Meghan's Friendship With Jim's Ex Is Complicated

Meghan King Edmonds has become an incredibly polarizing figure on Real Housewives of Orange County because of her comments regarding being a stepmother and some things she's said about Jim Edmonds' ex, Allison. Unfortunately for gossip hounds, Allison Raski Edmonds' opinion about Meghan King Edmonds isn't on the record — so far, she hasn't spoken up and all of her social media is set to "private." It seems like Allison and Meghan haven't always gotten along, which wouldn't be surprising or weird at all if not for Meghan's relationship with Jim's first wife, LeAnn. Meghan even went so far as to give an interview to People where she claimed she's friends with all of Jim's exes.

LeAnn and Meghan were close friends before her death, and even made arrangements for Meghan to move to Orange County and live with her daughter, Hayley, while LeAnn was going through her cancer treatments. It seems like LeAnn was exceptionally friendly, welcoming, and her relationship with Jim had been over for long enough there wasn't much conflict there. But, Meghan's relationship with Allison has been a little rockier, which allegedly might be be because Meghan is jealous of Jim's relationship with his second wife. It's a RadarOnline report, so take it with a grain of salt, but that might help contextualize some of Meghan's comments about Allison.

But, the timeline of Allison and Meghan's relationship shows that not all stepparent-parent relationships are always one hundred percent smooth. If anything, it's a more realistic part of Meghan's otherwise seemingly perfect life. Things might be better between the women now, but over the past year, they've had their ups and downs.

When Things Started, It Was Awkward

Jim and Meghan's relationship started before Jim and Allison's divorce was legal. Meghan has clarified that they were separated when Jim first asked her out, and both Jim and Allison had started dating at the same time, but it must have made for some awkwardness at first.

And, As Time Passed, They Didn't Get Close Right Away

Even after Meghan was engaged to Jim, it doesn't seem like she built a relationship with Allison. Allison, unlike LeAnn, isn't featured in any of Meghan's pictures, and even when Meghan lived in St. Louis, it seemed like she stuck with her family and friends, and the two didn't reach out to each other.

The Kids Were A Major Reason To Get Along

Meghan seems to really love Allison's kids Landon and Sutton, and takes care of them as her own when Jim has custody. She's taken them on vacation, shuffled them back and forth from Missouri and California, and that has to be the biggest reason for their family to remain cordial.

Allison Wasn't Pictured At The Wedding

Meghan and Jim's wedding photos did not include Allison, but Meghan did Tweet recently that only 40 or so family members made the cut.

During Filming, Meghan Had Some Things To Say

While I agree with Meghan that the rest of the Real Housewives of Orange County should respect that she's a stepmom, some of her conflict with Allison shone through. She called Allison an "unhappy person," which seems judgmental, and she prefaced that comment by saying the two had "absolutely no relationship."

Now, Things Are A Bit Better

Several things will probably always keep Jim's second and third wives from being very close friends. For one, they don't live in the same city full time, because Meghan is still on the west coast. Also, Meghan is famous and loving the attention, and Allison is pretty reclusive online. Meghan is saying that she has love for Allison on her Twitter, and Allison has stayed completely silent, not confirming any rumors or trying to "get back" at Meghan. They're naturally opposites, but while there's likely still some tension (Meghan's still defending her statements on the show), it seems like they've evolved into a better place, which is good news for the kids involved, at the very least.

These kinds of relationships are always a bit messy, but hopefully Allison and Meghan have come to an understanding and respect each other, even if it's from a distance.

Images: Charles Sykes/Bravo