Garcelle Beauvais Says “It Means Everything” Being The First Black Cast Member On RHOBH!

Garcelle Beauvais, who joined the cast for the tenth season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, reveals how she feels becoming the first black cast member. The mother-of-three says it was “about time” the show added diversity.

“You want to see diversity in all areas of life, so it only makes sense that they would now sort of integrate another culture, another race into the franchise,” she told Parade. “It means everything,” she said.

Beauvais admits “there’s a lot of pressure” coming into the series as its first black housewife. “I didn’t want to go in with anybody’s preconceived notions of what we’re supposed to be. I didn’t want to come in and people think black women are always angry and that’s not my thing,” she says.

“I mean, I can get angry if you provoke me, but I didn’t want to come in there being a certain way. I wanted to come in and assess the situation, let people get to know me.”

The Hollywood actress explains why she found doing the Bravo hit reality show more challenging than her previous acting gigs. “Because it’s not a character,” she explained. “I can’t hide behind it. I’m not showing up and, you know, being someone else. I am being me. I am letting people into my home with my kids and in my life, so it’s definitely a different animal, if you will.”

Photo Credit: Bravo