In a heated exchange that has captivated Bravo fans, Jeff Lewis, known for his candid style, found himself at the center of controversy following a remark he made about Monica Garcia, a former star of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.” The comment referred to Garcia allegedly being on food stamps and did not sit well with her.

Garcia swiftly addressed the issue on her Instagram Stories, targeting Lewis for the tasteless comment. The incident took place during BravoCon 2025 in Las Vegas, where Lewis was speaking with Andy Cohen. Garcia’s response was pointed and passionate.

“Let me be so clear, I have so much said about me that I let slide and don’t care to acknowledge,” Garcia stated, sharing a screenshot of Lewis’s original remark. “But considering what so many families, single moms, elderly, and Americans have been and are dealing with lately in relation to this situation, this is HORRIBLE.”

Her anger was palpable as she concluded her post with a direct “F*** YOU,” tagging Lewis to ensure her message was received. She further lambasted him, calling him “F***ING TRASH” and labeling him as an “elitist, entitled, privileged P****.”

In response, a representative for Jeff Lewis told the Daily Mail, “Jeff is happy to hear that the government shutdown is over and that everyone will be receiving their full benefits soon.”

This exchange highlights the often explosive nature of reality TV star interactions and the sensitivities around social issues, resonating with many who experience similar challenges in their daily lives.

Bravo star Jeff Lewis had a biting response on Friday to blistering criticism from former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Monica Garcia over a tasteless joke he made about her allegedly being on food stamps; pictured Friday in Las Vegas at BravoCon 2025

‘Let me be so clear, I have so much said about me that I let slide and don’t care to acknowledge,’ Garcia wrote on Instagram. ‘But considering what so many families, single moms, elderly and Americans have been and are dealing with lately in relation to this situation, this is HORRIBLE’; pictured in 2023 in Las Vegas

‘You are F***ING TRASH for this!!!!!!’ Garcia seethed while also calling him an ‘elistist, entitled, privileged P****’

Representatives for Monica Garcia haven’t yet responded to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. 

Lewis set off Garcia’s fury when he asked Andy Cohen why Real Housewives producers had allegedly chosen to ‘diverge from bringing in affluent women’ for their shows, before citing Garcia as one of the women who allegedly wasn’t in the same income bracket as her wealthy costars.

‘Didn’t Monica Garcia’s food benefits just get frozen?’ he joked, according to Us Weekly.

The account Queens of Bravo, which made the original post that Garcia wrote her comments on, claimed that ‘Andy was not a fan of the comment.’

The account said Cohen defended Garcia and said she was an essential part of creating a ‘great season.’ 

Cohen went on to explain that ultra-wealthy women are ‘one of the elements’ of the Real Housewives franchise, but he said there had ‘always been a span of wealth’ on the shows, Us Weekly reported.

Friday’s event at BravoCon wasn’t the first time that Lewis — who hosts the radio show Jeff Lewis Live on Cohen’s Sirius XM satellite radio channel — has mocked Garcia for not being as wealthy as her costars and accused her of requiring governmental assistance.

During a 2023 appearance at BravoCon, he reportedly said that she was ‘on food stamps’ and ‘three payments behind’ on her luxury car, according to Reality Tea.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, Lewis’ representative said, ‘Jeff is happy to hear that the government shut down is over and that everyone will be receiving their full benefits soon’; pictured Friday at BravoCon in Las Vegas

Lewis had asked Cohen why the Real Housewives franchise had allegedly begun featuring less wealthy women, while singling out Garcia. ‘Didn’t Monica Garcia’s food benefits just get frozen?’ he joked, according to Us Weekly; pictured Friday in Las Vegas

Lewis previously complained about Garcia not being wealthy enough in 2023, and he made a similar ‘food stamps’ insult at that year’s BravoCon, along with a joke about Garcia being ‘three payments behind’ on her luxury car; pictured with Cohen on Friday 

Garcia — who earned a spot on RHOSLC after working as an assistant to the convicted felon and former castmate Jen Shah — was only featured on the fourth season of the show, which began airing in 2023 

She was unmasked the one of the creators of the social media account Reality Von Tease, which used inside information to slam the other RHOSLC stars, when Heather Gay confronted her at dinner in Bermuda on the season finale

While speaking with The Messenger the same year, Lewis went further and said that the Real Housewives franchise is ‘not an aspirational lifestyle,’ suggesting that Garcia didn’t belong because she doesn’t have the enormous wealth that many of her costars have.

‘I understand that she might be relatable, but that’s not why we watch Real Housewives. I don’t watch Real Housewives because they’re relatable, I watch them because of their extravagant lifestyles and they live a life that most of us do not live,’ continued the former Flipping Out star.

‘I find the Monica storyline to be depressing, frankly,’ Lewis added.

Garcia — who earned a spot on RHOSLC after working as an assistant to the convicted felon and former castmate Jen Shah — was only featured on the fourth season of the show, which began airing in 2023.

Although her time on the series was limited, she had a greater impact than many Real Housewives have over multiple seasons due to a dramatic storyline involving the gossip account Reality Von Tease.

The account had only a modest following on social media, but it was known for bashing the RHOSLC stars with details that suggested they came from someone with inside knowledge.

In the fourth season finale, Garcia’s costar Heather Gay assembled evidence that she was one of the people posting under the Reality Von Tease name and confronted her in front of the other women at a dinner while on a trip to Bermuda, at which point Garcia admitted to the ruse.