Mariah Huq, the creator and executive producer of “Married to Medicine,” is addressing rumors that claim she was fired from her hit reality show. In April, Mariah checked her mailbox and was surprised to see that her contract for the upcoming season was nowhere to be found.
While a few people assumed that she was let go from the Bravo franchise, Mariah revealed in an exclusive telephone interview with Atlanta Black Star that the speculation was nothing more than that. “I’m the first African-American woman to create a franchise at Bravo. I’m one of three people. It’s me, it’s Lisa Vanderpump, that created “Vanderpump Rules,” and Whitney Sudler that did “Southern Charm,” she said. “They’re still with their franchises. They’re still a part of [them]. Why would I not be?”
She added, “I wouldn’t even be questioned why as an African-American creator and executive producer am I not at the table when decisions about the show that I created are being made. That’s the bigger question.”
The Tennessee native expressed the idea that her race plays a factor in the way people treat her in comparison to her white colleagues. “We talk about justice and equality for all; why am I being treated differently than some of my white counterparts? So, that’s the first question.”
Mariah revealed that she still has yet to see her paperwork for season eight. “Yes, I did say that in April and no I haven’t received my contract. I’m typically the last person to know things about “Married to Medicine” unfortunately, and I’m hoping that that changes real soon. It’s not the way; it’s not the way that it’s supposed to be,” she said.
Mariah, the wife to emergency medicine physician Dr. Aydin Huq, shared that her life experiences inspired her to create the show. “I came up with the idea because it was my life. Like I live, work, and play with doctors in the medical field. Our neighbors were doctors, my husband is a doctor, so I felt like it was a good opportunity to show the world a glimpse into their lives and our lives without the scrubs and without the stethoscopes,” she said.
She revealed that the Bravo producers originally sought her out to be a cast member on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” but she turned the position down, expressing that she wanted to give the network a different “spin” with a “medical component.” It’s unknown when season eight of “M2M” will premiere on Bravo since production is temporarily on hold because of the pandemic.
