Part three of The Real Housewives of Potomac reunion did what it does best: served looks, side-eyes, and shade–but a returning cast member is now clearing the air about an audio clip she initially believed implicated Stacey Rusch.
“I at least wanted to clear her name on ALL of it,” Monique Samuels wrote Monday, walking back what happened during the reunion taping hosted by Andy Cohen.
On Sunday, Monique was seen playing a mysterious, heavily bleeped-out audio clip that allegedly proved Stacey had contact with her ex-husband, Chris Samuels.
In the audio, someone implies that Stacey told Chris Monique was filming with their children, further fueling allegations that Chris and Stacey were secretly dating or had dated, a rumor that persisted throughout season 10.
Unfortunately for us (and our curiosity), production hit the censor button, leaving viewers in the dark about what the audio said. But #RHOP’s Ashley Darby was able to fill in the blanks for eager viewers.
Here’s what the audio said, according to Ashley Darby.
While speaking at The Reality Rundown live show in D.C on Sunday, Ashley claimed that the audio included one of Monique’s children asking, “Who is Stacey?” after allegedly overhearing their dad on the phone with a mysterious woman.
Now, as Ashley pointed out, kids don’t usually wake up and randomly ask about a mysterious “Stacey” unless they’ve heard the name somewhere. And since the comment came from a child — not someone on the show — it definitely raised some eyebrows. Or, as Ashley put it, when that audio played, “jaws were on the floor.” And judging by the cast’s expressions, the audio left cast members in complete shock.
Still, there were limits to what could be shared publicly, especially given Monique’s current legal issues, said Darby. So viewers were left piecing together the puzzle like it was a Bravo-themed detective game.
Stacey Rusch Denied The Accusations During The #RHOP Reunion
During the reunion, Stacey Rusch firmly shut things down, reminding everyone she had just navigated her own divorce and custody battle with her husband, Thiemo Rusch.
The couple, who share a 10-year-old daughter named Arabella, finalized their divorce in 2024 but reconciled earlier this February.
“I am with my husband and my family is back together. Why on earth would I get involved with your business and your family?” Stacey told Monique on stage during the reunion. “Why would I want to harm you? I don’t talk to Chris, I talk to my husband.”
Monique wasn’t buying it.
“You said you weren’t in contact, but you were because you showed me text messages from him before I even came around the group.”
And just in case anyone forgot, production rolled the receipts: a throwback clip of Stacey showing Monique and the cast a text message allegedly from Chris, asking why his “name” was coming up during “filming.”
Monique Samuels Now Believes Stacey Is Innocent
But in true Housewives fashion, the plot thickened after the reunion wrapped.
On March 2, Monique Samuels hopped on Threads and revealed that after “gaining more info,” she now believes Stacey is innocent.
“I don’t believe Stacey had anything to do with any of that bullsh-t,” she wrote. “I’ll probably go live on IG at some point this week and give ya’ll the ENTIRE story. I haven’t watched the reunion episodes yet, so let me catch up and get back to you, but I at least wanted to clear her name on ALL of it…”
Before the #RHOP reunion, Monique told BOSSIP she was over the constant chatter about her ex-husband and Stacey.
“It was so annoying,” she told BOSSIP about the recurring Stacey and Chris Samuels 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.”
Now, with new information in hand, the #RHOP star may finally be able to put the entire situation to rest.
