{"id":43017,"date":"2026-01-16T12:51:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T12:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/?p=43017"},"modified":"2026-01-16T13:00:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T13:00:44","slug":"john-shrek-mcphee-admits-how-he-really-behaved-as-a-special-ops-soldier-in-the-us-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/01\/16\/john-shrek-mcphee-admits-how-he-really-behaved-as-a-special-ops-soldier-in-the-us-army\/","title":{"rendered":"John &#8216;Shrek&#8217; McPhee admits how he really behaved as a Special Ops soldier in the US Army"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While a lot of Real Housewives are keen to get every aspect of their life out there and capitalise on a storyline like there&#8217;s no tomorrow, Erika Jayne made the choice to keep her recent romance under wraps.<\/p>\n<p>The Pretty Mess was papped out and about back in July with a mystery man who everyone has now come to learn is <a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/01\/09\/hes-rhobh-star-erikas-new-boyfriend-so-what-is-john-shrek-mcphees-estimated-net-worth\/\">John &#8216;Shrek&#8217; McPhee<\/a>. As if a <a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/01\/14\/erika-jayne-speaks-out-on-her-relationship-with-new-boyfriend-john-mcphee\/\">RHOBH relationship<\/a> wasn&#8217;t enough to get people talking, his past career as a retired US Army Special Operations Sergeant Major also has rumours swirling.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2>John revealed he &#8216;was an a**hole all the time&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Live Q or Die Podcast  |  Episode 83  |  John Mcphee  |  Part One\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kosppqpFj1c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>He admitted: &#8220;I wasn&#8217;t fun to be around when I was a US Army Sergeant.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/01\/13\/debunked-inside-the-wild-rumours-erikas-man-john-shrek-mcphee-lied-about-his-military-record\/\">John built up a &#8220;reputation&#8221;<\/a> over the two decades he spent in the forces. He said: &#8220;The last few years when I was a sergeant major, I was burned out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He admitted: &#8220;Guys would come into my office, and they&#8217;d be like &#8216;Hey Sergeant Major, I er&#8230;&#8217; too slow, get the f*** out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>John also dished some wild details about his army days, including &#8220;stealing cars,&#8221; and how &#8220;the red sea would part when I drove through,&#8221; in a specific car.<\/p>\n<p>John detailed how a dog died during his career. He said: &#8220;We were the first ones to get one of the dogs killed that were kinda new&#8230; a working dog&#8230; yeah, we were bad guys for that. Like we&#8217;re in the hot wash like &#8216;you guys killed a dog, I was like &#8216;hey, raise your hand if anyone wants it to be you, shut the f*** up, that&#8217;s what them guys are for.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The dog&#8217;s name was Ivan. I loved Ivan, I thought he was great, but, like, it ain&#8217;t one of you, shut the f*** up, that&#8217;s what they&#8217;re for.&#8221; John added.<\/p>\n<p>He said: &#8220;I was an a**hole all the time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>John McPhee said he&#8217;s a different guy now<\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DAb0CGuBY6o\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DAb0CGuBY6o\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by John \u2018Shrek\u2019 McPhee (@sobtactical)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>These days, John said he&#8217;s all about &#8220;fun.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I feel like for years I was super serious,&#8221; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>John said at one point he realised he &#8220;wasn&#8217;t the funny guy anymore, and &#8220;tried to get back to that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a lot of fun being funny,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/01\/16\/heres-the-real-reason-erika-jayne-kept-her-relationship-with-john-mcphee-a-secret-from-co-stars\/\">Erika Jayne<\/a> has echoed the same sentiment when it comes ot John&#8217;s character.<\/p>\n<p>From her first mention of him on her Diamonds in the Rough podcast with Teddi Mellencamp, she described him as a &#8220;nice guy&#8221; that she &#8220;feels comfortable with.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Then, in October 2025, she also said that she and John went on vacation together.<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;d ever been on, adding how she&#8217;s entering a <a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/01\/16\/rhobhs-erika-jayne-opens-up-about-the-next-chapter-of-her-life-with-john-shrek-mcphee\/\">new &#8220;peaceful&#8221; chapter in life<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>For all the latest reality TV cast member news, scandals, gossip and updates \u2013 like\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><i>Reality Shrine<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><i>\u00a0on\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/realityshrineofficial?rdid=TzQu2kEd2cUqU4rD&amp;share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F14zX5cKubf%2F#\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><i>Facebook<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><i>.<\/i><i><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8216;We were the bad guys&#8217;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249734210,"featured_media":43048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1358],"tags":[1552,2005,1565],"class_list":["post-43017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-bravo","tag-real-housewives","tag-the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/01\/16\/john-shrek-mcphee-admits-how-he-really-behaved-as-a-special-ops-soldier-in-the-us-army\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"John &#8216;Shrek&#8217; 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