Heather Dubrow Slams Claims She Used Son’s Transition to Stay ‘Relevant’

Mama bear activated. Heather Dubrow is shutting down critics who claim she’s using her son Ace’s transition for her own personal gain.

“I saw [people commenting that] talking about my son was [a way] to remain relevant or to create a story line on a show,” the Real Housewives of Orange County star, 54, said on the Thursday, March 9, episode of her “Let’s Talk With Heather Dubrow” podcast. “Neither of these things are true. They are the farthest thing from the truth.”

The Bravo personality announced on Saturday, March 4, that Ace, 12, came out as transgender with a touching tribute for her child.

“It’s International sons day! We love you, our youngest son, Ace ❤️,” she gushed via Instagram. “Our job as parents is to give our kids a safe and supportive environment so they can grow up as healthy, happy, confident, independent humans. Since Ace is a 12 year old child, with a long life ahead of him – we will let him tell his own story someday if he chooses to do so. All we can say is Ace, we love you so much and we are proud to be your parents. Your brother and sisters love and support you too ❤️.”

Terry Dubrow, Heather’s husband and Ace’s father, showed his support by commenting on his wife’s post, “Thank you all for spreading the love.”

During her podcast, Heather got candid about why she decided to speak out about her youngest child’s gender identity.

“It’s really all about protecting my kids … physically and emotionally,” she confessed. “It became apparent we needed to say something. What our goal was is to acknowledge who our incredible son is and show how much we love and support our child.”

In addition to Ace, the couple — who wed in 1999 — share twins Nick and Max, 19, and daughter Kat, 16. Max and Kat are also members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Max, for his part, came out as bisexual in June 2020 while Kat revealed in February 2022 that she identifies as a lesbian. Heather proudly supported both of them after they shared the news.

“It’s really important that we provide an environment of unconditional love and acceptance for our children and let them know that humans come in all different colors, genders, sexualities,” the reality star wrote via Instagram shortly after Kat came out. “Once we start appreciating this and practicing inclusion, love and acceptance, the better off we will all be.”