"I feel alone"— The Real Housewives of Orange County star Emily on helping her son Luke with his issues

In episode two of The Real Housewives of Orange County season 19, Emily Simpson spoke to her husband, Shane, about talking to her therapist about their son, Luke. She said that she had mentioned that Luke had "declined" over the past few weeks and recalled what happened when they went to the movies one night.

She said her son used the flashlight on her phone to inspect each French fry and mentioned telling her therapist that they had reached out to an autism specialist for Luke and that he would "do the intensive testing."

Emily told Shane that as a mother, she was extremely concerned about Luke while the latter said that she was not the only one who was worried about their son's health.

As the conversation progressed, Shane told the cameras that he was trying to help their son by ensuring he felt "normal" while his wife. Meanwhile, Emily got emotional over having to deal with his issues while feeling alone.

"Shane is a good man but his son is in crisis. And it's like we're not even on the same page and I just feel like, I feel alone in that," she told the cameras.

Shane assured her that once they had more information, they would be able to help Luke with his daily struggles and that he would improve.

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The Real Housewives of Orange County star Emily shares an update on Luke's health issues

Last week, Emily Simpson shared that her son had been diagnosed with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (AFRID) and on July 16, 2025, she spoke to E! News to give an update about his progress.

Emily said that her son was doing much better than he was doing while they were filming and also that he was not going to school currently, as that was a "big stress" for him. The Real Housewives of Orange County season 19 star also revealed additional conditions Luke was diagnosed with, which included ADHD and OCD.

Emily stated that Luke had "severe separation anxiety" about her but that they were working on it and that he was now comfortable with her leaving him for a little while. The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member also opened up about her son's eating habits and said that she and Shane were no longer pressuring him to eat more than he wanted and that he liked to eat "three to four different things."

"Before I understood the disorder and what was actually happening in his brain, we would get frustrated with him that he wouldn't try different foods," Emily said.

During the conversation, Emily admitted to having made "a lot of mistakes" along the way while trying to help Luke. However, she added that they knew his "safe foods" and made sure they were always stocked.

"We don't give him any grief about eating those safe foods that he's comfortable with and we try to introduce, every once in a while, something new," she added.

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Emily Simpson takes to social media to thank fans for their support of Luke

On July 13, 2025, soon after The Real Housewives of Orange County star opened up about Luke's conditions for the first time in episode 1, she took to social media, The RHOC cast member thanked fans being supporting, loving, and showing kindness towards her son and called season 19 "by far the most difficult" year for her to film.

Emily also said that there were several instances when she wanted to quit the Bravo show but continued because she knew she would get more answers, support, and feedback from the audience.

Thank you for the information and support you are all sending my way! Please keep it coming and please talk to your children about being kind to the kids who might be a little different," The Real Housewives of Orange County star wrote.

Tune in every Wednesday to watch new episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County season 19 on Bravo.

Edited by Sukriti Makhija