Exclusive

The Real Reason Garcelle Beauvais Joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Exclusive! The newest RHOBH star opens up about being the franchise's first African-American housewife and how she fit in with the other ladies

By Brett Malec Apr 15, 2020 12:00 PMTags
Watch: Garcelle Beauvais: "It's About Time" a Black Woman Joined "RHOBH"

There's a new Housewife in the 90210 and we couldn't be more excited!

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fans will get an up-close and personal look inside Garcelle Beauvais' personal and professional life when season 10 of the hit series premieres tonight on Bravo. So what made the veteran Hollywood actress say yes to joining the show?
 
"That's a very good question!" Beauvais laughed when E! News exclusively caught up with her ahead of season 10. "First of all, I've been a fan of the show. I've obviously been friends with Denise [Richards] for over 20 years, friends with [Lisa] Rinna a very long time as well. So being a fan, and then when it came up, I thought immediately...My team was like, 'Oh, we're gonna pass,' and I said, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute! Let me let me sit on this for a minute.' And I thought, you know what, why not do something outside of the box, right?"

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The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 10 Cast Photos
John Tsiavis/Bravo

"I've been asked over the years to do docu-series and never really wanted to," Beauvais continued, adding she had to make sure her kids were fully on board also. "I had to obviously talk to my ex, talk to my boys and talk to everybody within my life because once you say yes, it's on."

Beauvais says fans will see a "little bit of everything" in her life this season. "I was shooting a TV show and a movie. I was shooting Tell Me a Story, which was shot in Nashville. I was shooting Coming 2 America, which was in Atlanta," she explains. "And then coming home and dealing with the kids and the Housewives, so it was a lot of juggling."

And in true Housewives form, Beauvais says viewers will see "that I keep it real."
 
Beauvais' addition to the RHOBH cast is historic as she's the franchise's first African-American Housewife. The diversification of the cast is something she believes is "one hundred percent" important "because that's the world we live in."
 
"I think it's about time and I don't really know why they didn't do it before. I'm glad it's me," she tells E!. "I think it's about time. I think we all want to see ourselves represented in all aspects of life, right? So I think when they came to me, the timing was right, and I was happy. I was happy to get on board. And then once I was thrown into the wolves, I was like, 'Oh, hell! Hold on, girl! Hold on!'"

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Garcelle Beauvais Reveals Which Beverly Hills Housewife She "Didn't Really Connect With"

And it sounds like Beauvais fit into the group just fine.

"You know, the first day she showed up, I was like, 'Oh, wow. I love it!' She's bringing it because she always looks gorgeous," RHOBH OG Kyle Richards tells E! News. "She's definitely opinionated and has a big personality," Richards said adding that Beauvais and new "friend" of the Housewives Sutton Stracke are "great additions" to the show.

John Tsiavis/Bravo Media

"Garcelle is great," Erika Jayne tells us. "She has a lot of experience. She's a very smart, grown, level-headed working actress in this business for a long time. She has a great story to tell and I enjoyed getting to know her."

"Garcelle is going to be just fine," Jayne adds. "She is very confident and doesn't need any handholding. She's a big girl and she has a big personality. She's strong, she's smart, so she's fitting right in actually."

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills returns tonight at 8 p.m. on Bravo.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)