Chaos with Lexi Ioannou

Hey guys, Welcome back to another episode of Casual Chaos.

This week.

I have a guest that some of you might recognize from the early days of The Real House Ives in New Jersey, LEXI you wan to welcome to Casual Chaos.

Yeah, it's so nice to see you.

It's so nice to see you. I'm like so giddy right now.

No, it's been so long. I can't even pinpoint how long it's been.

I know, I mean, we'll dive into all of it, but I was really trying to remember when the last time was. And I don't even know if you were at Audrianna's communion.

I wasn't, so then I really don't know. I don't know either.

I mean, my last memories were, you know, obviously running around the brown Stone, Jacqueline's house, Caroline's house, your mom's house, obviously your old house, running through your mom's closet, just yeah, little things like this, yes, and then walking in and animals everywhere there the little chihuahua what was what was his name?

Crazy? The one with other arms?

Oh crazy, Yes, that was your mom's baby. But I have random memories of all of this stuff. But I don't know when the last time was I really don't.

Loveably ten years ago, which is so crazy because it doesn't feel like that.

I've been back and forth to California. I've seen your mom and Dave, but I've just never seen you.

The timing has always been always off. Yeah.

Well, now you're in New York. How does it feel coming back to Jersey? Do you ever get anxiety about it?

I get so much anxiety about it. I really try to avoid it at all costs, honestly. But I was just there to see my dad and my whole Greek's out of the family.

How is your relationship with your dad now?

He's the best dad? Yeah? He's always been the best dad, the most consistent and normal and all of the chaos of how we were raised, my dad was like my normal sounding boy. So he's great.

Because when we were younger, did your dad not want you to doing the show?

Yeah?

I have random memories. This is where it's coming back to me. But I'm having such random memories of everything from when we were little.

You were so little. But the first season, I don't think anybody knew what it was going to be or what we were getting ourselves into. And once it kind of came out and it was as big as it was. My dad was like, and my mom, we need to pull Lexi out of this because I was just struggling so much in school. I was twelve when the first season aired, and I was so nerdy, so unfortunate looking. It was like in the ultimate you know, awkward phase.

It's definitely a crazy experience. But I remember you didn't have an easy time in school. No, I had to leave my school.

It was this whole thing. I was basically like tortured over it. Like it wasn't regarded as a cool thing. It isolated me. Did you feel that way too? Honestly?

And I feel like this stereotype kind of lives in Jersey a little bit about the different counties for sure, But in Morris County we look at Bergen County as, oh, these are where the rich kids live. You know, everyone's got it together in this County. And that's just how people in Morris County see it. Not that the people in Morris County. You know, people obviously have money in Morris County, but people don't view that county as that definitely,

Stuff like that in Lakes has such a connotation to it now too.

I remember they would go get their hair done at the Cocoa Chateau.

Yeah, chateau. That's where it all started.

That's where it all started. When I was growing up, I might have had I think one person really stuck with bullying me. I guess you could say it was bullying, but just kind of comments throughout the years. When I was in elementary school, middle school, high school, it was the same person that constantly tortured me, and I.

Was like, what is wrong she? Now, I would love to know it was a guy. What is a boy? I'm so unexpected right, Usually the girls are the mean one I know.

But I have to say I was fortunate enough that people really didn't bother me in Moville. They really didn't. And even when I got to Rutgers. It was more so fans coming up to me, and so I really didn't receive the hate.

I think it was a timing thing. I went into it at that age, like you were so little when it all started, and then it kind of evolved and it became something cool. But in the beginning, there were so many women in New Jersey that were so envious of our moms and wish that they got that attention and that opportunity. It was just a perfect storm of bad timing and that's why my mom left.

So she left right after season two, and she, I think felt like this wasn't for her when it was happening, and as much as she had my mom stick up for her, literally filip a table for her, I think it was just very overwhelming. But I think there was also so many other components to it too. You know, it was affecting you a lot, but then I think it was also getting in the way of her relationship with Caroline and Jacqueline created such a mess, such a mess.

You know, family dynamics are complicated. You understand that too. The personalities are so different. I think it's a shame because we had such a large and amazing family, and for my grandparents, I wish that they got to see unity. We are so different. Yeah, we're just so different. Yeah. I really don't see a lot of common ground between us and the rest of the family.

Your mom also came back season six, Yes, for one year.

The only reason she went back is because her family left and she was going through the divorce. I was about to go to college, and she's like, this is a job. Do you want to go to college? It doesn't pay for itself. We got to do it, and I was totally open to it at that point. That season was so boring.

You know, that was the worst season in Jersey Sty So boring. Yeah, no, that one was bad, But you know what, the season was boring because everyone kind of got along and the people that were fighting were around care No.

One cared about it exactly.

So they wanted you know, your mom to be fighting with Caroline and Jacqueline. They wanted my mom and her brother to rip each other's heads off.

That's what they want want to decided to have boundaries with their family that.

Year, I know why, I think was normal, Literally everything was normal for a hot seck. I mean, you were so close with I remember when we were younger, you know, I'll be Lauren, Chris and I mean they were the ones that were closest to age with you. Yeah, I lived with them, if you remember, my mom and I lived with Caroline when my parents got divorced. They were basically my siblings.

I'm an only child. Yeah, so it was definitely a massive loss to lose those relationships, and the crossfire of what happened with our moms hard.

They initially stopped talking. Was it when your mom and Tommy got divorced? Oh no, No, it was way before, way before, and then I truly can't even tie it down to one reason. Yeah.

The show creates a lot of chaos, yeah, especially with family dynamics and money and fame, and it can kind of have the ability to bring out the worst in some people sometimes too.

It does, especially like you said, when there's money involved. As sad as it is, it's a competition exactly so, because there's a show involved and then the money's involved, essentially competing against your family members to try to get to the top. It shouldn't be like that, and as a family, build an empire, grow as a family together, create a unit. I always, you know, wish that for

But it's the most national job, like in the entire world. It's hard to just look at it as that as an opportunity, as a job. It's like all these emotions get involved. Yeah, my mom fell out with hers during that second season. I'm pretty sure that's when it really all became.

Yeah, you were young when my mom flipped the table. I remember you had you were still young, You're still little, so you were living with them when you were little.

I was living with them from ages like four to seven.

So that's why you were saying they were like, really did raise you?

Yeah, I mean, Lauren was there when I shaved my legs for the first time. She dropped me off at a boy's house for the first time for my first kiss. You know, all being Christopher, where my brother is my protectors and now we're complete strangers.

Yeah, you don't talk to any of them at all.

I reefed out to them after Tommy went to jail because I was looking for help getting my things back from the house because he left for jail, and then I had an understanding that he kept everything of mine all those years, so I wanted it back. It was really difficult for me to extend myself and to ask for help, but I was that desperate, Like I just wanted them.

You wanted your heirlooms back, You wanted the things that like you said when I've read your entry, when you don't poke the bear, I almost started crying just because it brought back just so many memories, and it also just brought back how I remember our moms on the phone just saying my closet's there, I have everything's there. He literally left me with nothing, and reading your entry and saying how you even had thirty minutes to get your things? That was no right to you. No, this

Yeah, and then he held on to my things for you know, ten years and used them as a collateral. Yeah, because he had this also, this like weird obsession with me for years. People would tell me that he kept my room exactly the same because he thought I was going to come back, Like I can't even begin to understand why you would think I would ever come back there. But let's have those things weird towards you when you

He really never uncomfortable though.

No, he was never inappropriate, but he definitely was very affectionate, and that was something I was very uncomfortable with because neither of my parents are that way, So to receive it from a stepfather is kind of like extra strange when you don't receive it from your actual father. My dad's very lovey, dovey, kissy, huggy. Yeah, and you know, I was told to pay him that kind of affection out of respect. Therefore, I felt like our relationship was very uncomfortable for me.

Yeah, I don't know if you remember how he was, but he just like I honestly remember him not being that present.

Yeah, he was never around.

I always remember whenever we were at the Brownstone, we would run into the office, you know, just like kind of like go through the outskirts of the Brownstone and run around and cause havoc because we could, and because we were so close with everyone and it didn't matter. But I always just remember him sitting at that desk at the Brownstone. I really don't have vivid memories of any of that.

That's usually where he was, so it makes sense. Yeah, he's an interesting character. And the way their divorce played out and everything afterwards really is still, you know, a shock to both My mom and I were just like, how did this become reality?

But he clearly had and your right, obsession is the right word, because then to make those events actually take place and orchest straight something like that, you're sick.

Yeah. I went to the the trial last year and I sat there for a week and I listened to everybody test FI and did that give you clarity? Yeah? I mean my Mom and I are so different like that, Like she couldn't even stomach like being there for like thirty minutes every day, all day for seven days, and like I needed to know everything. And the word that

And he thought that money and power could fix everything.

And honestly, some of the things he has done have been the most painful things I've ever had to face in my life. See my mom go through, see Dave go through. It's been it's been completely unfair. Nobody deserves any of that. But for me, the hardest thing to overcome was him keeping my things and then eventually having people discard of them. It's like, so hateful.

What happened when you reached out to them about so.

I reached out to them, And you know, it's so funny because I wrote that don't poke the Bear article and that was massive for me because I was silent for ten years. I never spoke out on anything.

I never spoke out about anything, never, And that will get into like even how you came here today and you know your comfortability level and how much you've grown. Because I was so surprised.

I never spoke out on anyone on anything, on any conflict. I always was like Switzerland, and part of me is like hesitant to even get into me reaching out to them for help. And then I'm like, why why should I hold back on like my truth? Yeah, And the truth was, like I reached out to them for help. I'm sure if you ask them, they did everything to their best ability, but if you ask me, it wasn't nearly enough. They disappointed me. Again, That's what I mean.

So they clearly have some sort of a fear too, or they just don't care. And it's just pure selfishness.

I like to think they care. They're my family, but I think we care about themselves more and keeping their own peace more than fighting for mine. So it's okay. I needed a reminder who I was dealing with because as a kid, I saw my mom going through so much pain with her family, and I guess I had to understand what it felt like as an adult.

And I feel like, you know, our parents can only remind us so much of what they went through and how it hurt them, but we're not going to realize it until they do it to us. Yeah, we have to have our own experiences, our own opinions, and I definitely have my own. Did your dad see who was there?

Like?

Could he go into the house or was there security?

I know everything about the woman that had this garage sale, and I know she's one of taught me these people. And I called her when she was having this sale and I told her she was selling illegal goods. I mean, I lost my mind. I've lost my mind. Yeah, Like, I'm a very even balanced person and I very rarely get to the point of extreme anger. But we all have a little bit of Teresa table Flipp and I definitely lost it on that woman.

Yeah, I mean, as you should again, you know, I mean even everything from when you were little, like your jewelry.

Everything's gone, just all of that. Everything. Yeah, that would tear me apart, everything, you know, I mean everything.

I was even going through random things the other day, and it's crazy, like you know what up, but God like sends you to like go through things for a reason. And I had this old Mac makeup case, one of those really old, like indestructible Mac makeup cases, and I was about to, you know, give it to my cleaning lady, like here, take it. I mean, I don't need it anymore. It was just like collecting dust. And I opened it and I guess when I was little, that's where I

Oh my gosh, thank God, but.

That would have killed me, you know, to like one day know that those were gone and wonder where they were. But I mean for him to want to keep all of that, he.

Kept it with so much intention. To have something to hold over me. The week before he went away, he called me and I didn't pick up because I had a restraining order. But you know that the FBI put in place, So he called me, and I was like frozen into fear, like, oh my god, I can't believe he would call me, like he's about to go to prison. I know everything he's done and how he did it, and I think he was probably calling about the things because he knew that that was the only reason that

Now that sucks because you believe that he was really just intentionally trying to just hurt you.

I mean, he kept those things from me. The last time I spoke to him was probably, you know, right before the incident that happened with my mom, and I asked him I had a new boyfriend, and he was like, I want to meet him, And I said, when you give me my things back, like he was still holding them against me. I mean this was right before the incident with my mom, the home invasion.

You still kind of spoke to him or try to keep a relationship with him after the divorce.

I knew that he was begging to have a relationship with me, and he was manipulating me. Yeah, I look back, it was just pure manipulation and I felt so torn on what to do. But I knew that he was not a good man, and I knew he wasn't good by my mom. You know, we had a feeling that he had, you know, done some terrible things, but we didn't have proof of it, and he put me in a very terrible position for a very long time.

Done going into when the character letters were being written, was that during trial.

No, there were character witness letters submitted to the judge on behalf of Tommy to help kind of persuade the judges of NYA of his character. There was, Yeah, there was like tens of character letters from mayors, New Jersey police officers, my family members, my mom's friends. Like I mentioned, Dolores wrote one. I mean they're not friends anymore, but they were like best friends. Me and Gabby were best friends growing up. My mom, Dolores, your mom, They're all

Seeing what he was capable of and what actually happened and the outcome of his actions should have just solidified all the answers. So he must have had a very persuasive way of treating people, or some sort of power over people.

Yeah.

The fact that you know, people of authority were even writing character witness letters for him.

I'm sure that was their truth if they felt like they would write a letter. I don't think he like was making anybody do anything. It's when people really believed. I think a lot of people believe differently now that there's a guilty verdict, there's still certainly a lot of people that believe in him and believe he's innocent. I just think the whole thing is just so interesting, yeah, honestly.

And I mean the whole thing also impacted your family so heavily. I mean, I remember your mom and Dave came for Audrianna's communion. It was that whole day was weird because they obviously wanted to be there so badly for Audriana. And you know, Dina is the best god mom ever. She still texts Audriana and you know, just loves her the little gifts that she always sent her

They came back to my house.

Like you know, some of my family members, friends, We were all just hanging out pretty late. But then they had a head down south a little bit. They had like an hour drive.

The next day, it was Mother's Day and they were coming into the city. It's when I was living in the city and they were supposed to come see me for Mother's Day.

It was like, it was weird, and it was almost like they wanted to stay with us as long as possible to kind of protect them in a way, you know, just feel safe. I know when I'm around people, I feel safer. I just like being in the company of people. You also have a million sisters, I know, no, I know, I just I hate being alone. But it was almost like they really did. Obviously they were probably enjoying the day.

It was a beautiful ring and he puts so much effort into it.

And I remember that was the only thing they took. So it was a crime with intent. Yeah, it was went in there to get something, So it wasn't like, oh, Okay, we're going to rob them because we know they have this, this and that, and we're trying to make a quick buck. Like no, they went for the ring, and they left anybody else hearing that. How could you think any differently?

I lived in fear for so long, and I was silenced by my fear by upsetting anyone in my family, by angering him and provoking him to do something, and lived in that fear until really recently, once I sat in the courtroom and I understood that I was the bear. He was the one, you know, about to go away for the things he did. My family were the ones that were embarrassed by the things that they did, And

Respect ultimately though, you're just speaking your truth, and you're also speaking about your belongings exactly. You weren't asking them to do anything astronomical. You were simply asking them, can you please help me get my things back? And that was the only time that you ever contacted them.

In years and so long. There's just layers to the pain. I didn't even want to get into the betrayal that I had dealt with from them. I just said, this is a way for us to repair what's so broken. If you can show me that you love me and help me with something that's breaking me that I know that you can help me with, then we can repair something like that was kind of the perspective, like, I don't think my mom and her sister can never repair

And this is when you really needed them.

Listen.

So much turmoil can pass and so much hurt could be done, but the fact that you went back to them and asked for one thing after they already caused all this pain and after all these on my.

Knees begging for help. No, literally, I'm in California. I need somebody that can go to that door, knock on the door, call the right person, ask for help. Like I know, the things are there, and it's a ticking time bomb until they're not. Because now he's in prison, other people are in charge of what's going on in that house.

And I was right.

Weeks went by, weeks, weeks, weeks, weeks, weeks, weeks, No, nothing of importance was done. No.

So then I mean, at that point, what other choice do they leave you to feel?

Yeah? I also I just stopped hearing from them.

It's like they just didn't even care all along. They wanted to show you maybe that they cared a little bit by telling you that there was a garage sale.

Yeah, And it was just so much back and forth. I was talking to them every day for hours a day, and I had some really awesome conversations with my cousin. And you know, I love her, I really do. She's the closest thing I'll ever have in this lifetime to his sister. And I think it kills both of us that we don't have each other anymore. But it just it just can't like there's too much pain. Now I'm even in more pain.

So very similar to my mom and her brother and my cousins, how you are with aside from the situation with Tommy, the forming of distance from your family. We discussed it, you know. It's the jealousy, the hurt, the competition, the money, everything that falls into play. But because this show really sometimes could create such a toxic and turmoil environment for families, it's really hard for the cousins to stay close.

It's unfair.

It's so unfair when your parents are at war with each other. Quite honestly, it's so hard to bring the kids together. I really think a lot of it has to do with the show, because you know, my parents aren't together, but we still.

Are so close.

With my dad's side, I'm close with every single one of my cousins. Everything is how it should be. That's even though my parents aren't together. We never let it affect But I guess it's kind of you got to give it to the adults a little bit too, for allowing you know, the children to be together.

You know, always let me have an open door to my cousins, and she wanted me to have a relationship to them. You know, I'm sure my aunt Caroline wanted them to have a relationship with me too, But it's just like the politics of it all. At the end, it's just my mom and I. I don't have siblings. She's been in these relationships that have been difficult, and it's always just been me and her. She had me really young, and at the end of the day, like

I guess you're right, you know, it really is the politics of it all, because it is difficult. Every situation is different, but ours is very similar in that aspect.

It's sad, exactly. Yeah, I'm at peace with those relationships. When I think about it doesn't make me sad. Yeah, but I've made peace with that a long time ago. But it's the betrayal sometimes it just makes me really angry. Yeah.

We're also taught at a very young age famili's everything you do, everything for your family. You know, you're as thick as thief. Literally, you know all the lines that they would say back in the day, and it's where did all that go? It's so funny how it all just honestly goes out the door ultimately. Literally, Bye, you went to NYU, did you not? I went to Fordham and then your experience when you got into college is a lot.

Yeah. I found myself. I needed to live in New York and be alone. And that's when my mom met Dave and she was going off and doing, you know, finding her own happiness. I was finding mine.

And I'm so happy your mama is Dave. Yeah, he's so great, and she found her happiness. I feel she's so happy where she is. I feel like she's just so at peace.

Yeah. I can't imagine her anywhere else.

I mean, I feel like her in herself is out. Even everything that she posts I'm like, I need this ze.

She in my life. So funny too. She has no idea how funny she is, but she's so funny.

I mean, I feel like always she's always just been so funny.

Yeah, she's a character.

Now.

I'm so happy for her. She's thriving where she is. She has a community that's aligned with what she loves, and I love where she lives. We're close enough to each other that you know, we can see each other, but we're not up each other's We were always way too codependent, so it was good to kind of break apart from it.

I remember she would call you twenty four seven, you guys, but.

Again it was always you guys, exactly so, and she watching me go through trying to get these things back, she was like, Lexi, I I healed from this a long time ago. I accepted my things were gone a long time ago. But now watching you go through it, it's such an insane experience for her because I'm basically reliving what she dealt with ten years ago. But I was just too young to understand like the levels to it all. And she said to me, and it was

Truth and what made you really get to this point?

And was it?

I guess you know, once you knew he was really gone, I'm sure that your closure in a way.

Yeah, sitting and watching that trial, seeing him, you know, stand there, and I sat in on everything all like the zoom hearings, everything those public no victims could sit into them, and I sat into everything I saw. I saw everything just so I could kind of understand, like this is reality. And then I think I kind of just realized, like what am I afraid of? It still feels uncomfortable, Like I feel uncomfortable talking about the situation

Also your life and you've been hurt by this time exactly.

I've been upset and nobody called me for years, for years, even after the trial, the truth of everything. Nobody called me. Yeah, see that's crazy, I called them.

I feel like if I were to hear something so devastating that involved, you know, my cousin's parents, but obviously I knew they were hurting my cousins. I would at least reach out to my cousins. Yeah, because the the kids don't have anything to do with this. This wasn't your fault, this wasn't your doing, but you had to deal with the repercussion.

She was just caught in the crossfire of all of it. Also, like the chaos of what happened with Tommy and the obsession, Like I had to deal with all that on my own. Like nobody in my family ever extended any comfort to me, and they all knew the things that were coming to light, and they all were still around him. I had family members that still worked for him.

Said Cookie right, and don't poke the bear. Cookie was just Cookie right. She never married her her kids.

She's remarried, and she I have a cousin, but you guys were very close. Yeah, she lived with us for a while. Yeah, she was like second mother to me.

For sure, and she never reached out either.

Listen, people meet you where they're at. And I've had to accept that people might have not showed up for me in the ways that I needed to because they simply didn't have the tools and they couldn't and they have their own things that they need to deal with and come to terms with. And I think everybody just met me where they were at.

Yeah, I mean I think also maybe it was embarrassment.

I don't know what it was. It's for them to all figure out. Yeah, I gave up a long time trying to understand why people did the things they did.

And you know, at that point, though, it's almost like they made their bed and now they have to lay in it. Maybe, you know, as you said, Caroline regrets writing the character like sure, she told me, Yeah, I'm sure, but you did it exactly. Everybody has to go to sleep in their own bed at the end of the night that they made. So that's that's their life.

Overall.

You guys have all come such a long way, and I'm so happy that you're finally at peace and you finally have found happiness, because you really are glowing. You look so happy, and I feel like this is your way of kind of just releasing everything that you've been feeling.

And it's so.

Crazy because you know, the twins and Amber, we're on for a hot minute and nobody talks about them. But your mom really left her mark, So we are still viewed as children to the public eye.

Oh for sure. I still get messages all the time. I got one today. I still think about your candy drawer. I think about when you went to Greece. You guys, I don't think about that. What do you think about it? It was so long ago, but I know. I also think when you're on reality television, people feel like they really know you, even if they don't. And part of what I think makes my mom so memorable on television.

I think that's why we also restrained ourselves from speaking out while we were younger and waiting until we were adults. I mean I really never spoke out to my family, Yeah, until I was eighteen on the show.

Did you get a lot of heat for that?

Oh my gosh. Yeah, even though I waited until I was eighteen, And you know, it just came to the point where I couldn't take it. You know, like I would be sitting there watching scenarios play out, and I would think to myself, you're lying. This is not how it happened. That is not what you did for us.

This is all a lie.

And also it's like you're guess lighting everyone to thinking that you were this amazing person, but you weren't.

Well good for you, And speaking.

Of there were certain points where I where I did and I got called disrespectful. I have no respect of course. You know, everything that you could think of the way you talk to your uncle is shameful everything. But it's really difficult when it's your life and it's your family and you have so much anger and.

You feel suffocated. Yes, like I feel suffocated for so long.

That is the perfect word, because you're trying to release your truth. But then by doing that, Yes, okay, did I act irrational or maybe raise my voice or lose my temper for a second, Yes, but I was frustrated, I felt suffocated.

You know. It was a lot.

And then hearing you say the same thing. You know, even now you're twenty nine, and I bet the public's still going to say something about you for.

Speaking think you're pretty black and white after that character letter, I have to say, yeah, I really don't get much of any backlash about speaking up. Yeah, anything I'm saying is very clear. I try to stay like emotionally detached from the reality of things, which is why I sat in that courtroom and understood the facts, and why I called everybody on the phone when everybody was so uncomfortable. It's just like, these are the facts. Yeah, you know.

Did you go to therapy after all of this?

I recently spoke to a grief counselor and he told me that I was emotionally constipated. He was like, there's all these little things that make up your grief, whether it's like anger or embarrassment or you know, whatever it may be. And he's like, you have to break down all these things into the root of them, of why you feel these things, and then you won't be constipated anymore. So I feel like every day I get a little bit less constipated.

I want to feel that.

You just got to break it down, I know.

So then what is your relationship status?

Now? I have a boyfriend. I heard he's really nice. He's so lovely. I'm so grateful for him. Honestly, he's amazing. Yeah, I love her.

And did you meet him in La?

No? I met him in Mexico on vacation. Oh my god. Yeah. I was there for a birthday, my friend's birthday, and he was at the table next to meet a bachelor party and yeah, the rest is history.

Oh I love that. Where is he about? Is he in California.

Area, Texas? So we did long distance the last year and then he's moving to La next week. He's moving in with me.

Oh my god, Lexi, that's so great.

Oh I feel so old. You know a boyfriend too? Right? For a while?

Yeah, for a while. I've been with him for six years.

You guys live together?

Not Yeah, I mean I'm still I'm still young.

But no, I love that time.

I think we're gonna we're really like discussing it now, so I want to say, probably with the next year, talk to me about how it was after college and you creating your own brand, and tell us about it because I am obsessed with it. I love everything on your site and I'm going to be investing in vintage suites. Thank you.

Yeah, I mean I just I kind of found my way there very naturally, and I started selling vintage over covid on Instagram and I started getting all these amazing clients and people love vintage, so coming back, it's.

Everything that we used to have, you know, everything is.

So I've been doing the vintage thing for the last two or three years. I've had so much success. I love it. It'll always be so foundational to what I do. But now I'm trying to move into creating my own shoes. So I'm coming out with my own shoe next month, which I I'm so excited for. It's like my ultimate, biggest dream coming true. My mom still can't even believe it. She's like, oh my God, Like we're gonna love them. Yeah, I mean, you know her, she's the craziest shoes. Yeah,

And I remember herning to her, I feel like you were a tomboy.

Yeah growing up?

Boy, when at least at least when you were like little like twelve.

Oh yeah, I was such a tomboy. And then I wanted to study like forensic psychology, so I did, and my mom was like, uh, why do you want to talk to serial killers? Like that's what I wanted to do. I just wanted to go so far away from everything that was New Jersey and my identity there, and then I slowly have made myself right back. I'm literally my mom, Like we collect and hord the same things, Like we literally are the same person. I don't know how I

It's funny because her and I are very similar but also very different and the way that we think, you know, I am still I think the more rational one. I think she's a little more irrational than I am. But you know, I kind of come to a middle ground, you know, I try to bring everyone back to a middle ground, and but I am like her in a way of you know, I take, I take, I take, I take, and then I explode. So in the assects of like our temper, I would say we're the same.

But it's so funny. I can't imagine that from you.

I it's only when I take, I take, I take. You know, it takes me a while to get annoyed, but then when I get annoyed, I snap. I think it's a Jersey thing on that Jersey Italian temper. Like, And it was also just okay back then. Now, like if you like had a fight with your homegirl on the street, like it is what it was, it wasn't a big deal. No cops were being called, and like

Our generation has more of it, for sure. Definitely we're just mirrors of our moms in different ways. It's so interesting.

Would you ever put your family or kids on reality TV?

No? Would you?

I think that's kind of where I'm going.

Yeah, yeah, well, you know what you're doing at least.

Yeah, okay, this is where like I would differ. I think, you know, because I just my show is premiering.

On Jerry exciting next Jed, and why I still wait to watch it? Yeah, thank you.

I'm so excited, more so just because I'm actually getting away from my family drama.

I'm making your own drama.

Yes, yes, exactly. But you know a lot of people ask me this, but I I feel like doing this on my own. I'm stepping into my own I'm creating my own vision path, you know, identity for myself. That this is what I want everybody to actually see, the person that I want everyone to get to know that.

I I really am excited for it.

And you know, Housewives, I was never excited for it because, you know, once I got older and to where to the point where I really got to understand everything it was always just negative and about my family and about my personal life that it honestly came to the point where it was really an knowing to even discuss anymore so going onto this show, nobody gives that my mom and uncle don't talk like.

Is theres a lot of drama on this show.

Honestly, you don't have to wait and see. But it's not like too much. But it's also not like toxic in any way. It's like playful, normal friend drama.

It's so amazing seeing you step into your own and like, it's still crazy to me that a woman what you do.

I mean, you're by like completely established now doing what you love. Found your passion, which you know that's all you can hope because it really does take people so long to find that too.

Yeah, I feel very lucky. Yeah, I really do.

And what did you do after college?

Book? So you like, we lived to California, which is the best thing I've ever done. Do you love it out there? I really do? Yeah.

Do you ever go back and watch The Real Housewives at all? From like the early days?

No? No. When I knew I was gonna be with my boyfriend, I was like, Okay, I have to show you something. He doesn't care about that stuff at all, but I was like, I just want to be the person that shows you what I used to look like and act like that was such an embarrassment.

Oh you weren't my god, you were nerdy.

The things that I said and did, I just yeah, I showed him recently and then I went back on the footage to also look at the footage of my mom's closet and was looking at all the shoes that she had. It kills me that I don't have them. But I collect so many of the shoes that she had, like subconsciously, like through doing vintage. It's like those shoes are somewhere in my subconscious and then I like buy them and she's like I had those. I'm like, what, it's crazy, It's so.

Crazy real if you had that shoe collection.

Wow, the things I would do were the same size too. It's like really a sin.

And you obviously none of the shoes ever.

No, nothing ever, nothing everything.

I mean, you know, thank God your mom, you know, found happiness and everything is replaceable.

Very lucky, We're very blessed. It's the irreplaceable things, though, that keep her an eye up at night, like the nightgown that she gave birth to me, and that my grandma gave birth to her in.

Like what all the baby photos? None, but they were all in that house.

Yeah, my mom used to scrap book my entire life. It was all in that house.

See, Like that's so weird to me that he would want to keep shit like that, like I just I don't.

My aunt that works at the Brownstone around the time that Tommy went away overheard somebody saying that somebody's pictures were in the garbage at the Brownstone, and she went and it was like two boxes of my baby pictures that I guess were being kept at the Brownstone in storage, and so so kindly they pulled it out of the garbage for me and they gave it to my dad. So that's all I have. It's about like a box and a half of photos from you know, like two

Yeah, like and from the bike from the room, so beatful, just crazy, and.

I was supposed to kiss everyone's ascid. They went in the garbage and took it out for me, like as you should. I would do that for a stranger. Yeah, it's the least you could have my mom's wedding dress in there too, So I got that, which I'm so excited about. So I want to like change it into something. Oh my god, yea, yeah that was in the box. Oh yeah, it was my mom's wedding dress. It was there was a scrap book in there of my mom's childhood.

If you had to come up with a housewife tagline, what would yours be?

What was my mom's? If you think I'm a bring it wasn't that hers? No, so much would be like, I am a bring it.

On, wait, I love that. My favorite line that she ever said was with like the whole Danielle stop thing, if you want to skin me and wear me? Like yeah, my favorite line, like how she came up with that, nod knows.

My high school yearbook quote was either love me or hate me. There's no in between with me, which is daniel stop school. She was so angry about it. I'm like, it's funny.

I was literally gonna sageway.

That sounds so.

Mine would be you think you've raised me on reality TV, but I'm writing my own script.

Oh that's very artful. That was poetic.

Took some thought.

You own your own vintage, brand new.

I'm going to ask you some questions and I want you to give some styling tips to the girls. Okay, all right, which celeb closet would you love to steal.

From the Alsen Twins? Obviously?

What's one trend that you refuse to try?

I said this recently too. I don't I don't understand the whole butter yellow thing. Everyone's wearing butter yellow, butter yellow, and it, like, I don't know, it draws out my skin. I feel like it's like we're gonna look back and be like, why were we wearing butter yellow?

LA or New York Fashion?

Oh, New York for sure.

If you had only twenty minutes to get ready, what's your go to look?

Jean's a T shirt, vintage pair of heels, Go to brands. I'm not really a brand whore, Honestly, I'm not really big into like designer handbags and that kind of thing. I love Luava, but now J. W Anderson's leaving, so I don't know if it'll be the same.

And Chanel, if you could only buy one designer bag, what are you.

Picking lay the little pouch bag?

Okay, Lexi, this was such an amazing episode, and thank you so much for being so open and sharing your story.

It is so nice to see you.

I hope you feel good and I hope this made you feel like you're really speaking to your truth.

Thank you. I'm so proud of you. I love you. I'm so proud of you. I love you.