Who Is Elizabeth Vargas’ Ex-Boyfriend Who Held Her Hostage in Her Home?

Anyone who likes to keep up with the explosive antics of the Real Housewives of Orange County is familiar with Elizabeth Vargas. Introduced in season 15, the CEO was notable for not technically being a housewife given she was, at the time, going through a messy and revealing divorce. While she’s thankfully moved beyond this point in her life by now, it hasn’t been the end to her relationship-related problems. Keep reading to learn more about Elizabeth Vargas’ ex-boyfriend, who was arrested for allegedly holding her hostage in her home.

Vargas was part of season 15 of ‘RHOC’

Vargas was one of the new cast members brought on during RHOC‘s 15th season. Unconventional as she was, the CEO and ex-cult member grew to become quite popular with fans, thanks in part to how wild she made her life out to be. A good amount of focus was given to her divorce from her husband, former CEO Bernt Bodal, to whom she was still legally married at the time of the show while in a relationship with her boyfriend.

Unfortunately for fans, though, her time with the show ended after her single season. As abrupt as it was for fans, it seems it was even more of a shock for Vargas and her fellow housewives who got left out. According to her, she even had a contract to come back for season 16, only learning about her firing a short time after the ink had dried.

While it was certainly disheartening to learn — especially since she had to find out through her manager and not the show’s producers — she and the other ex-housewives seem to be getting along just fine without the show.

Elizabeth Vargas’ ex-boyfriend allegedly threatened her at her home

Despite having left the show, Vargas was back in the news recently. The Daily Mail reported on the shocking story as it happened and in the aftermath. On Feb. 1, 2022, Vargas’ ex, Ryan Geraghty, was caught on video breaking into her home and threatening to shoot her.

According to reports, he’d allegedly been extorting her over nude photographs since at least December 2021, having tried to shake her down for money and a new car under threat of revealing them. After refusing his demands, Geraghty allegedly stalked her outside of and into her home with intent to kill.

Thankfully, Vargas had the chance to call the police. Not long after he got inside, SWAT teams descended on her home. In the end, she was rescued from the house and Geraghty was arrested. He is currently awaiting trial for multiple criminal charges.

According to Vargas, this isn’t the first time Geraghty was violent with her. In the wake of the incident, it was revealed that the two had seen each other on-and-off for the last several years. During that time, Vargas alleges he struck her in the face, and even fired a gun inside her home while she hid from him.

Her other past relationships have been less volatile

Outside of Geraghty (who she last dated in 2022 and hopefully won’t see ever again), her most major relationship was with ex-husband Bodal. The two met while Vargas was in college, according Reality Titbit. They were married for close to two decades after getting hitched, but the relationship started to break down because of a dispute over having children. According to Vargas, Bodal didn’t want any, and this eventually led them to separate in 2017 and finalize the divorce by the end of 2020.

Finally, there’s Jimmy Juarez. Fans of the show likely know who he is, given they were together over the course of the season. Unfortunately, though, things didn’t seem to work out for the two. However, they seem to be on good terms after the breakup, as they’re still following each other on Instagram. Juarez even adopted one of Vargas’ dogs.