Wait, it turns out that Heidi Montag is actually the reason Erika Jayne and John McPhee met?!
She kinda played cupid here
There are celebrity “small world” moments… and then there’s this reality TV crossover that feels like it was engineered by the Bravo gods and an Instagram algorithm.
If you’ve been hearing whispers about Erika Jayne’s new man, John “Shrek” McPhee, you’re not imagining it; the connection is real, and the surprising link in the chain is Heidi Montag. Yes, that Heidi.
But before we get to the meet-cute, let’s talk about why John keeps popping up in reality-star orbit…
John works as a celebrity security guard
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John “Shrek” McPhee isn’t a random plus-one who wandered onto the RHOBH scene… he’s had a whole public-facing career outside Bravo.
Erika Jayne’s new man is a retired US Army Special Operations Sergeant Major and currently works as Heidi Montag’s private security.
And it’s not just “standing in the background” security work, either.
People notes he’s shared snippets of his life online, including moments from the road while working Heidi’s shows. That’s part of why this story spread so fast. He’s visible, he’s connected, and he’s already plugged into the pop-culture pipeline!
Now, how close is John to Heidi and her hubby, Spencer Pratt, you ask? Well, it seems pretty close!
People explicitly reports that McPhee is the godfather of Heidi and Spencer Pratt’s son, Gunner.
So, if you’re wondering why a very tactical, very military-background guy is suddenly adjacent to reality royalty, it’s because he’s been part of the Speidi circle for a while, professionally and personally.
How he met Erika through Heidi Montag
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Okay, here’s where Heidi becomes the accidental cupid.
Erika herself has explained that she and John met around one of Heidi’s shows, where he was working security.
Speaking on her Diamonds in the Rough podcast, Erika describes seeing John at the event and walking up to introduce herself after recognising him from podcasts.
And once the “hello” happened, the rest turned into a very modern celebrity timeline. We’re talking private dates, then very public paparazzi photos.
Page Six reported Erika speaking about the relationship and described McPhee as Heidi Montag’s former bodyguard/private security in that same wave of coverage.
Fast-forward, and the relationship is no longer a rumour in the group chat. Bravo’s own site has covered cast reactions to Erika dating McPhee, which is basically the official stamp that this is now RHOBH canon.
So yes, Heidi Montag is the reason Erika Jayne and John McPhee even crossed paths, not because she was matchmaking (iconic if she was), but because John’s job put him exactly where Erika was performing and socialising.
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