When Andy Cohen asked Monique Samuels to return to TV, his first offer was not for a role on The Real Housewives of Potomac.
While officially welcoming Monique back during Part 2 of the RHOP reunion, Andy revealed the behind-the-scenes production secret: “Something that people may not know that I really admire about you is that I tried to get you on, I think, Season 2 of Ultimate Girls Trip,” he spilled. “And you were a hard pass. You really said that you emotionally were not ready to come back to this platform.”
After Monique confirmed that he had, indeed, asked her to join Peacock’s Ex-Wives Club edition of RHUGT, which was filmed at Dorinda Medley’s iconic Blue Stone Manor in September 2021, she explained why she was “not at all ready” to make a comeback at the time.
“I was still very much in my marriage, trying to figure things out,” Monique said, referring to now-ex-husband Chris Samuels, whom she divorced in 2023 after 11 years of marriage. “I was so angry at everybody.”
As for what made the time right ahead of Season 10, she continued, “And then I said, you know, you really can’t test how much you’ve healed unless you’re in a place that could possibly trigger you. You know, staying by yourself at home in solitude is not actually peace.”Â
RELATED: Monique Samuels Opens up Like Never Before About Her Divorce From Chris (EXCLUSIVE)
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Why Andy Cohen praised Monique Samuels at the RHOP reunion
Part of the reason why Monique’s turning down RHUGT impressed Andy so much was that he’d quickly clocked her apparent growth following her RHOP departure after Season 5 in late 2020.
“I really want to congratulate you on your journey of self-discovery and healing,” the Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen host remarked. “I think we can all see the work that you have put in to make positive changes in your life. And it is really impressive.”
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He also asked what advice she would give “Season 5 Monique.”
“Oh, I would tell her to calm her ass down,” she answered. “It’s not that serious.”
Even so, Monique brought back the infamous original binder of receipts that she wielded during the Season 5 reunion “just in case,” she joked.
Monique Samuels reflected on her journey at the RHOP Season 10 reunion
Another major change since Monique left RHOP was that she and Gizelle Bryant were able to reconcile and begin a new friendship, in the wake of their intense feud.
While Gizelle admitted that she didn’t know if they would ever be “besties,” they both agreed that they could have been “cool” during Monique’s original run on RHOP, if they had just sat down and talked, as they did during Season 10.
Amid the ladies’ discussion about their unexpectedly happy reunion on the show, Andy read a viewer-submitted question asking what steps this seemingly “lighter” version of Monique had taken to get to where she is today.
“The first step to getting lighter is to lose 350 pounds,” she quipped, presumably referencing her divorce from Chris. “The second step is honestly just self-reflection. I really had to look at myself and I had to realize my reality is something that I created, you know?”
The WWHL host also asked Monique what her divorce taught her about herself.
“It taught me that I didn’t love myself,” she shared. “They say, typically, whoever you’re in a relationship with will tell you a lot of how you feel about yourself. And I was in a relationship where I was allowed to be depleted, which was crazy.”
As you await the RHOP Season 10 reunion’s conclusion, get a sneak peek at Monique dropping a bombshell about Stacey Rusch.
