Five years after exiting in a flurry of headlines, Monique Samuels returned to The Real Housewives of Potomac, and the Bravo block-spinning baddie spoke to BOSSIP about her buzzed-about reunion dress, a healing-inspired new book, reconciliation with Gizelle, and why not every relationship is meant to be rekindled.
Source: Charles Sykes / Bravo
Looking back, she says the experience was better than she expected.
“It was great. I really enjoyed it,” Samuels shared with Managing Editor Dani Canada of her comeback season after admittedly vowing never to return to #RHOP.
“I was so bitter. I was so hurt, I was so resentful of the platform,” she said. “And once I was able to let that part of me go, I realized like, okay, a lot of what I was upset with was me. I was upset with that I wasn’t looking the way I wanted to look. And you can’t edit a person’s reactions, how I reacted was how I reacted. So once I took accountability, I was like, okay, let’s just put my little toe in this pool and see what happens.”
That toe-dipping turned into a reset that started with a DC Pride pop-up and included a post-binder-bashing reconciliation with Gizelle Bryant. After years of friction that culminated with that headline-making reunion showdown, the two women resolved their differences during an hours-long sit-down.
Gizelle spoke highly of Monique in a December episode of the #RHOP aftershow, noting that she had a newfound respect for her and their relationship, and Monique echoed those sentiments to BOSSIP.
Source: Brian Stukes / Bravo
“It was definitely healing. It was growth. It was evolution for sure,” she said. “We were both in different spaces. It was nice that we were able to sit down and comb through everything that we had gone through, and we made peace with a lot of things.”
“There were a lot of outside parties that were aiding her and I in the way we saw each other,” she added.
The friend-of-the-show also noted to BOSSIP that they’re not “besties” who’ll be ki’ki’ng on the phone any time soon, but have committed to coexistence without chaos.
During a Dec. 7 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Samuels addressed the tension that culminated in their infamous winery altercation, a clash that led both women to file second-degree assault charges before the cases were ultimately dismissed.
When asked whether reconciliation was possible, Samuels was unequivocal.
Source: Charles Sykes / Bravo
“There was no relationship, and sometimes moving on doesn’t mean that you have to reconcile,” Monique said on #WWHL. “Sometimes you just see people for who they are, and you know your place, and you set your boundaries, and it’s okay not to rekindle something that isn’t meant to be rekindled.”
She doubled down on that sentiment to BOSSIP, making it clear that while fans may fantasize about a full-fledged friendship revival, reconciliation is not part of her personal plan.
“I can be in the same space with her, but I don’t look forward to having any type of friendship,” said Monique. “Like I said, even with me and Gizelle, we’re cordial. It doesn’t mean we’re besties. I know me so well now that I know the type of people that I like to have in my inner circle.”
She continued,
“And I feel like there are certain personality traits for me that just don’t mesh with what I enjoy being around. I’m fine with being cordial. I’m fine with making peace and moving on, which is what I’ve been doing.”
More on the flip!
That same focus on boundaries and self-awareness was tested this season as a recurring storyline linked castmate Stacey Rusch to Monique’s ex-husband, Chris Samuels, dragging the narrative back to her past.
“It was so annoying,” she told BOSSIP about the recurring rumors. “I came back to show how much I’ve evolved, and it became this whole talk about my ex thing, which is like, I don’t want to talk about him. If you want to talk about him, just get my book. Whatever I needed to say and make peace with, I did in this book.”
That book, Love Letters From Versions of Myself: A Memoir of Self-Discovery, Transformation, & Healing, features seven chapters written as love letters to her past, present, and future selves and blends unfiltered storytelling with the tools that helped her rebuild after public highs and private heartbreak.
Source: Charles Sykes / Bravo
“I totally stripped the mask. I let you in,” Monique told BOSSIP. “I didn’t want it to be this book to all be about me. I wanted it to be about what healing looks like, so that people don’t feel crazy when they’re feeling these emotions and they’re purging these different things out of their spirit and they’re just like, why am I feeling like this? That’s normal. You’re healing on the inside.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Monique also addressed the tension with newbie Angel Massie, who took offense to her comments about perceived red flags in her marriage.
According to Monique, her observations were never about critiquing the union itself, but about checking in on Angel as a woman.
“I wasn’t necessarily focused so much on her marriage as I was focused on her,” she explained to BOSSIP, recalling an early off-camera conversation where the two bonded over similarities, including the pressures that come with being married to high-profile athletes and maintaining a polished public image.
When Monique later heard Angel describe feeling unsupported and overwhelmed, it struck a familiar chord.
“She seemed like she was doing it all,” Monique said. “I know what that looks like. I know what that feels like. Girl, let me help you before you end up how I ended up.”
Source: Brian Stukes / Bravo
Still, she admits she wasn’t fully aware of the external pressures Angel was already facing and understands how her comments may have landed differently.
As for whether the issue is resolved, Monique hinted that it was addressed at the reunion, but not entirely to her satisfaction.
“If you are determined to misunderstand me, you’re going to misunderstand me,” she said. “It’s not my job to force you to see my perspective…I was just trying to give you some information and help you. If you don’t want to accept that or if you look at it as if it were an attack, I’m sorry you felt that way, but let’s move on.”
And move on she did.
Projecting that same recharged confidence at the reunion, Monique made a statement with her Real Housewives of Potomac season 10 reunion look.
Source: Clifton Prescod / Bravo
Sticking to the red theme, Monique closed the season in a sculptural crimson gown by designer/Beyoncé impersonator Riley Knoxx.
When Bravo previewed the look on its social channels, it sent tongues wagging with comments varying from criticism to compliments. According to Monique, she was told to wear wearable art, and she did just that while paying tribute to Egypt’s pyramids.
“It really, really started when I went to Egypt,” she said. “I was like, ‘I want to be the walking pyramid. I want to be this superhero African goddess. I wanted to embody all of it.’”
Ultimately, the futuristic, form-fitting design with a triangle centerpiece delivered drama and divided discourse.
“I heard a lot of mixed feedback through my makeup artist and through Riley because I wasn’t really paying attention,” she said. “I just saw that the numbers were going up. I never stopped and read the comments, so I didn’t know that there was so much equal and opposite.”
Unbothered by the back and forth, Samuels stood by the sartorial swing.
“I did my own hair literally the day before I left for reunion,” she added. “I loved it. I thought it was an incredible creative look.”
Acknowledging that the inspiration may not have translated without context, however, she noted,
“I don’t know, I guess without knowing the theme, it doesn’t make sense. But that was the theme I was given.”
You can see more of Monique Samuels and her dress when Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Potomac three-part reunion continues this Sunday, Feb. 22, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Uncensored reunion episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
