Emily Simpson Says Viewers Were 'Cruel' About Her Sharing Son Luke's ARFID and PANDAS Diagnoses (Exclusive)

Charlotte Phillipp, Deirdre DurkanThu, July 2, 2026 at 5:16 PM UTC

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Emily Simpson and son Luke.Credit: Emily Simpson/Instagram -

Emily Simpson is opening up about the negative social media reactions to her son Luke's medical diagnoses

"I absolutely did the right thing by sharing about him," Simpson tells PEOPLE

Luke, 11, was diagnosed last year with ARFID and PANDAS, a group of autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with strep throat

Emily Simpson is getting candid about how Real Housewives of Orange County viewers reacted to her son's diagnoses.

Speaking to PEOPLE at the RHOC season 20 premiere party, Simpson, 50, shared that many reactions online were "cruel" after she opened up about her son Luke's ARFID diagnosis, a mental health disorder in which someone avoids or restricts food intake, and later, his diagnosis of PANDAS, a group of autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with strep throat.

"I would say on social media, I think people were kind of cruel about me sharing about Luke," she says of her son, 11.

"But when I went to BravoCon, every single person that came up to me said, 'How is your son doing?' They were very invested, and then they had a story to share about their own child, or a nephew, or a friend's child. They wanted to talk and share and give me advice," she shares. "That was my takeaway. I absolutely did the right thing by sharing about him."

Emily Simpson and her son Luke.Credit: Emily Simpson

According to Simpson, the upcoming season of RHOC will also show how she and her husband Shane have been handling Luke's diagnoses.

"After last season, everything going on with my son — our roles in our family changed and shifted, and that plays out," she says. "It's hard for us to adjust to it, and it's a marriage. We've been together a long time."

"Shane dedicated himself to being more at home and taking care of the kids and taking on more of a role with the children, and that's stressful," Simpson adds. "So I think just the stress of us parenting and being married for so long, it plays out on camera."

Simpson tells PEOPLE that she and Shane have "a real marriage" — one that they don't "try to play up to the cameras or act differently."

"I think people get a bird’s-eye view into a real long-term marriage, with all the ups and downs — with the kids, the blended family, the dogs, the animals, the house, everything," she adds.

Emily Simpson at the Universal Studios Lot in Universal City, CA on June 30, 2026.Credit: Todd Williamson/Bravo via Getty

In July last year, Simpson shared with PEOPLE that she'd always assumed her Luke was just a picky eater, like many young kids, but he eventually got to the point that he was refusing to eat anything. Soon after, he was diagnosed with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

ARFID can cause someone to lose interest in eating, avoid foods that have an unwanted color, texture, taste or smell, and feel fear or anxiety about food or the consequences of eating, like choking or vomiting, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Unlike anorexia, bulimia, or other forms of disordered eating, ARFID isn’t “caused by a negative self-image or a desire to change your body weight."

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During production, Simpson said, she was very overwhelmed while Luke was being diagnosed, and at times felt at odds with Shane over how to approach it.

The couple eventually started therapy, which she told PEOPLE helped them learn how to adjust and parent Luke differently than their other four children: son Keller, 11, daughter Annabelle, 12, as well as Shane’s daughters from his first marriage, Chanel and Shelby.

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During the season 19 reunion in November, Simpson also shared that Luke had also been diagnosed with PANDAS.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, PANDAS, or pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections, refers to a group of symptoms — such as tics and obsessive-compulsive behavior — that is thought to affect kids who've had strep infections.

"He went from a happy fourth grader that no teacher had ever said, like, there’s issues. He was gifted. And all of a sudden, my child just completely changed," Simpson said of her son. "He just regressed. He started talking like a baby. Acting out. And I was so confused.”

"In PANDAS, the bacteria remains and then it affects the brain. And the brain swells. So all of these symptoms are associated with strep throat," Simpson explained. "And there’s a higher risk in kids that are on the spectrum. And also, he has ARFID. I mean, all roads kind of lead back to being on the spectrum.”

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According to Simpson, Luke was set to undergo a series of laser treatments that would help reduce swelling in his brain.

The reality star also told PEOPLE at the season 20 premiere that although there were negative reactions after she spoke out about her son's medical conditions, she was glad to have said something, as she received tons of support from other moms on social media.

"There were so many times I thought, am I doing the right thing by being so honest about what we're going through?" she says of speaking publicly about Luke's diagnosis. "And all I can hope at the end is that it helps other parents."

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