Holly Robinson Peete can’t believe her longtime friend Leah Remini is officially joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
“I heard like everybody else, and I was a little pissed because I really don’t like to have a heart attack like that,” Holly, 62, exclusively shared with Us earlier this month at the Celebrity Travel Lounge presented with Travel By Peta. “I had to squinch my eyes three times, and then I texted her. I said ‘Leahhhh,’ and she just wrote me back, ‘Yes I’m doing it,’ and I gave her my same rundown I give all my friends.”
This isn’t the first time the HollyRod Foundation cofounder has had a gal pal appear on the Bravo reality show.
“Garcelle [Beauvais], Lisa Rinna. I mean, these are people that I’ve known almost my entire career, and so it’s hard when you watch your friends go on those shows because those shows can be brutal,” Holly said at the Andaz West Hollywood by Hyatt. “They can be brutal on friendships, on relationships. They talk about your kids sometimes. You really gotta have a thick skin.”
Fortunately, Leah, 56, can dish it — and take it — according to her longtime friend.
“While I’m a little bit nervous about it, I don’t really worry about her because I know she can handle her own. She called me the other day and asked me if I would be, like, her plus-one to one of their parties, and I was like, ‘Yeah,’” Holly shared. “Part of me wanted to go to be her bodyguard, and the other part of me was just like, ‘I thought that’d be fun to go hang out with her.’ She’s like, ‘You could say no if you want.’ I’m like, ‘Absolutely, I would go.’”
Holly has her own experience in the world of reality TV. The actress and her husband, Rodney Peete, opened up their lives as parents of four children with a show called For Peete’s Sake, which turned into Meet the Peetes.
While the Real Housewives franchise may be a bit different from her family-friendly show, Holly applauds producers for nabbing a great personality.
“Listen, if I’m a producer of that show, I’m trying to get Leah Remini, so it’s a big get,” she explained. “We’ll see if I have to be her bodyguard.”
For now, Holly is hard at work planning her foundation’s annual DesignCare event, which benefits families impacted by autism and Parkinson’s disease. She’s also writing a memoir about her life in the spotlight.
Part of the book will include her friendship with Leah, which stemmed from their time on CBS’ The Talk.
“I’m writing a memoir, and I’m right now at The Talk chapter, and it’s definitely honest and something that I’ve been keeping inside for what, 15-something years or whatever now,” Holly teased. “But one of the best things to come out of that situation, as crazy and as really tough as it was, was my relationship with Leah. Her and I withstood all of that. We took all the punches, and we still came out on top as friends. So there’s something to be said for that.”
