“The Real Housewives of Orange County” star Jennifer Pedranti got to know Alexis Bellino during season 18 after Bellino returned to the series as a Friend of the Housewives, and Pedranti has thoughts on the returning RHOC star’s relationship.

Pedranti was asked if she agreed with claims that Bellino’s boyfriend John Janssen (who previously dated RHOC’s Shannon Beador) was “love-bombing her” during a July 2024 interview with Us Weekly.

“I’ve spent time with John and Alexis, and they love each other. I’m telling you, they are on the fast track to forever,” Pedranti said. “Truly, they really are, and I know that’s hard for Shannon, Shannon says, ‘You know what? It’s not about John,’ and I’m glad to hear that. […] But John and Alexis are a really cool couple.”

Jennifer Pedranti Says John Janssen is a Better Match for Alexis Bellino

Pedranti went on to share with Us Weekly that she feels Janssen is a better boyfriend to Bellino than he was to Beador during the run of their relationship. “It seems like it. You know when you find the right person? I think we kind of become a better person because we are who we are and we’re happy and we’re comfortable, and we’re settled. And he seems that way.”

Despite her feelings about Bellino and Janssen, Pedranti also maintains a friendship with Beador and shared her thoughts on being between Beador and Bellino during RHOC filming.

“Sitting in the spot of Alexis and Shannon is hard, because I got to meet Alexis this season as well, and I like her. And it’s very hard to be in the middle of Shannon and Alexis,” Pedranti confessed, adding, “No [neither of them made me choose one side over the other] and I hope they don’t, because their problems are not my problems. I can be sympathetic and empathetic to it, I can’t imagine for Shannon what it must be like filming with her ex’s new person, and I can’t imagine for Alexis. And then you add legal issues. So I understand that it’s hard, but I love them both as women, and I hope they allow me to stay in that position.”

The legal issues Pedranti referenced revolved around a defamation lawsuit Bellino’s ex-husband Jim Bellino filed against Beador and Tamra Judge in 2018. While Alexis and Jim were split at the time and the matter has since been settled, Judge confirmed in the RHOC season 18 premiere that the legal process cost her $500,000 and Beador $300,000, something Beador mentioned to Bellino later in the premiere episode.

Jennifer Pedranti Weighs in On Gina Kirschenheiter’s Relationship

The beginning of RHOC season 18 sees Pedranti getting back on her feet after being evicted from a home that co-star Gina Kirschenheiter helped her rent prior to filming. Pedranti and her five children were able to move in with her now-fiancé Ryan Boyajian, however the whole ordeal did cause tension between her and Kirschenheiter, who says it hurt her reputation as a new realtor.

While Pedranti and Kirschenheiter are working to resolve their conflict, Andy Cohen asked Pedranti some questions about her co-star’s relationship during a July 19 “Watch What Happens Live” appearance.

After asking if she thought it was positive that Kirschenheiter chose to live separately from her long-term boyfriend Travis Mullen, Pedranti shared, “I didn’t understand it in the beginning, but when Gina explained it, she’s taking care of business, and for whatever reason she feels like this is best for her and her kids.”

Cohen then asked Pedranti to give three compliments to Kirschenheiter’s early RHOC hairstyles, yet all she could say was, “She was bold. She was… bold. And, yeah.”