Garcelle Beauvais is opening up about being the first Black reality star on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Garcille, a Haitian-American actress, joined the cast in season 10 and is a friend to Lisa Rinna and Denise Richards.
The hit reality show premiered in April. But on Tuesday, June 30, Garcelle sat down with comedian Kate Casey to discuss how she felt about being the first Black housewife to potentially secure a diamond with the franchise. “Did I feel pressure of being the first Black woman on [“RHOBH”]? Yes, I definitely felt pressure that people wanted me to come in and do a certain thing or have a chip on my shoulder,” she said during the “Reality Life with Kate Casey” podcast.
She went on to explain that she did not want fans to stereotype her. “I really didn’t want to be labeled an angry black woman,” she stressed. “That’s not who I am.”
Garcelle has gained notable acting roles in television shows such as “The Jamie Foxx Show” and movies like “Coming to America,” but she expressed in the interview that she was not at all prepared for the feedback she received online. “I was not prepared for how social media takes over,” she shared. “Lisa Rinna told me that it is one thing to shoot the show. It’s another to see it and what the others have said about you. Then the whole world weighs in. There are so many layers to be on the show.”
It’s no secret that all of the ladies on the show have received their fair share of backlash from fans, but some people have recently taken a liking to Garcelle’s personality. At the beginning of June, the 53-year-old model shared an image on Instagram that showed her with the cast. Many people expressed the idea that Garcelle was an “excellent addition” to the show.
