Gizelle Bryant Addresses Monique Samuels’ Departure From ‘RHOP’; Says “I Think We All Just Need To Move Forward”

Gizelle Bryant reveals how she really feels about Monique Samuels quitting The Real Housewives of Potomac.

During a recent interview with PopCulture, she was asked if she was surprised by Monique’s departure. “I didn’t know one way or the other. People have asked me so many times like, ‘Do you want her to come back? What is, what is…’ You know, all of those things about whether or not she’s gonna return. And I’m like I have no say over that,” Gizelle said. “I have no say who’s on the show. But the fact that she’s not is I think a breath of fresh air. I think we all just need to move forward. And move on and move past what happened in season 5. Season 5 was a mess.”

Monique announced her departure after Part 3 of RHOP Season 5 reunion aired on Bravo. “It was a crazy ride. It’s not easy doing reality TV, and to be quite honest, y’all, I’m over it,” she said during an Instagram Live on Sunday, December 27, according to Us Weekly. “I appreciate everything that people have done for me. Everybody that’s been Team Monique, I love y’all, I thank y’all.”

Monique explained that she decided to walk away from the Bravo hit reality series in an attempt to shield her family from drama.

“When you cross certain lines, there’s no going back. And for me, my family is that line,” she said. “The opinion of my family and my kids and what they think about anything that I do is more valuable to me than anybody’s opinion, so I’m over it.”

“I wanted to represent real Black love and show people something outside what the stereotype has been on TV. Unfortunately, this season I played right into that stereotype,” Monique said during her Instagram Live. “I was working overtime to really check myself because that’s the exact opposite of what I want to display on a TV show and in real life, most importantly. I’m always going to be a great example and role model for my kids, and you have to know when enough is enough. And enough is enough.”

Monique went on to thank Bravo, calling the network “amazing” and saying that she felt “so blessed and so grateful” to have been a part of the cast.

“I am very much at peace,” she added. “It’s been a rough year, but this is the happiest I’ve been in my entire life.”

Monique joined RHOP in 2017 during the show’s second season. She starred alongside original Housewives Ashley Darby, Charrisse Jackson Jordan, Gizelle Bryant, Karen Huger, and Robyn Dixon. 

Photo Credit: Bravo Media/NBCUniversal