All About Erika Girardi’s Son Tommy Zizzo

Erika Girardi (also known by her musical alter-ego, Erika Jayne) is very protective of her son Thomas “Tommy” Zizzo.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star welcomed Zizzo with her then-husband in 1992. Shortly after Zizzo’s birth, Girardi divorced her first husband and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a performer. In 1999, she married her second husband, former attorney Tom Girardi, although they divorced in 2020.

During the interview with daily meal, the Pretty Mess Hair founder spoke about how she was a young, busy single mother before marrying her second husband.

“It’s hard for single mothers,” she said. “It’s hard. It’s exhausting, but at the same time, it’s very rewarding.”

However, Girardi added that watching her son grow into a successful man has been rewarding: “You know, especially now that he’s older and doing so well. I think that makes the struggle really worth it.”

Out of respect for his son’s privacy, Girardi refrains from posting about Zizzo, who works in law enforcement, on social media and showing him on RHOBH.

“He didn’t choose this life — I chose this life — and we’re trying to protect him. I don’t care if he’s grown and carries a gun and a badge. At the end of the day, he’s still my boy,” she said during Andy Cohen’s 2020 SiriusXM Show “He is a very good young man and I am very proud.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Erika Girardi’s son, Tommy Zizzo.

He was born in 1992

Tommy Zizzo smiles. Erika Girardi’s Instagram

In 1992, Girardi and her first husband welcomed a son. Shortly after his birth, Zizzo’s parents divorced, and Girardi, then 20, left New York for Hollywood to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress.

“It was the biggest risk I ever took,” Girardi told PEOPLE of her big move, which resulted in Zizzo staying with his father in New York in the meantime. The temporary distance “took a heavy toll on my heart,” she said.

“I was panicking, but I was committed to success. And I knew he was going to end up here with me eventually,” Girardi said.

He’s a policeman

Erika Girardi and her son Tommy in ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’. Bravo

Girardi’s son is a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. Despite the dangers that come with Zizzo’s job, Girardi said she believes he is exactly where he is meant to be.

“I knew my son was going to be in law enforcement since he could walk and talk,” she said Daily dish in 2016. “It’s all he ever wanted, and it’s kind of your role as a parent to respect who your kids really are.”

In the 2017 interview Daily dishGirardi explained, “Let me be very honest, I’m worried about my boy because I’m sure everyone who has a family member in the police or in the military [does], Alright? Good to hear him coming home. It’s nice to hear him come home from work and I can see his car in the driveway, or hear him walking up the stairs. As for me, I sleep a little better at night just knowing I know where it is.”

The best part of having a son who is a police officer? “He’s free insurance,” Mom added with a laugh. “Free insurance and never lets me forget it.”

Fans say he and his mom “look alike”

Girardi has only shared a photo of her son on Instagram twice, and the first time she did it, she couldn’t help but mention how much they look alike.

“People say we look alike,” Bravolebrity captioned a photo of Zizz donning a police uniform. “No, you can’t comment,” she joked with a laughing emoji, noting that she had disabled the post’s comments section.

Not only was the 2020 Instagram post Zizz’s first appearance on his mother’s network, but it also became Girdardi’s “top performing post.” Even Cohen was surprised by Girardi’s decision to go public.

“I’m a proud mom to my elementary worker son,” she told Cohen in 2020, adding that she felt a little “quarantine crazy” when she made the announcement.

“He works there like any other man and woman,” Girardi continued. “It’s just a crazy time. We’re all worried about all of our families.”

He does not appear on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’: “The Divided States of Erika,” episode 1105. Nicole Weingart/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

While Girardi’s RHOBH actors are used to their family members filming with them, Girardi kept her son’s life private.

When Cohen asked if Zizzo might make a cameo in the series in the future, Girardi replied, “Probably not.” And that’s a decision she and Zizzo both hold, she noted.

“I don’t think so, no,” Girardi went on to say Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2019. “You know he has a private life; he’s a cop.”

Tom Girardi’s indictment brought the mother-son couple closer together

Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi pose together. Steve Eichner/AP

In 2020, Girardi and her second husband — also named Tom — were sued for allegedly misappropriating settlement funds intended for the families of the victims of Lion Air Flight 610. The judge ultimately found no evidence of wrongdoing by the reality TV star (although she is involved in other lawsuits). Meanwhile, Tom is accused of fraud in 2023.

While taping a segment for Bravo Insider in 2022, Girardi opened up about how her legal troubles strengthened her relationship with Zizza.

“My son was amazing,” she said. “I will say this: The silver lining in all of this s— is that our relationship is stronger. My son and I, we really bonded.”

Girardi then reflected on what it’s like to have a child who is also an adult with his own life experiences and wisdom.

“He’ll be 30 years old, so if you ask him what he thinks about things, you know, you get a grown-up perspective,” she explained. – And it’s really nice.

He has the right to decide who his mom dates

If Girardi starts seriously dating someone new, he’ll have to go through Zizzo first. In a conversation with Bravo Insider 2022 RHOBH the star said she couldn’t marry someone who didn’t have her son’s approval. Girardi explained that Zizzo already checks with her if paparazzi take pictures of her with someone she doesn’t know.

“Oh my God, I’ll never forget … he called me once, he said, ‘Hey, are you dating that guy?’ I said, ‘No, what the hell are you doing? I’m not dating him.’ He said, ‘Okay, well, you know, I’ve seen it somewhere,'” Girardi recalled.

Girardi said interacting with her son made her realize how much she valued his opinion about her life together.

“Of course, I don’t think I would marry someone who doesn’t like my son, or my son doesn’t like them,” she said.

He allegedly had a serious car accident in 2021

During 2021 RHOBH episode, fans learned that Girardi’s son “rolled his car five times” after responding to his former stepfather’s call about a burglary.

“Tom’s house was broken into,” Girardi told her castmates. “He confronted a burglar and then he had to go in for eye surgery. And then my son had to come over and help. And then my son flipped the car five times on the way home.”

“Yes. I’m under a lot of stress,” she replied to the shocked faces of her friends. The former Broadway star explained that it was snowing in Pasadena, California when Zizz’s accident happened.

At the time, Girardi had no further details to share and, out of respect for her son’s privacy, did not disclose the status of his condition.

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Source: HIS Education