Braunwyn Windham-Burke’s children are standing up for their dad, Sean Burke.
After the former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star called her ex-husband a “narcissist” on social media, two of their seven children slammed her as an “abuser, liar and manipulator.”
“So my mother and grandmother[,] whom I had to block both and speak to neither[,] have decided to spread lies about my dad on social media. And I’m done. I’m done,” 21-year-old Rowan wrote in an Instagram Story, which was accompanied by her mom’s post.
“My dad is the kindest most amazing person and the reason I’m still here.”
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Rowan, who called her dad her “best friend” and “rock,” then claimed that Braunwyn and her mom, Deborah Windham, are the “narcissists.”
“She is the narcissist. My grandma and mother. End. Of. Story. I’m done with the lies and I’m done with them trying to blast his name. Maybe for onCE in my life someone will listen to me. Don’t believe these lies. I obviously know what’s true. And it’s not what she wrote in that caption,” she continued.
The Instagram Story has since expired, but Rowan posted a screenshot of it to her permanent feed, because “It needs to be said and it needs to be seen.”
“I won’t let my words get buried, not this time,” she furthered.
In a second Instagram Story, Rowan accused her grandmother of blocking her on Instagram and attached a screenshot that showed she was blocked as proof.
“It looks like my grandma blocked me to erase what I said. But I’ll say it again. I’m done with my mother and grandma spreading lies about my dad online. My dad is amazing. He is my rock, he is my greatest supporter. I only have 1 narcissist [sic] parent and it’s my mother,” she wrote over the profile screenshot.
Rowan continued raving that Sean is “an amazing dad” who only “ever wanted the best for his kids.”
“Unlike my mother and grandma who can’t think of anyone outside of themselves. Really mature, grandma. Trying to silence me again. It won’t work. I’m done with your lies,” she added.
Rowan also shared a screenshot, which showed that her post had been reported because it “may be hurtful to other people.”
“Looks like my mother and grandma are trying to get my post taken down,” she captioned it. “It’s staying up. And I won’t ever stop standing up for myself, the TRUTH, and what’s right.”
Shortly after, Jacob –– who goes by “he/him/she/her” pronouns –– took to his own Instagram profile to share a similar message.
“Hi! It’s Jacob, braunwyns [sic] son, I’m the one who did drag on the show. My mother is an abuser, liar, and manipulator. I believe in 2nd chances, but not 20th chances,” he wrote over a black screen in an Instagram Story Wednesday.
Jacob, 18, admitted that he was “quite scared” to share his truth, but his mom has allegedly “been harassing my dad for many years now.”
“Last time she called me she just yelled at me for talking to my dad’s gf, so idk. Bye, gunna log off insta for another 3 years,” he continued.
Jacob then added a second Instagram Story in a similar format where he clarified “this is just my opinion by the way, so don’t sue me.”
“I’m only taking this online, since she did, there’s a lot more private, and hopefully we keep it private since nobody besides the family need to be involved. I think it is very inappropriate for anything to be posted, for both me and her. I’ve tried to have real conversations with her over the past years and she either denied my problems, said what I saw and experienced weren’t true, or dodged an apology. Not much has changed. By for real, again my opinion,” he wrote.
Braunwyn shared in a statement with Page Six that she is “sad” about the status of her family.
“I expected there to be retaliation after speaking my truth online. Narcissistic triangulation is a very real and classic thing, and I am sad this is happening to my family. I love all of my children dearly, and I hope healing can take place on all sides,” she told us.
Rowan and Jacob shared their social media statements days after Braunwyn shared a lengthy post about surviving the “hardest 3 years of my life” and learning that Sean was “continuing the cycle of abuse and manipulation.”
“I married young, back then I didn’t understand what being married to a narcissist meant, I didn’t have the words to articulate the financial and emotional abuse I suffered, I was put down, called names, and told that my memories weren’t right and would get told lies that made no sense, but wouldn’t question. I was made to feel crazy,” she captioned her Instagram post earlier this week.
The former Bravolebrity added that while she doesn’t plan on talking about her past, she wants to “help people understand what being with a covert narcissist means.”
“We break the cycle of abuse by sharing our stories….so here’s mine. I covered for someone, I was lied to for decades , I was made to feel insane…I was left penniless and thought I would never recover…but I have, and I haven’t drank. I see you. I believe you. We aren’t alone,” she concluded.
Braunwyn appears to have the support of both her mother and her fiancée, Jennifer Spinner.
“We knew that her ex would retaliate, because that’s what narcissists do,” her mom, Deborah, said in an Instagram Story video Wednesday. “So what they do is they weaponize their children. I know it’s awful, it’s sad. I’ve tried my best. I’ve like pleaded with him, ‘Please do not involve your children,’ but he has zero boundaries.”
Meanwhile, Spinner backed up her fiancée by writing on her Instagram Story, “@braunwynwindhamburke I love you. Lead with love and truth, the rest is just noise.”
Braunwyn and Sean finalized their divorce in November 2023 after 23 years of marriage together. The former couple separated in 2021 after she came out as gay the year prior. She then got engaged to Spinner in July 2022.
The exes share five children, in addition to Rowan and Jacob: Bella, 23, twins Caden and Curren, 10, Koa, 9, and Hazel, 6.
It doesn’t appear that any of the other kids have recently shared anything on social media about either of their parents.
