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After the explosive third installment of the “Real Housewives of Potomac” season five reunion, Monique Samuels announced that she was leaving the series. While many fans applauded the wife and mom of three for her decision to leave a visibly toxic situation, there were reports that Samuels only quit because she was demoted to a friend of the show for season six. Samuels, however, says that this is far from the truth.
“It doesn’t really happen like that. Oftentimes when you’re demoted to a friend of the show, it’s during filming,” the reality star explained during an interview with All About The Tea. “I definitely received an offer along with a phone call and I was actually excited to be back. Like, this time I’m gonna redeem myself. I’m going to show my growth. But when I saw episode three of the reunion, I was like, I can’t do this anymore. The type of person I am, if I was being fired, I’d have no problem with saying, ‘Hey, I was let go.’ But that’s not what happened. I had to make a choice. It probably would’ve been a little easier had they fired me but I had to sit down, be real with myself, and say, ‘Hey, I have to walk away.'”
Despite having to make a tough decision regarding her future in reality television, Samuels confessed that she feels as though a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.
“I feel like a weight has been lifted from me. I’m very happy about my decision and I’m just excited about the future,” Samuels told the publication during a live show. “I’m over the fakery. I’m over the real hate that’s been happening behind the scenes and just being treated unfairly. Why is it that every season, I’m looked at as the one who needs to be accountable, but when I’m looking for some accountability to be shown in my direction for things that have been done to me, it’s like crickets? Nobody cares. Nobody is enforcing anything. I’m getting phone call after phone call like I’m the one who has to bring the group together and make it whole as if I’m doing so much when I’m just responding to whatever was brought to me.”
Samuels went on to share that after watching episode three of the reunion, she immediately asked to be released from her contract.
“I am stepping away [from RHOP],” she confirmed. “I sent an email asking to be released from my contract right after the conclusion of the reunion. I was very disappointed because the one thing I expected was for my family to have vindication. When it came to the fight, we were sort of vindicated in episode two [of the reunion] because I had been saying the same story from day one and to actually have production back me with the way that things transpired was great. But for my family dynamic, it didn’t happen. During the show, I’ve always said my family is off-limits. My marriage is off-limits. People can start rumors. That’s fine. But when you cross the line of involving innocent children, that’s when I have a problem.”
She went on to share that she was particularly bothered by the fact that they did not air the live video in which Candiace Dillard acknowledges that there was some sort of a plot to bring the paternity storyline to the show.
“After the reunion and I watched the episode and I saw that they played me and my husband’s response in our live video but they did not play what prompted that live video, I was very disappointed. I was furious. I was like, ‘How is it that when other people need to be held accountable for their actions, we just gloss over it. We just give them a pass. But I’m supposed to be the person to take on all of the heat, which I did.”
What was also bothersome for Samuels was the fact that production framed things to appear as though she and her husband introduced the paternity scandal themselves in order to secure a storyline.
“When I expected other people to get heat for what they did, they get a pass. They get to skate on by. We’re just gonna paint a picture as if my husband and I are that pressed for a story that we introduced our child purposely for TV. Come on. Let’s be real,” she said. “When that wasn’t addressed at the reunion, it put a sour taste in my mouth and I was like I’m not going to sit around for another season hoping that we will receive an apology from somebody. Hoping that they will make the situation right. I’m not willing to do it. My family is worth more to me than that. My family comes first. There’s no amount of money in this world that would have me put my kids in a position where they can look at me ten years from now and say, ‘Mom, why did you go back? After how they did you? After how they did Chase?’ You think them women ever coming back up in my house? None of them ever coming back up in any of my homes.”
We’re sad to see her go, but we definitely wish Monique the best in her next chapter.
Watch Monique’s full interview below
