2: That's what they want want to decided to have boundaries
Speaker 2: with their family that.
Speaker 1: Year, I know why, I think was normal, Literally everything
Speaker 1: was normal for a hot seck. I mean, you were
Speaker 1: so close with I remember when we were younger, you know,
Speaker 1: I'll be Lauren, Chris and I mean they were the
Speaker 1: ones that were closest to age with you. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: lived with them, if you remember, my mom and I
Speaker 1: lived with Caroline when my parents got divorced. They were
Speaker 1: basically my siblings.
Speaker 2: I'm an only child. Yeah, so it was definitely a
Speaker 2: massive loss to lose those relationships, and the crossfire of
Speaker 2: what happened with our moms hard.
Speaker 1: They initially stopped talking. Was it when your mom and
Speaker 1: Tommy got divorced? Oh no, No, it was way before,
Speaker 1: way before, and then I truly can't even tie it
Speaker 1: down to one reason. Yeah.
Speaker 2: The show creates a lot of chaos, yeah, especially with
Speaker 2: family dynamics and money and fame, and it can kind
Speaker 2: of have the ability to bring out the worst in
Speaker 2: some people sometimes too.
Speaker 1: It does, especially like you said, when there's money involved.
Speaker 1: As sad as it is, it's a competition exactly so,
Speaker 1: because there's a show involved and then the money's involved,
Speaker 1: essentially competing against your family members to try to get
Speaker 1: to the top. It shouldn't be like that, and as
Speaker 1: a family, build an empire, grow as a family together,
Speaker 1: create a unit. I always, you know, wish that for
Speaker 1: my mom as well. I said to her, if your
Speaker 1: brother didn't come on the show behind your back and
Speaker 1: want what you had so badly and just asked you, hi, Tree,
Speaker 1: I think I want to join the show, my mom
Speaker 1: would have said, all right, Joey, let's do this together.
Speaker 1: We'll build this empire as a family, make our parents proud,
Speaker 1: and show America what an Italian family really is exactly.
Speaker 2: But it's the most national job, like in the entire world.
Speaker 2: It's hard to just look at it as that as
Speaker 2: an opportunity, as a job. It's like all these emotions
Speaker 2: get involved. Yeah, my mom fell out with hers during
Speaker 2: that second season. I'm pretty sure that's when it really
Speaker 2: all became.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you were young when my mom flipped the table.
Speaker 1: I remember you had you were still young, You're still little,
Speaker 1: so you were living with them when you were little.
Speaker 2: I was living with them from ages like four to seven.
Speaker 1: So that's why you were saying they were like, really
Speaker 1: did raise you?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, Lauren was there when I shaved my
Speaker 2: legs for the first time. She dropped me off at
Speaker 2: a boy's house for the first time for my first kiss.
Speaker 2: You know, all being Christopher, where my brother is my
Speaker 2: protectors and now we're complete strangers.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you don't talk to any of them at all.
Speaker 2: I reefed out to them after Tommy went to jail
Speaker 2: because I was looking for help getting my things back
Speaker 2: from the house because he left for jail, and then
Speaker 2: I had an understanding that he kept everything of mine
Speaker 2: all those years, so I wanted it back. It was
Speaker 2: really difficult for me to extend myself and to ask
Speaker 2: for help, but I was that desperate, Like I just
Speaker 2: wanted them.
Speaker 1: You wanted your heirlooms back, You wanted the things that
Speaker 1: like you said when I've read your entry, when you
Speaker 1: don't poke the bear, I almost started crying just because
Speaker 1: it brought back just so many memories, and it also
Speaker 1: just brought back how I remember our moms on the
Speaker 1: phone just saying my closet's there, I have everything's there.
Speaker 1: He literally left me with nothing, and reading your entry
Speaker 1: and saying how you even had thirty minutes to get
Speaker 1: your things? That was no right to you. No, this
Speaker 1: wasn't your fault that they were separating. It was almost
Speaker 1: like a dominance thing, like get out of my house,
Speaker 1: but you're left with nothing to make you feel so
Speaker 1: alone and helpless in a way.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and then he held on to my things for
Speaker 2: you know, ten years and used them as a collateral. Yeah,
Speaker 2: because he had this also, this like weird obsession with
Speaker 2: me for years. People would tell me that he kept
Speaker 2: my room exactly the same because he thought I was
Speaker 2: going to come back, Like I can't even begin to
Speaker 2: understand why you would think I would ever come back there.
Speaker 2: But let's have those things weird towards you when you
Speaker 2: were younger. He never had children of his own, and
Speaker 2: I was the closest thing he had to it, so.
Speaker 1: He really never uncomfortable though.
Speaker 2: No, he was never inappropriate, but he definitely was very affectionate,
Speaker 2: and that was something I was very uncomfortable with because
Speaker 2: neither of my parents are that way, So to receive
Speaker 2: it from a stepfather is kind of like extra strange
Speaker 2: when you don't receive it from your actual father. My
Speaker 2: dad's very lovey, dovey, kissy, huggy. Yeah, and you know,
Speaker 2: I was told to pay him that kind of affection
Speaker 2: out of respect. Therefore, I felt like our relationship was
Speaker 2: very uncomfortable for me.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know if you remember how he was,
Speaker 1: but he just like I honestly remember him not being
Speaker 1: that present.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was never around.
Speaker 1: I always remember whenever we were at the Brownstone, we
Speaker 1: would run into the office, you know, just like kind
Speaker 1: of like go through the outskirts of the Brownstone and
Speaker 1: run around and cause havoc because we could, and because
Speaker 1: we were so close with everyone and it didn't matter.
Speaker 1: But I always just remember him sitting at that desk
Speaker 1: at the Brownstone. I really don't have vivid memories of
Speaker 1: any of that.
Speaker 2: That's usually where he was, so it makes sense. Yeah,
Speaker 2: he's an interesting character. And the way their divorce played
Speaker 2: out and everything afterwards really is still, you know, a
Speaker 2: shock to both My mom and I were just like,
Speaker 2: how did this become reality?
Speaker 1: But he clearly had and your right, obsession is the
Speaker 1: right word, because then to make those events actually take
Speaker 1: place and orchest straight something like that, you're sick.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I went to the the trial last year and
Speaker 2: I sat there for a week and I listened to
Speaker 2: everybody test FI and did that give you clarity? Yeah?
Speaker 2: I mean my Mom and I are so different like that,
Speaker 2: Like she couldn't even stomach like being there for like
Speaker 2: thirty minutes every day, all day for seven days, and
Speaker 2: like I needed to know everything. And the word that
Speaker 2: came up a lot was obsessive. Definitely, there was some
Speaker 2: kind of obsessive disorder going on there with the fact
Speaker 2: that he lost his family quote unquote my mom and
Speaker 2: I and he just lost control.
Speaker 1: And he thought that money and power could fix everything.
Speaker 2: And honestly, some of the things he has done have
Speaker 2: been the most painful things I've ever had to face
Speaker 2: in my life. See my mom go through, see Dave
Speaker 2: go through. It's been it's been completely unfair. Nobody deserves
Speaker 2: any of that. But for me, the hardest thing to
Speaker 2: overcome was him keeping my things and then eventually having
Speaker 2: people discard of them. It's like, so hateful.
Speaker 1: What happened when you reached out to them about so.
Speaker 2: I reached out to them, And you know, it's so
Speaker 2: funny because I wrote that don't poke the Bear article
Speaker 2: and that was massive for me because I was silent
Speaker 2: for ten years. I never spoke out on anything.
Speaker 1: I never spoke out about anything, never, And that will
Speaker 1: get into like even how you came here today and
Speaker 1: you know your comfortability level and how much you've grown.
Speaker 1: Because I was so surprised.
Speaker 2: I never spoke out on anyone on anything, on any conflict.
Speaker 2: I always was like Switzerland, and part of me is
Speaker 2: like hesitant to even get into me reaching out to
Speaker 2: them for help. And then I'm like, why why should
Speaker 2: I hold back on like my truth? Yeah, And the
Speaker 2: truth was, like I reached out to them for help.
Speaker 2: I'm sure if you ask them, they did everything to
Speaker 2: their best ability, but if you ask me, it wasn't
Speaker 2: nearly enough. They disappointed me. Again, That's what I mean.
Speaker 2: We're so different. I left off with them very open ended.
Speaker 2: I was talking to them every day, asking for updates,
Speaker 2: looking for help, looking for connections who had access to
Speaker 2: the house. You know, there was a garage sale that
Speaker 2: they had told me about, and they went to the
Speaker 2: garage sale to look for my things, which you know
Speaker 2: that was good on them, but still, Albi told you
Speaker 2: about the garage sale that was now Lauren texted me.
Speaker 2: I was in the middle of like a video interview
Speaker 2: for my business and she texted me, there's a garage sale.
Speaker 2: I heard some of your things are there. I was like, well,
Speaker 2: are you gonna go? Yeah, and she's like, oh, I'm
Speaker 2: going to send some of my friends and I called her.
Speaker 2: I was like, no, you're gonna go, and you're gonna
Speaker 2: go right now, because like at that point, the sale
Speaker 2: was almost over. It had been going on all day long.
Speaker 2: Lauren and Caroline went, one of my mom's friends went.
Speaker 2: I had my dad go and take pictures, and I
Speaker 2: saw things like, you know, the dollhouse that my grandmother
Speaker 2: made me that was in my room growing up. These
Speaker 2: are like irreplaceable heirlooms that have no value to anyone else,
Speaker 2: you know, like my mom's insane shoe collection in her
Speaker 2: designer bags. Those things are long gone. We accepted that,
Speaker 2: but that wasn't what I was looking for. I was
Speaker 2: looking for a piece of myself to have back. And
Speaker 2: people were just protecting, you know, the things in that house,
Speaker 2: protecting Tommy. And I asked Caroline and Lauren for help,
Speaker 2: and I think they were only willing to do what
Speaker 2: they were comfortable doing. I would ask them to make
Speaker 2: phone calls to people and they wouldn't make them.
Speaker 1: So they clearly have some sort of a fear too,
Speaker 1: or they just don't care. And it's just pure selfishness.
Speaker 2: I like to think they care. They're my family, but
Speaker 2: I think we care about themselves more and keeping their
Speaker 2: own peace more than fighting for mine. So it's okay.
Speaker 2: I needed a reminder who I was dealing with because
Speaker 2: as a kid, I saw my mom going through so
Speaker 2: much pain with her family, and I guess I had
Speaker 2: to understand what it felt like as an adult.
Speaker 1: And I feel like, you know, our parents can only
Speaker 1: remind us so much of what they went through and
Speaker 1: how it hurt them, but we're not going to realize
Speaker 1: it until they do it to us. Yeah, we have
Speaker 1: to have our own experiences, our own opinions, and I
Speaker 1: definitely have my own. Did your dad see who was there?
Speaker 2: Like?
Speaker 1: Could he go into the house or was there security?
Speaker 2: I know everything about the woman that had this garage sale,
Speaker 2: and I know she's one of taught me these people.
Speaker 2: And I called her when she was having this sale
Speaker 2: and I told her she was selling illegal goods. I mean,
Speaker 2: I lost my mind. I've lost my mind. Yeah, Like,
Speaker 2: I'm a very even balanced person and I very rarely
Speaker 2: get to the point of extreme anger. But we all
Speaker 2: have a little bit of Teresa table Flipp and I
Speaker 2: definitely lost it on that woman.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, as you should again, you know, I
Speaker 1: mean even everything from when you were little, like your jewelry.
Speaker 2: Everything's gone, just all of that. Everything. Yeah, that would
Speaker 2: tear me apart, everything, you know, I mean everything.
Speaker 1: I was even going through random things the other day,
Speaker 1: and it's crazy, like you know what up, but God
Speaker 1: like sends you to like go through things for a reason.
Speaker 1: And I had this old Mac makeup case, one of
Speaker 1: those really old, like indestructible Mac makeup cases, and I
Speaker 1: was about to, you know, give it to my cleaning lady,
Speaker 1: like here, take it. I mean, I don't need it anymore.
Speaker 1: It was just like collecting dust. And I opened it
Speaker 1: and I guess when I was little, that's where I
Speaker 1: stored all my baby jewelry. So I found all my
Speaker 1: bracelets and literally the Ladybug bracelet your mom gave me
Speaker 1: was in there. Everything. And I was about to just
Speaker 1: give that to my cleaning lid.
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, thank God, but.
Speaker 1: That would have killed me, you know, to like one
Speaker 1: day know that those were gone and wonder where they were.
Speaker 1: But I mean for him to want to keep all
Speaker 1: of that, he.
Speaker 2: Kept it with so much intention. To have something to
Speaker 2: hold over me. The week before he went away, he
Speaker 2: called me and I didn't pick up because I had
Speaker 2: a restraining order. But you know that the FBI put
Speaker 2: in place, So he called me, and I was like
Speaker 2: frozen into fear, like, oh my god, I can't believe
Speaker 2: he would call me, like he's about to go to prison.
Speaker 2: I know everything he's done and how he did it,
Speaker 2: and I think he was probably calling about the things
Speaker 2: because he knew that that was the only reason that
Speaker 2: I would consider picking up. And I look back, and
Speaker 2: I do wish I picked up, because now I have
Speaker 2: the perspective of, like, I dare you to call me.
Speaker 2: I'm so angry, like truly, and I've had to process
Speaker 2: so much of that anger, mourn the fact that those
Speaker 2: things were there and they're definitely gone.
Speaker 1: Now that sucks because you believe that he was really
Speaker 1: just intentionally trying to just hurt you.
Speaker 2: I mean, he kept those things from me. The last
Speaker 2: time I spoke to him was probably, you know, right
Speaker 2: before the incident that happened with my mom, and I
Speaker 2: asked him I had a new boyfriend, and he was like,
Speaker 2: I want to meet him, And I said, when you
Speaker 2: give me my things back, like he was still holding
Speaker 2: them against me. I mean this was right before the
Speaker 2: incident with my mom, the home invasion.
Speaker 1: You still kind of spoke to him or try to
Speaker 1: keep a relationship with him after the divorce.
Speaker 2: I knew that he was begging to have a relationship
Speaker 2: with me, and he was manipulating me. Yeah, I look back,
Speaker 2: it was just pure manipulation and I felt so torn
Speaker 2: on what to do. But I knew that he was
Speaker 2: not a good man, and I knew he wasn't good
Speaker 2: by my mom. You know, we had a feeling that
Speaker 2: he had, you know, done some terrible things, but we
Speaker 2: didn't have proof of it, and he put me in
Speaker 2: a very terrible position for a very long time.
Speaker 1: Done going into when the character letters were being written,
Speaker 1: was that during trial.
Speaker 2: No, there were character witness letters submitted to the judge
Speaker 2: on behalf of Tommy to help kind of persuade the
Speaker 2: judges of NYA of his character. There was, Yeah, there
Speaker 2: was like tens of character letters from mayors, New Jersey
Speaker 2: police officers, my family members, my mom's friends. Like I mentioned,
Speaker 2: Dolores wrote one. I mean they're not friends anymore, but
Speaker 2: they were like best friends. Me and Gabby were best
Speaker 2: friends growing up. My mom, Dolores, your mom, They're all
Speaker 2: were very close. So it's like layers of pain for sure,
Speaker 2: to feel like people had his back in such a
Speaker 2: formal way too, to do that. Yeah, But also, you know,
Speaker 2: the facts are the facts.
Speaker 1: Seeing what he was capable of and what actually happened
Speaker 1: and the outcome of his actions should have just solidified
Speaker 1: all the answers. So he must have had a very
Speaker 1: persuasive way of treating people, or some sort of power
Speaker 1: over people.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: The fact that you know, people of authority were even
Speaker 1: writing character witness letters for him.
Speaker 2: I'm sure that was their truth if they felt like
Speaker 2: they would write a letter. I don't think he like
Speaker 2: was making anybody do anything. It's when people really believed.
Speaker 2: I think a lot of people believe differently now that
Speaker 2: there's a guilty verdict, there's still certainly a lot of
Speaker 2: people that believe in him and believe he's innocent. I
Speaker 2: just think the whole thing is just so interesting, yeah, honestly.
Speaker 1: And I mean the whole thing also impacted your family
Speaker 1: so heavily. I mean, I remember your mom and Dave
Speaker 1: came for Audrianna's communion. It was that whole day was
Speaker 1: weird because they obviously wanted to be there so badly
Speaker 1: for Audriana. And you know, Dina is the best god
Speaker 1: mom ever. She still texts Audriana and you know, just
Speaker 1: loves her the little gifts that she always sent her
Speaker 1: when she was little. But it was out of pure
Speaker 1: fear of coming back to New Jersey after leaving Tommy,
Speaker 1: I mean, even for Audrianna's communion, and your mom really
Speaker 1: didn't want to come, and the fact that she came
Speaker 1: was a big step and we all knew that, and
Speaker 1: your mom and Dave basically stayed with us all day
Speaker 1: and all night.
Speaker 2: They came back to my house.
Speaker 1: Like you know, some of my family members, friends, We
Speaker 1: were all just hanging out pretty late. But then they
Speaker 1: had a head down south a little bit. They had
Speaker 1: like an hour drive.
Speaker 2: The next day, it was Mother's Day and they were
Speaker 2: coming into the city. It's when I was living in
Speaker 2: the city and they were supposed to come see me
Speaker 2: for Mother's Day.
Speaker 1: It was like, it was weird, and it was almost
Speaker 1: like they wanted to stay with us as long as
Speaker 1: possible to kind of protect them in a way, you know,
Speaker 1: just feel safe. I know when I'm around people, I
Speaker 1: feel safer. I just like being in the company of people.
Speaker 1: You also have a million sisters, I know, no, I know,
Speaker 1: I just I hate being alone. But it was almost
Speaker 1: like they really did. Obviously they were probably enjoying the day.
Speaker 1: We were having a great time, but they really stayed late,
Speaker 1: you know, until they had to go home, and it
Speaker 1: was like, we get that call. I remember my mom
Speaker 1: was like hysterically crying on the floor, like she was
Speaker 1: like so upset. And it was weird because I remember
Speaker 1: even Dave saying he had such an expensive watch on.
Speaker 1: They didn't take his watch. They didn't take anything. They
Speaker 1: didn't take any of their belongings. The only thing they
Speaker 1: took was your mom's beautiful engagement ring that she was
Speaker 1: literally showing me that day. It was the moon and
Speaker 1: the star, right, and she was so happy about it
Speaker 1: because you know, she's so into the holistic approach and spiritual.
Speaker 2: It was a beautiful ring and he puts so much
Speaker 2: effort into it.
Speaker 1: And I remember that was the only thing they took.
Speaker 1: So it was a crime with intent. Yeah, it was
Speaker 1: went in there to get something, So it wasn't like, oh, Okay,
Speaker 1: we're going to rob them because we know they have this,
Speaker 1: this and that, and we're trying to make a quick buck.
Speaker 1: Like no, they went for the ring, and they left
Speaker 1: anybody else hearing that. How could you think any differently?
Speaker 1: Your whole article about don't poke the bear, it really
Speaker 1: is true, you are the bear, and that whole thing
Speaker 1: was just such a moving message if you want to,
Speaker 1: you know, explain to people how you are the bear
Speaker 1: and how it's just fear.
Speaker 2: I lived in fear for so long, and I was
Speaker 2: silenced by my fear by upsetting anyone in my family,
Speaker 2: by angering him and provoking him to do something, and
Speaker 2: lived in that fear until really recently, once I sat
Speaker 2: in the courtroom and I understood that I was the bear.
Speaker 2: He was the one, you know, about to go away
Speaker 2: for the things he did. My family were the ones
Speaker 2: that were embarrassed by the things that they did, And
Speaker 2: why should I fear them? They should fear me. I mean,
Speaker 2: the things that I've come out and I've said in
Speaker 2: that letter, like things i've said today in the podcast.
Speaker 2: They might feel like big things to say, but I
Speaker 2: could go on for what I could say about all
Speaker 2: these people, and I still don't you still like to have.
Speaker 1: Respect ultimately though, you're just speaking your truth, and you're
Speaker 1: also speaking about your belongings exactly. You weren't asking them
Speaker 1: to do anything astronomical. You were simply asking them, can
Speaker 1: you please help me get my things back? And that
Speaker 1: was the only time that you ever contacted them.
Speaker 2: In years and so long. There's just layers to the pain.
Speaker 2: I didn't even want to get into the betrayal that
Speaker 2: I had dealt with from them. I just said, this
Speaker 2: is a way for us to repair what's so broken.
Speaker 2: If you can show me that you love me and
Speaker 2: help me with something that's breaking me that I know
Speaker 2: that you can help me with, then we can repair
Speaker 2: something like that was kind of the perspective, like, I
Speaker 2: don't think my mom and her sister can never repair
Speaker 2: what's broken. It's too far gone. But why can't the cousins.
Speaker 2: I would love to know them and know their children
Speaker 2: and be in their lives like that. It pains me,
Speaker 2: But the reality is like from my eyes, they failed me,
Speaker 2: and they failed me again.
Speaker 1: And this is when you really needed them.
Speaker 2: Listen.
Speaker 1: So much turmoil can pass and so much hurt could
Speaker 1: be done, but the fact that you went back to
Speaker 1: them and asked for one thing after they already caused
Speaker 1: all this pain and after all these on my.
Speaker 2: Knees begging for help. No, literally, I'm in California. I
Speaker 2: need somebody that can go to that door, knock on
Speaker 2: the door, call the right person, ask for help. Like
Speaker 2: I know, the things are there, and it's a ticking
Speaker 2: time bomb until they're not. Because now he's in prison,
Speaker 2: other people are in charge of what's going on in
Speaker 2: that house.
Speaker 1: And I was right.
Speaker 2: Weeks went by, weeks, weeks, weeks, weeks, weeks, weeks, No,
Speaker 2: nothing of importance was done. No.
Speaker 1: So then I mean, at that point, what other choice
Speaker 1: do they leave you to feel?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I also I just stopped hearing from them.
Speaker 1: It's like they just didn't even care all along. They
Speaker 1: wanted to show you maybe that they cared a little
Speaker 1: bit by telling you that there was a garage sale.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And it was just so much back and forth.
Speaker 2: I was talking to them every day for hours a day,
Speaker 2: and I had some really awesome conversations with my cousin.
Speaker 2: And you know, I love her, I really do. She's
Speaker 2: the closest thing I'll ever have in this lifetime to
Speaker 2: his sister. And I think it kills both of us
Speaker 2: that we don't have each other anymore. But it just
Speaker 2: it just can't like there's too much pain. Now I'm
Speaker 2: even in more pain.
Speaker 1: So very similar to my mom and her brother and
Speaker 1: my cousins, how you are with aside from the situation
Speaker 1: with Tommy, the forming of distance from your family. We
Speaker 1: discussed it, you know. It's the jealousy, the hurt, the competition,
Speaker 1: the money, everything that falls into play. But because this
Speaker 1: show really sometimes could create such a toxic and turmoil
Speaker 1: environment for families, it's really hard for the cousins to
Speaker 1: stay close.
Speaker 2: It's unfair.
Speaker 1: It's so unfair when your parents are at war with
Speaker 1: each other. Quite honestly, it's so hard to bring the
Speaker 1: kids together. I really think a lot of it has
Speaker 1: to do with the show, because you know, my parents
Speaker 1: aren't together, but we still.
Speaker 2: Are so close.
Speaker 1: With my dad's side, I'm close with every single one
Speaker 1: of my cousins. Everything is how it should be. That's
Speaker 1: even though my parents aren't together. We never let it
Speaker 1: affect But I guess it's kind of you got to
Speaker 1: give it to the adults a little bit too, for
Speaker 1: allowing you know, the children to be together.
Speaker 2: You know, always let me have an open door to
Speaker 2: my cousins, and she wanted me to have a relationship
Speaker 2: to them. You know, I'm sure my aunt Caroline wanted
Speaker 2: them to have a relationship with me too, But it's
Speaker 2: just like the politics of it all. At the end,
Speaker 2: it's just my mom and I. I don't have siblings.
Speaker 2: She's been in these relationships that have been difficult, and
Speaker 2: it's always just been me and her. She had me
Speaker 2: really young, and at the end of the day, like
Speaker 2: I will always stand behind her no matter what. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and it's hard for me to watch her be in
Speaker 2: so much pain. It's really hard.
Speaker 1: I guess you're right, you know, it really is the
Speaker 1: politics of it all, because it is difficult. Every situation
Speaker 1: is different, but ours is very similar in that aspect.
Speaker 1: And I mean, I don't know my mom always you know,
Speaker 1: we've reached out to my cousins, were quite for years,
Speaker 1: you know, always wishing them a happy birthday and things
Speaker 1: like that, but you know, we stop receiving that in return,
Speaker 1: so then it's almost like why continue if you're not
Speaker 1: receiving the same thing in return, and then it kind
Speaker 1: of fades out.
Speaker 2: It's sad, exactly. Yeah, I'm at peace with those relationships.
Speaker 2: When I think about it doesn't make me sad. Yeah,
Speaker 2: but I've made peace with that a long time ago.
Speaker 2: But it's the betrayal sometimes it just makes me really angry. Yeah.
Speaker 1: We're also taught at a very young age famili's everything
Speaker 1: you do, everything for your family. You know, you're as
Speaker 1: thick as thief. Literally, you know all the lines that
Speaker 1: they would say back in the day, and it's where
Speaker 1: did all that go? It's so funny how it all
Speaker 1: just honestly goes out the door ultimately. Literally, Bye, you
Speaker 1: went to NYU, did you not? I went to Fordham
Speaker 1: and then your experience when you got into college is
Speaker 1: a lot.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I found myself. I needed to live in New
Speaker 2: York and be alone. And that's when my mom met
Speaker 2: Dave and she was going off and doing, you know,
Speaker 2: finding her own happiness. I was finding mine.
Speaker 1: And I'm so happy your mama is Dave. Yeah, he's
Speaker 1: so great, and she found her happiness. I feel she's
Speaker 1: so happy where she is. I feel like she's just
Speaker 1: so at peace.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I can't imagine her anywhere else.
Speaker 1: I mean, I feel like her in herself is out.
Speaker 1: Even everything that she posts I'm like, I need this ze.
Speaker 2: She in my life. So funny too. She has no
Speaker 2: idea how funny she is, but she's so funny.
Speaker 1: I mean, I feel like always she's always just been
Speaker 1: so funny.
Speaker 2: Yeah, she's a character.
Speaker 1: Now.
Speaker 2: I'm so happy for her. She's thriving where she is.
Speaker 2: She has a community that's aligned with what she loves,
Speaker 2: and I love where she lives. We're close enough to
Speaker 2: each other that you know, we can see each other,
Speaker 2: but we're not up each other's We were always way
Speaker 2: too codependent, so it was good to kind of break
Speaker 2: apart from it.
Speaker 1: I remember she would call you twenty four seven, you guys, but.
Speaker 2: Again it was always you guys, exactly so, and she
Speaker 2: watching me go through trying to get these things back,
Speaker 2: she was like, Lexi, I I healed from this a
Speaker 2: long time ago. I accepted my things were gone a
Speaker 2: long time ago. But now watching you go through it,
Speaker 2: it's such an insane experience for her because I'm basically
Speaker 2: reliving what she dealt with ten years ago. But I
Speaker 2: was just too young to understand like the levels to
Speaker 2: it all. And she said to me, and it was
Speaker 2: like so meaningful that she said this. She said The
Speaker 2: most healing thing that I've ever done is watch you
Speaker 2: stand into your power, like when I wrote that letter
Speaker 2: and when I started just speaking out on my.
Speaker 1: Truth and what made you really get to this point?
Speaker 2: And was it?
Speaker 1: I guess you know, once you knew he was really gone,
Speaker 1: I'm sure that your closure in a way.
Speaker 2: Yeah, sitting and watching that trial, seeing him, you know,
Speaker 2: stand there, and I sat in on everything all like
Speaker 2: the zoom hearings, everything those public no victims could sit
Speaker 2: into them, and I sat into everything I saw. I
Speaker 2: saw everything just so I could kind of understand, like
Speaker 2: this is reality. And then I think I kind of
Speaker 2: just realized, like what am I afraid of? It still
Speaker 2: feels uncomfortable, Like I feel uncomfortable talking about the situation
Speaker 2: I had with Caroline and Lauren recently. But why it's
Speaker 2: like my truth, it's my experience, Like, Okay, they're gonna
Speaker 2: get upset, it's.
Speaker 1: Also your life and you've been hurt by this time exactly.
Speaker 2: I've been upset and nobody called me for years, for years,
Speaker 2: even after the trial, the truth of everything. Nobody called me. Yeah,
Speaker 2: see that's crazy, I called them.
Speaker 1: I feel like if I were to hear something so
Speaker 1: devastating that involved, you know, my cousin's parents, but obviously
Speaker 1: I knew they were hurting my cousins. I would at
Speaker 1: least reach out to my cousins. Yeah, because the the
Speaker 1: kids don't have anything to do with this. This wasn't
Speaker 1: your fault, this wasn't your doing, but you had to
Speaker 1: deal with the repercussion.
Speaker 2: She was just caught in the crossfire of all of it. Also,
Speaker 2: like the chaos of what happened with Tommy and the obsession,
Speaker 2: Like I had to deal with all that on my own.
Speaker 2: Like nobody in my family ever extended any comfort to me,
Speaker 2: and they all knew the things that were coming to light,
Speaker 2: and they all were still around him. I had family
Speaker 2: members that still worked for him.
Speaker 1: Said Cookie right, and don't poke the bear. Cookie was
Speaker 1: just Cookie right. She never married her her kids.
Speaker 2: She's remarried, and she I have a cousin, but you
Speaker 2: guys were very close. Yeah, she lived with us for
Speaker 2: a while. Yeah, she was like second mother to me.
Speaker 1: For sure, and she never reached out either.
Speaker 2: Listen, people meet you where they're at. And I've had
Speaker 2: to accept that people might have not showed up for
Speaker 2: me in the ways that I needed to because they
Speaker 2: simply didn't have the tools and they couldn't and they
Speaker 2: have their own things that they need to deal with
Speaker 2: and come to terms with. And I think everybody just
Speaker 2: met me where they were at.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I think also maybe it was embarrassment.
Speaker 2: I don't know what it was. It's for them to
Speaker 2: all figure out. Yeah, I gave up a long time
Speaker 2: trying to understand why people did the things they did.
Speaker 1: And you know, at that point, though, it's almost like
Speaker 1: they made their bed and now they have to lay
Speaker 1: in it. Maybe, you know, as you said, Caroline regrets
Speaker 1: writing the character like sure, she told me, Yeah, I'm sure,
Speaker 1: but you did it exactly. Everybody has to go to
Speaker 1: sleep in their own bed at the end of the
Speaker 1: night that they made. So that's that's their life.
Speaker 2: Overall.
Speaker 1: You guys have all come such a long way, and
Speaker 1: I'm so happy that you're finally at peace and you
Speaker 1: finally have found happiness, because you really are glowing. You
Speaker 1: look so happy, and I feel like this is your
Speaker 1: way of kind of just releasing everything that you've been feeling.
Speaker 1: You've been silent for so long, and I feel like
Speaker 1: a big part of why I've been there, you've been
Speaker 1: there restricting ourselves from speaking out while we're younger, and
Speaker 1: you know, waiting until we're in our adulthood is because
Speaker 1: we're so nervous for what the public is going to
Speaker 1: say about us. And your mom was really only on
Speaker 1: Housewives for three years, but she made her mark. She
Speaker 1: still talked about your family drama is still talked about.
Speaker 2: And it's so.
Speaker 1: Crazy because you know, the twins and Amber, we're on
Speaker 1: for a hot minute and nobody talks about them. But
Speaker 1: your mom really left her mark, So we are still
Speaker 1: viewed as children to the public eye.
Speaker 2: Oh for sure. I still get messages all the time.
Speaker 2: I got one today. I still think about your candy drawer.
Speaker 2: I think about when you went to Greece. You guys,
Speaker 2: I don't think about that. What do you think about it?
Speaker 2: It was so long ago, but I know. I also
Speaker 2: think when you're on reality television, people feel like they
Speaker 2: really know you, even if they don't. And part of
Speaker 2: what I think makes my mom so memorable on television.
Speaker 2: Obviously I think she's the best person ever, but it
Speaker 2: was real relationships, Like our moms were best friends since
Speaker 2: they were teenagers working at the makeup counter at Macy's.
Speaker 2: Like you can't fake that kind of dynamic. No.
Speaker 1: I think that's why we also restrained ourselves from speaking
Speaker 1: out while we were younger and waiting until we were adults.
Speaker 1: I mean I really never spoke out to my family, Yeah,
Speaker 1: until I was eighteen on the show.
Speaker 2: Did you get a lot of heat for that?
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. Yeah, even though I waited until I
Speaker 1: was eighteen, And you know, it just came to the
Speaker 1: point where I couldn't take it. You know, like I
Speaker 1: would be sitting there watching scenarios play out, and I
Speaker 1: would think to myself, you're lying. This is not how
Speaker 1: it happened. That is not what you did for us.
Speaker 2: This is all a lie.
Speaker 1: And also it's like you're guess lighting everyone to thinking
Speaker 1: that you were this amazing person, but you weren't.
Speaker 2: Well good for you, And speaking.
Speaker 1: Of there were certain points where I where I did
Speaker 1: and I got called disrespectful. I have no respect of course.
Speaker 1: You know, everything that you could think of the way
Speaker 1: you talk to your uncle is shameful everything. But it's
Speaker 1: really difficult when it's your life and it's your family
Speaker 1: and you have so much anger and.
Speaker 2: You feel suffocated. Yes, like I feel suffocated for so long.
Speaker 1: That is the perfect word, because you're trying to release
Speaker 1: your truth. But then by doing that, Yes, okay, did
Speaker 1: I act irrational or maybe raise my voice or lose
Speaker 1: my temper for a second, Yes, but I was frustrated,
Speaker 1: I felt suffocated.
Speaker 2: You know. It was a lot.
Speaker 1: And then hearing you say the same thing. You know,
Speaker 1: even now you're twenty nine, and I bet the public's
Speaker 1: still going to say something about you for.
Speaker 2: Speaking think you're pretty black and white after that character letter,
Speaker 2: I have to say, yeah, I really don't get much
Speaker 2: of any backlash about speaking up. Yeah, anything I'm saying
Speaker 2: is very clear. I try to stay like emotionally detached
Speaker 2: from the reality of things, which is why I sat
Speaker 2: in that courtroom and understood the facts, and why I
Speaker 2: called everybody on the phone when everybody was so uncomfortable.
Speaker 2: It's just like, these are the facts. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1: Did you go to therapy after all of this?
Speaker 2: I recently spoke to a grief counselor and he told
Speaker 2: me that I was emotionally constipated. He was like, there's
Speaker 2: all these little things that make up your grief, whether
Speaker 2: it's like anger or embarrassment or you know, whatever it
Speaker 2: may be. And he's like, you have to break down
Speaker 2: all these things into the root of them, of why
Speaker 2: you feel these things, and then you won't be constipated anymore.
Speaker 2: So I feel like every day I get a little
Speaker 2: bit less constipated.
Speaker 1: I want to feel that.
Speaker 2: You just got to break it down, I know.
Speaker 1: So then what is your relationship status?
Speaker 2: Now? I have a boyfriend. I heard he's really nice.
Speaker 2: He's so lovely. I'm so grateful for him. Honestly, he's amazing. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I love her.
Speaker 1: And did you meet him in La?
Speaker 2: No? I met him in Mexico on vacation. Oh my god. Yeah.
Speaker 2: I was there for a birthday, my friend's birthday, and
Speaker 2: he was at the table next to meet a bachelor
Speaker 2: party and yeah, the rest is history.
Speaker 1: Oh I love that. Where is he about? Is he
Speaker 1: in California.
Speaker 2: Area, Texas? So we did long distance the last year
Speaker 2: and then he's moving to La next week. He's moving
Speaker 2: in with me.
Speaker 1: Oh my god, Lexi, that's so great.
Speaker 2: Oh I feel so old. You know a boyfriend too? Right?
Speaker 2: For a while?
Speaker 1: Yeah, for a while. I've been with him for six years.
Speaker 2: You guys live together?
Speaker 1: Not Yeah, I mean I'm still I'm still young.
Speaker 2: But no, I love that time.
Speaker 1: I think we're gonna we're really like discussing it now,
Speaker 1: so I want to say, probably with the next year,
Speaker 1: talk to me about how it was after college and
Speaker 1: you creating your own brand, and tell us about it
Speaker 1: because I am obsessed with it. I love everything on
Speaker 1: your site and I'm going to be investing in vintage suites.
Speaker 1: Thank you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I just I kind of found my
Speaker 2: way there very naturally, and I started selling vintage over
Speaker 2: covid on Instagram and I started getting all these amazing
Speaker 2: clients and people love vintage, so coming back, it's.
Speaker 1: Everything that we used to have, you know, everything is.
Speaker 2: So I've been doing the vintage thing for the last
Speaker 2: two or three years. I've had so much success. I
Speaker 2: love it. It'll always be so foundational to what I do.
Speaker 2: But now I'm trying to move into creating my own shoes.
Speaker 2: So I'm coming out with my own shoe next month,
Speaker 2: which I I'm so excited for. It's like my ultimate,
Speaker 2: biggest dream coming true. My mom still can't even believe it.
Speaker 2: She's like, oh my God, Like we're gonna love them. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I mean, you know her, she's the craziest shoes. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and it's just so funny. I don't know if you
Speaker 2: find this, but I used to resist my mom so much,
Speaker 2: like I wanted to be the opposite of her.
Speaker 1: And I remember herning to her, I feel like you
Speaker 1: were a tomboy.
Speaker 2: Yeah growing up?
Speaker 1: Boy, when at least at least when you were like
Speaker 1: little like twelve.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I was such a tomboy. And then I
Speaker 2: wanted to study like forensic psychology, so I did, and
Speaker 2: my mom was like, uh, why do you want to
Speaker 2: talk to serial killers? Like that's what I wanted to do.
Speaker 2: I just wanted to go so far away from everything
Speaker 2: that was New Jersey and my identity there, and then
Speaker 2: I slowly have made myself right back. I'm literally my mom,
Speaker 2: Like we collect and hord the same things, Like we
Speaker 2: literally are the same person. I don't know how I
Speaker 2: got here, but I'm here. Do you feel like you're
Speaker 2: your mom?
Speaker 1: It's funny because her and I are very similar but
Speaker 1: also very different and the way that we think, you know,
Speaker 1: I am still I think the more rational one. I
Speaker 1: think she's a little more irrational than I am. But
Speaker 1: you know, I kind of come to a middle ground,
Speaker 1: you know, I try to bring everyone back to a
Speaker 1: middle ground, and but I am like her in a
Speaker 1: way of you know, I take, I take, I take,
Speaker 1: I take, and then I explode. So in the assects
Speaker 1: of like our temper, I would say we're the same.
Speaker 2: But it's so funny. I can't imagine that from you.
Speaker 1: I it's only when I take, I take, I take.
Speaker 1: You know, it takes me a while to get annoyed,
Speaker 1: but then when I get annoyed, I snap. I think
Speaker 1: it's a Jersey thing on that Jersey Italian temper. Like,
Speaker 1: And it was also just okay back then. Now, like
Speaker 1: if you like had a fight with your homegirl on
Speaker 1: the street, like it is what it was, it wasn't
Speaker 1: a big deal. No cops were being called, and like
Speaker 1: you could take it outside. Now it's just everything's taken
Speaker 1: to a whole nother extreme where you really do need
Speaker 1: to reserve yourself and not be like that control exactly
Speaker 1: self control.
Speaker 2: Our generation has more of it, for sure. Definitely we're
Speaker 2: just mirrors of our moms in different ways. It's so interesting.
Speaker 1: Would you ever put your family or kids on reality TV?
Speaker 2: No? Would you?
Speaker 1: I think that's kind of where I'm going.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, well, you know what you're doing at least.
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, this is where like I would differ. I think,
Speaker 1: you know, because I just my show is premiering.
Speaker 2: On Jerry exciting next Jed, and why I still wait
Speaker 2: to watch it? Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1: I'm so excited, more so just because I'm actually getting
Speaker 1: away from my family drama.
Speaker 2: I'm making your own drama.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, exactly. But you know a lot of people
Speaker 1: ask me this, but I I feel like doing this
Speaker 1: on my own. I'm stepping into my own I'm creating
Speaker 1: my own vision path, you know, identity for myself. That
Speaker 1: this is what I want everybody to actually see, the
Speaker 1: person that I want everyone to get to know that.
Speaker 2: I I really am excited for it.
Speaker 1: And you know, Housewives, I was never excited for it because,
Speaker 1: you know, once I got older and to where to
Speaker 1: the point where I really got to understand everything it
Speaker 1: was always just negative and about my family and about
Speaker 1: my personal life that it honestly came to the point
Speaker 1: where it was really an knowing to even discuss anymore
Speaker 1: so going onto this show, nobody gives that my mom
Speaker 1: and uncle don't talk like.
Speaker 2: Is theres a lot of drama on this show.
Speaker 1: Honestly, you don't have to wait and see. But it's
Speaker 1: not like too much. But it's also not like toxic
Speaker 1: in any way. It's like playful, normal friend drama.
Speaker 2: It's so amazing seeing you step into your own and like,
Speaker 2: it's still crazy to me that a woman what you do.
Speaker 1: I mean, you're by like completely established now doing what
Speaker 1: you love. Found your passion, which you know that's all
Speaker 1: you can hope because it really does take people so
Speaker 1: long to find that too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel very lucky. Yeah, I really do.
Speaker 1: And what did you do after college?
Speaker 2: Book? So you like, we lived to California, which is
Speaker 2: the best thing I've ever done. Do you love it
Speaker 2: out there? I really do? Yeah.
Speaker 1: Do you ever go back and watch The Real Housewives
Speaker 1: at all? From like the early days?
Speaker 2: No? No. When I knew I was gonna be with
Speaker 2: my boyfriend, I was like, Okay, I have to show
Speaker 2: you something. He doesn't care about that stuff at all,
Speaker 2: but I was like, I just want to be the
Speaker 2: person that shows you what I used to look like
Speaker 2: and act like that was such an embarrassment.
Speaker 1: Oh you weren't my god, you were nerdy.
Speaker 2: The things that I said and did, I just yeah,
Speaker 2: I showed him recently and then I went back on
Speaker 2: the footage to also look at the footage of my
Speaker 2: mom's closet and was looking at all the shoes that
Speaker 2: she had. It kills me that I don't have them.
Speaker 2: But I collect so many of the shoes that she had,
Speaker 2: like subconsciously, like through doing vintage. It's like those shoes
Speaker 2: are somewhere in my subconscious and then I like buy
Speaker 2: them and she's like I had those. I'm like, what,
Speaker 2: it's crazy, It's so.
Speaker 1: Crazy real if you had that shoe collection.
Speaker 2: Wow, the things I would do were the same size too.
Speaker 2: It's like really a sin.
Speaker 1: And you obviously none of the shoes ever.
Speaker 2: No, nothing ever, nothing everything.
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, thank God your mom, you know,
Speaker 1: found happiness and everything is replaceable.
Speaker 2: Very lucky, We're very blessed. It's the irreplaceable things, though,
Speaker 2: that keep her an eye up at night, like the
Speaker 2: nightgown that she gave birth to me, and that my
Speaker 2: grandma gave birth to her in.
Speaker 1: Like what all the baby photos? None, but they were
Speaker 1: all in that house.
Speaker 2: Yeah, my mom used to scrap book my entire life.
Speaker 2: It was all in that house.
Speaker 1: See, Like that's so weird to me that he would
Speaker 1: want to keep shit like that, like I just I don't.
Speaker 2: My aunt that works at the Brownstone around the time
Speaker 2: that Tommy went away overheard somebody saying that somebody's pictures
Speaker 2: were in the garbage at the Brownstone, and she went
Speaker 2: and it was like two boxes of my baby pictures
Speaker 2: that I guess were being kept at the Brownstone in storage,
Speaker 2: and so so kindly they pulled it out of the
Speaker 2: garbage for me and they gave it to my dad.
Speaker 2: So that's all I have. It's about like a box
Speaker 2: and a half of photos from you know, like two
Speaker 2: years old and before. It's all I have. I just
Speaker 2: went through them this weekend. Actually it was so emotional
Speaker 2: for me because I'm like, this is I'm so grateful
Speaker 2: to have these, but somebody threw this in the garbage.
Speaker 1: Yeah, like and from the bike from the room, so beatful,
Speaker 1: just crazy, and.
Speaker 2: I was supposed to kiss everyone's ascid. They went in
Speaker 2: the garbage and took it out for me, like as
Speaker 2: you should. I would do that for a stranger. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it's the least you could have my mom's wedding dress
Speaker 2: in there too, So I got that, which I'm so
Speaker 2: excited about. So I want to like change it into something.
Speaker 2: Oh my god, yea, yeah that was in the box.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it was my mom's wedding dress. It was
Speaker 2: there was a scrap book in there of my mom's childhood.
Speaker 2: We had no idea that was going to be in there,
Speaker 2: and we were so happy and like my christening and
Speaker 2: stuff like that.
Speaker 1: If you had to come up with a housewife tagline,
Speaker 1: what would yours be?
Speaker 2: What was my mom's? If you think I'm a bring
Speaker 2: it wasn't that hers? No, so much would be like,
Speaker 2: I am a bring it.
Speaker 1: On, wait, I love that. My favorite line that she
Speaker 1: ever said was with like the whole Danielle stop thing,
Speaker 1: if you want to skin me and wear me? Like yeah,
Speaker 1: my favorite line, like how she came up with that,
Speaker 1: nod knows.
Speaker 2: My high school yearbook quote was either love me or
Speaker 2: hate me. There's no in between with me, which is
Speaker 2: daniel stop school. She was so angry about it. I'm like,
Speaker 2: it's funny.
Speaker 1: I was literally gonna sageway.
Speaker 2: That sounds so.
Speaker 1: Mine would be you think you've raised me on reality TV,
Speaker 1: but I'm writing my own script.
Speaker 2: Oh that's very artful. That was poetic.
Speaker 1: Took some thought.
Speaker 2: You own your own vintage, brand new.
Speaker 1: I'm going to ask you some questions and I want
Speaker 1: you to give some styling tips to the girls. Okay,
Speaker 1: all right, which celeb closet would you love to steal.
Speaker 2: From the Alsen Twins? Obviously?
Speaker 1: What's one trend that you refuse to try?
Speaker 2: I said this recently too. I don't I don't understand
Speaker 2: the whole butter yellow thing. Everyone's wearing butter yellow, butter yellow,
Speaker 2: and it, like, I don't know, it draws out my skin.
Speaker 2: I feel like it's like we're gonna look back and
Speaker 2: be like, why were we wearing butter yellow?
Speaker 1: LA or New York Fashion?
Speaker 2: Oh, New York for sure.
Speaker 1: If you had only twenty minutes to get ready, what's
Speaker 1: your go to look?
Speaker 2: Jean's a T shirt, vintage pair of heels, Go to brands.
Speaker 2: I'm not really a brand whore, Honestly, I'm not really
Speaker 2: big into like designer handbags and that kind of thing.
Speaker 2: I love Luava, but now J. W Anderson's leaving, so
Speaker 2: I don't know if it'll be the same.
Speaker 1: And Chanel, if you could only buy one designer bag,
Speaker 1: what are you.
Speaker 2: Picking lay the little pouch bag?
Speaker 1: Okay, Lexi, this was such an amazing episode, and thank
Speaker 1: you so much for being so open and sharing your story.
Speaker 2: It is so nice to see you.
Speaker 1: I hope you feel good and I hope this made
Speaker 1: you feel like you're really speaking to your truth.
Speaker 2: Thank you. I'm so proud of you. I love you.
Speaker 2: I'm so proud of you. I love you.