Monique Samuels explains why she decided to exit ‘RHOP’

‘It started out very fun and light,’ Samuels told Fox 5 DC, ‘and now it’s like, heavy, and the hate is very real.’

While Season Five of The Real Housewives of Potomac came to a close with Part Three of the explosive reunion on Sunday, it looks like the drama is raging on.

In a recent interview with Fox 5 DC, Monique Samuels explains why she decided to exit RHOP after the reunion aired.

“Real Housewives of the Potomac” personality Monique Samuels poses at last October’s DSW Grand Opening of W Nail Bar. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images for DSW and W Nail Bar)

Samuels found herself in the main storyline of the show’s fifth season this year. After an intense altercation with former best friend Candiace Dillard Bassett, Samuels seemingly took a step away from Real Housewives, missing a lot of the cast trips and filming for the rest of the season.

Fans found themselves split on the battle, firmly choosing either “Team Candiace” or “Team Monique” before the show’s explosive reunion, which saw the women finally coming face to face over a year after their intense fight.

While Samuels and Dillard Bassett held their own for the three-part RHOP reunion, the second the last episode concluded, Samuels took to Instagram Live to announce her departure from the show after four years. Monday, she and her husband, former NFL player Chris Samuels, appeared on Fox 5 DC to confirm her departure and explain their side of the story.

In the interview, the couple breaks down the challenges of filming reality TV.

“It was very intense,” she explains. “It was probably the most intense season since we’ve been on the show. I mean, it started out very fun and light, and now it’s like, heavy, and the hate is very real.”

When asked, “At what point does it get to be too much?” she had a clear and concise answer: “I’m done, I’ve had enough, and I’m moving on with my life.”

The now-former Housewives sister says her “kids, my family, my husband, they mean more to me than anything, and there’s no paycheck in this world that will allow me to keep being in this type of stressful environment and so much hate. It’s just nasty.”

The interview ends with Monique Samuels confirming she still believes doing the show was “worth it.”

“I absolutely believe that everything you go through in life is to teach you something, whether you’re supposed to grow from it or not,” she says. “I feel as though I definitely have grown from this entire experience. I’m grateful. It was all worth it for me.”

While rumors have circulated about casting for Season Six of The Real Housewives of Potomac, no official cast announcements have been made yet, leaving fans in the dark as to which housewives will — or, like this housewife won’t — be returning to the hit show.

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