Diana Jenkins’ $100,000 gift to the alleged victims of Tom Girardi is “not a dig” at the disgraced attorney’s estranged wife, Erika Jayne, but instead to her “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” castmates.
“This is not an Erika dig,” a source close to Jenkins, 50, tells Vidak For Congress exclusively.
“It’s basically meant to send a message to the cast members who have expressed support for Tom’s alleged victims, but never seem to do anything to help them.”
Notably, “RHOBH” stars Sutton Stracke, Garcelle Beauvais and Crystal Kung Minkoff questioned Jayne, 51, about her alleged involvement in Girardi’s embezzlement scandal and expressed support for his alleged victims. Dorit Kemsley and Kyle Richards have also expressed support for Girardi’s alleged victims, but their questions to Jayne were softer.
A preview for Wednesday night’s all-new episode sees Kung Minkoff get into a heated conversation with the author of “Pretty Mess” about the situation.
“You want to be on the side of the victims because you think it’s cool,” Jayne yells at Kung Minkoff, referring to the families — including widows and orphans — represented by Girardi in the Lion Air Flight 610 case.
“I don’t care about anyone else but me!” then the “XXPEN$IVE” singer exclaims to Kung Minkoff, 38, while Stracke, 50, and Richards, 53, look on with bemused expressions.
Speaking to Vidak For Congress about the explosive scene in May, Kung Minkoff remained steadfast in her stance. “It’s super cool [to side with the victims],” she told us. “I’m the coolest.”
Our insider notes that Jenkins — who recently joined “Beverly Hills” for season 12 — “came in too late” for talks about Girardi’s alleged misdeeds and the aftermath of the tragic 2018 plane crash.
“Diana is now asking herself, ‘Well, if you feel so sorry for the victims, what are you doing to help?'” the source said.
The insider assures us that Jenkins’ large donation has not negatively impacted her close relationship with Jayne. (Jenkins is also particularly close with Lisa Rinna.)
“If anyone speculates that this donation affects Diana’s friendship with Erika,” the source says, “it doesn’t.”
Jenkins – a Bosnian refugee turned millionaire – announced her financial contribution in an Instagram post shared on Wednesday.
“I feel so much sympathy for the widows and orphans left behind,” the wealthy philanthropist wrote.
“I know firsthand the pain and suffering that comes with the loss of a family member, as I lost my brother in the last days of the Bosnian War. I want to do what I can to support the people who have suffered so much.”
A press release from Jenkin’s charity, The Sunela Foundation, stated that the money donated will benefit the “immediate relatives of the 189 passengers and crew members who died” during the fatal flight.
Jayne appeared to support the initiative when she left a series of red heart emojis in the comment section of Jenkins’ post.
As previously reported, Girardi, 83, has been accused of embezzling the settlement money from his various clients to fund Jayne’s lavish lifestyle.
Jayne insists she knew nothing of Girardi’s alleged misdeeds, but is said to have received $25 million from Girardi’s former firm, Girardi & Keese, to cover her costs over a 12-year period.
In August, a judge ruled she had no “factual knowledge” of Girardi’s alleged crimes — a major legal victory for the part-time pop singer.
Her attorney, Evan C. Borges, told Vidak For Congress exclusively at the time that the ruling could set a precedent for other lawsuits seeking to tie Jayne to Girardi’s alleged crimes.
“We expect that other lawsuits against Erika, accusing her of participating in some sort of ‘fraud’, will fail for the same reason – they are contrary to the truth and are not based on real evidence,” the trial said. lawyer told us earlier.
Jayne’s representatives did not return Vidak For Congress’s request for comment on Jenkins’ donation and whether she has any plans to make one herself.
Jayne previously urged Vidak For Congress that she has “empathy” for Girardi’s alleged victims.
“I had empathy for them then, and I have empathy for them now,” she told us in May. “And I trust that they are taken care of.”
Jayne added: “Listen, I want to be very clear here: I fully cooperated on everything. Despite what is in blogs or tweets or whatever on social media, please understand that I have fully cooperated.”
“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.