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Garcelle Beauvais said her decision to leave RHOBH came after feeling isolated from the cast
The reality star admitted her “spirit was no longer there” by the end of her time on the Bravo series
Beauvais encouraged women to “walk away from things that no longer serve you” and “choose” themselves
Garcelle Beauvais is opening up about the emotional reason behind her decision to leave The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
While speaking at the People Inc. Black Affinity Group’s Legacy Chat series in New York City on May 7, the actress and reality star, 59, reflected on her time on the Bravo series and admitted that, despite the opportunities the show brought her, she eventually realized it was time to walk away.
“First of all, when I joined that show,” Beauvais, 59, tells moderator Kareema Bee with a laugh, “I mean, obviously I knew the show and I had friends on the show, and I knew it was popular. I had no idea that me being announced was going to go, like, crazy viral.”
A friend texted her to say she was trending online — but Beauvais, who was the first Black cast member to join RHOBH, said she was completely unaware of the frenzy at the time.
“A friend of mine, Natalie, texted me and she’s like, ‘You’re trending on Twitter,’ ” she recalls. “And I was like, ‘Why? I’m making pork chops for the boys.’ I didn’t understand what was happening.”
Garcelle Beauvais with Dorit Kemsley, Erika Jayne, Sutton Stracke, and Kyle Richards
Credit: Casey Durkin/Bravo via Getty
While Beauvais said joining the tenth season of RHOBH “changed” her life and introduced her to a wider audience, she explains that her “spirit” eventually told her it was time to move on.
“It gave me a new audience that I didn’t have before,” she says. “It gave me a different, in terms of brand recognition and all that, but knowing when to leave, my spirit was not … My spirit was no longer there. I couldn’t do it anymore. I just couldn’t do it.”
The former Housewife adds that the turning point came while filming the reunion.
“When I sat on that reunion stage and looked around, I felt like I didn’t have any friends,” Beauvais admits. “And if the show is based on friendships, I didn’t have any friends on that show anymore.”
“And so it just didn’t feel right for me and my spirit just didn’t feel like that’s where I needed to be,” she continues.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Beauvais offered advice to women who may feel stuck in unhealthy environments — whether professionally or personally — and encouraged them to prioritize themselves.
“It was hard because, again, I’m an immigrant. You don’t leave jobs,” says the Haitian American actress. “You don’t leave jobs that are paying you, right? So that wasn’t an easy decision.”
Still, Beauvais said choosing herself ultimately mattered more.
“Once again, I had to choose me,” she explains. “I chose me in the marriage when I walked away. I chose me here.”
“You gotta do like the movie and get out,” she jokes. “Because life is too short. This is our one time. There’s no do-overs. This is not a rehearsal.”
“Protect it,” Beauvais continues. “Keep the joys that you wanna keep. Take out the negativity that you don’t want in your life.”
Though she clarified she isn’t encouraging people to quit their jobs without a plan, Beauvais said she hopes women feel empowered to walk away from situations that no longer serve them.
“We don’t have to take it anymore,” the Survival of the Thickest actress says. “Especially women — we’re independent, we make our own money … we can walk away.”
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“And I always feel like God will provide if you take that leap of faith,” she notes.
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