Braunwyn Windham-Burke, star of The Real Housewives of Orange County, has defended her husband Sean after he faced criticism for wearing red high heels to an LGBT Youth Center fundraiser. In a series of Instagram stories posted on Tuesday, the 42-year-old reality TV personality addressed negative comments about Sean's footwear choice.
Windham-Burke explained that the couple attended the fundraiser to support their 14-year-old son Jacob, who recently began exploring drag. She said Sean's decision to wear heels was a way to show solidarity with their son and the LGBTQ+ community, adding: 'It was Sean's way of supporting his son and all the other kids that the youth center helps.'
The mother of seven criticised the backlash, stating: 'Waking up to all the hate that my husband's getting for a pair of shoes sort of goes to show why this is so important. So, as long as a pair of shoes can be so pulverizing and divisive, it means we still have a lot of work to do because people aren't understanding, people are judging.'
Former co-star Vicki Gunvalson, whom Windham-Burke has previously accused of homophobia, reshared the couple's photo with the caption 'does anyone else see what is on Sean's feet?' before deleting the post. In contrast, co-star Kelly Dodd showed support, commenting 'Sean, can I borrow those?' with a red stiletto emoji.
Windham-Burke also responded to a commenter who questioned the need to 'go that extreme,' saying: 'I guess I could use my platform to sell teeth whitening trays, but fundraising for an organization that does 84,000 site visits a year is more my thing.'
