John ‘Shrek’ McPhee admits how he really behaved as a Special Ops soldier in the US Army
'We were the bad guys'
While a lot of Real Housewives are keen to get every aspect of their life out there and capitalise on a storyline like there’s no tomorrow, Erika Jayne made the choice to keep her recent romance under wraps.
The Pretty Mess was papped out and about back in July with a mystery man who everyone has now come to learn is John ‘Shrek’ McPhee. As if a RHOBH relationship wasn’t enough to get people talking, his past career as a retired US Army Special Operations Sergeant Major also has rumours swirling.
Post-army career, John has appeared on a ton of podcasts, and has openly admitted how he really behaved as a Special Ops soldier in the US Army.
John revealed he ‘was an a**hole all the time’
Appearing as a guest on the Live Q or Die Podcast back in 2022, John got super candid about his character while serving in the US Army.
He admitted: “I wasn’t fun to be around when I was a US Army Sergeant.”
John built up a “reputation” over the two decades he spent in the forces. He said: “The last few years when I was a sergeant major, I was burned out.”
He admitted: “Guys would come into my office, and they’d be like ‘Hey Sergeant Major, I er…’ too slow, get the f*** out.”
John also dished some wild details about his army days, including “stealing cars,” and how “the red sea would part when I drove through,” in a specific car.
John detailed how a dog died during his career. He said: “We were the first ones to get one of the dogs killed that were kinda new… a working dog… yeah, we were bad guys for that. Like we’re in the hot wash like ‘you guys killed a dog, I was like ‘hey, raise your hand if anyone wants it to be you, shut the f*** up, that’s what them guys are for.”
“The dog’s name was Ivan. I loved Ivan, I thought he was great, but, like, it ain’t one of you, shut the f*** up, that’s what they’re for.” John added.
He said: “I was an a**hole all the time.”
John McPhee said he’s a different guy now
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These days, John said he’s all about “fun.”
“I feel like for years I was super serious,” he explained.
John said at one point he realised he “wasn’t the funny guy anymore, and “tried to get back to that.”
“It’s a lot of fun being funny,” he added.
Erika Jayne has echoed the same sentiment when it comes ot John’s character.
From her first mention of him on her Diamonds in the Rough podcast with Teddi Mellencamp, she described him as a “nice guy” that she “feels comfortable with.”
Then, in October 2025, she also said that she and John went on vacation together.
The RHOBH star said that John took her to Panama, and they got two for one stem cell treatment. Erika described it as the best trip she’d ever been on, adding how she’s entering a new “peaceful” chapter in life.
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