Did Real Housewives of Potomac Star Stacey Rusch Really Pay Thomas Anthony 'TJ' Jones To Be Her Boyfriend?

Stacey Rusch dropped a bomb on last week's second installment of the Real Housewives of Potomac season 9 reunion when she revealed that she and boyfriend Thomas Anthony "TJ" Jones had gone their separate ways.

But on the reunion's third installment, which aired on Sunday, March 2, TJ dropped a bomb of his own, claiming that Stacey had offered him financial compensation to appear on the Bravo series and still owed him the dough.

"You know she paying me to do the show, man… like, whatcha talking about?" TJ said, in a FaceTime call with Wendy Osefo's husband Eddie Osefo and Keiarna Stewart's boyfriend Gregory Diggs, captured by RHOP cameras backstage. "You gotta talk to that girl. Give me my money!"

"I ain’t going to that fake ass show with those fake ass people. Obviously she didn’t invite me," TJ said when asked why he wasn't in attendance, adding, "I ain’t never gonna be in DC again."

"Look, she’s wack man, so that’s it," TJ noted.

Stacey Rusch and Andy Cohen on 'The Real Housewives of Potomac' season 9 reunion.Clifton Prescod/Bravo
His words came as a surprise to Stacey's costars, including Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby and Jacqueline Blake. But no one was as shocked as Stacey herself.

"It’s is hurtful. It’s so very hurtful. That’s all I can say," a flabbergasted Stacey said, moments after reunion host Andy Cohen showed her video of TJ's words. "I can’t believe someone who prides himself on being a man of God and being honest — and someone who would, I think, loves me, even if we’re not together — would say that?"

The former QVC host insisted TJ was not telling the truth.

"I’ve never paid TJ a dime and I’ve never owed him anything," she said, noting that she never even offered to pay his expenses to come to the reunion. "I’ve never paid for him to come and see me! It’s just not true. ... I’ve never paid him any capacity."

"I can’t believe that he’s saying that. I just feel like the rug has been pulled from under me," Stacey added.

Thomas Anthony Jones and Stacey Rusch on 'The Real Housewives of Potomac' season 9 reunion.Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty
This isn't the first time that Stacey has been surprised by TJ's behavior on camera. She previously said she broke things off with him over the holidays after seeing him "disrespect" her on the show.

"To see the way that he spoke to me, and to see the way my family reacted to that, it was tough," she said.

The pressure of having their romance in the spotlight — Stacey's first since splitting from her husband of 16 years Thiemo Rusch — ultimately led to their demise, she noted. But the two were still "best friends."

"I am concentrating on myself," she said, stressing that she was entering a new chapter now that her divorce had been finalized.

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Stacey Rusch in a photoshoot for 'The Real Housewives of Potomac' season 9.Phylicia Munn/Bravo
That friendship between Stacey and TJ may be on the rocks now. Pushed by the cast and by Cohen to call him to clear things up, Stacey remained firm that she'd been keeping their communication off-camera.

"TJ and I are no longer together, and I don’t owe him a call [right now] about a lie. ... It is a lie," Stacey said. "I will absolutely be calling him with my attorney."

But her fellow Potomac Housewives didn't stand by her side. "Nobody believes you. And the world will not believe you either," Gizelle said, Wendy explaining, "You have called this man repeatedly that he’s your best friend. Your best friend is not going to lie on you, so he’s telling the truth."

"TJ was acting like a paid actor. ... Let’s just stop," said Keiarna. "I really like you Stacey. This is bulls---."

None of that swayed Stacey, though. "I don't care," she said when told no one believed her, after denying that TJ would have any payment receipts to share on social media. "It’s neither here nor there. It doesn’t not matter to me and I know who I am and I stand in my truth. If any of you, if your opinions have changed, I’ll give you that. But I don’t care."

'The Real Housewives of Potomac' season 9 cast: Stacey Rusch, Karen Huger, Gizelle Bryant, Mia Thornton, Wendy Osefo, Ashley Darby and Keiarna Stewart.Phylicia J. L. Munn/Bravo
She also stressed that TJ had nothing to do with her becoming a Housewife. "Let me say it so that you hear me: I didn’t need TJ to get on this platform or any platform," she told Ashley. "Let me be clear. I don’t need an accessory, and I’m not going to say it again."

Asked by Cohen why she thought TJ was saying this, Stacey wondered whether it had something to do with the way their romance ended.

"I didn't want him to come [to the reunion]," she told the Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen host. "He’s very much aware of the way I felt watching the way he treated me. We talked about that. We’ve talked extensively about this show and this season. So the only thing I can tell you all is, hurt people hurt people."

The Bravo star questioned, too, why her costars were trusting TJ's words. "Every one of you had doubts about TJ. You all had doubts and you all talked so poorly of him," she said. "And now, when it’s a little salacious for you and you feel like he's going to say something to hurt me, now you’re literally believing this man over me. You know me!"

Season 9 of The Real Housewives of Potomac can be streamed in full on Peacock.