The ABC News doc on Hulu examines the reality star's relationship with her lawyer husband and their alleged legal woes.
Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi's legal woes are at the center of the new documentary, The Housewife and the Hustler, and many viewers are speaking out about the reality star couple's alleged scandals.
Jayne, who announced her split from Girardi in November, is known for her role on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, while Girardi is a former lawyer. The new ABC News doc, which dropped on Hulu on Monday, delves into the details surrounding Girardi's alleged embezzlement.
Those interviewed for the exposé claim the couple were "blowing money left and right," just before they were accused of staging a divorce, allegedly as part of a complex scheme to embezzle money from plane crash victims, among others.
While the hour-long doc included a number of interviews with alleged victims of the supposed embezzlement -- as well as a number of people who are close to the couple -- one of the doc's more surprising appearances came from former Real Housewives of New Jersey star Danielle Staub.
Staub's connection to Jayne is tenuous, and she even admits as much in her interview for the doc, sharing, "Erika Jayne, I have seen on the show, and I also worked with her on Watch What Happens Live one or two times. Didn’t get the best vibe from her... I know a lot of fake people, and it turns out, she’s just one of them."
However, Staub had some pointed barbs directed toward the Real Housewives franchise itself when she took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the doc -- which she said was "extremely disheartening!"
"Yet here we are @bravotv continues to support the Real crimes of Housewives Franchise," Staub wrote. "This isn’t entertainment! it’s the lie Bravo tells you to create a storyline. Which ironically is not reality! Bravo bends and manipulates the truth instead of simply Allowing #reality to be the storyteller."
Staub went on to call out Teresa Giudice specifically, and criticized Bravo for how they continued to work with her after she pleaded guilty and served prison time for multiple counts of fraud.
"If the franchise continues to pay cast and promote their fake lives, so many more crimes against society will be committed! In #reality This will effect more civilians financially, emotionally, physically, and mentally!" Staub wrote.
Meanwhile, many fans seemed to have an issue with Staub being involved with the doc, considering how little she has actually been involved in Jayne's life, and is in no way related to the legal scandals that are at the crux of the special.
The doc specifically explores the allegations of embezzlement and the lawsuit filed against the pair in December on behalf of several families who lost loved ones in the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, which occurred in October 2018.
Girardi allegedly embezzled settlement money that was supposed to go to the family members of the victims. Girardi and his wife are accused of using that money to fund their own lavish lifestyles and allegedly pay off loans to keep Girardi's law firm afloat.
The special also addressed one of the latest developments, which came in February, when Girardi was placed under a temporary conservatorship. In March, a psychiatrist told courts that Tom suffers from Alzheimer's disease, and that he is unable to care for his own personal or financial matters.
Viewers weighed in on the details of the allegations and the way the doc handled the presentation of the scandals. Some fans seemed to support Jayne -- insinuating that Girardi is solely responsible for the legal troubles -- while others seemed to bask in the drama.
Check out the video below for more on Jayne's ongoing marital issues and pending legal battles.
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