Ready for something new. Monique Samuels announced that she is leaving The Real Housewives of Potomac after four years.
“It was a crazy ride. It’s not easy doing reality TV, and to be quite honest, y’all, I’m over it,” the former Bravo personality, 37, said during an Instagram Live on Sunday, December 27. “I appreciate everything that people have done for me. Everybody that’s been Team Monique, I love y’all, I thank y’all.”
Monique, who called Sunday’s season 5 reunion “very draining” to watch back, explained that she decided to walk away from the reality show in an attempt to shield her family from drama.
“When you cross certain lines, there’s no going back. And for me, my family is that line,” she said. “The opinion of my family and my kids and what they think about anything that I do is more valuable to me than anybody’s opinion, so I’m over it.”
The fifth season of RHOP zeroed in on the New Jersey native’s marriage to former NFL player Chris Samuels and rumors about the paternity of their 2-year-old son, Chase. The couple, who wed in March 2012, also share 7-year-old son Christopher Jr. and 5-year-old daughter Milani.
“I wanted to represent real Black love and show people something outside what the stereotype has been on TV. Unfortunately, this season I played right into that stereotype,” Monique said during her Instagram Live. “I was working overtime to really check myself because that’s the exact opposite of what I want to display on a TV show and in real life, most importantly. I’m always going to be a great example and role model for my kids, and you have to know when enough is enough. And enough is enough.”
The entrepreneur went on to thank Bravo, calling the network “amazing” and saying that she felt “so blessed and so grateful” to have been a part of the cast.
“I am very much at peace,” she added. “It’s been a rough year, but this is the happiest I’ve been in my entire life.”
Monique joined RHOP during season 2, which aired in 2017. She starred alongside original Housewives Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Robyn Dixon and Karen Huger. The blogger made a splash on the show this year by showing up to the reunion with a color-coded binder of “receipts” about her costars.
Us Weekly has reached out to Bravo for comment.
