The Real Housewives of Potomac is back on Bravo for a 9th season. However, the cast has a bit more to poove this time around as many fans were left disappointed by the previous season. Now, Gizelle Bryant is opening up about what fans can expect, the backlash Karen Huger has received for her DUI, the newbies, and much more.
Of course, season 9 of RHOP is a bit different because a few faces are missing. Notably, Robyn Dixon is no longer on the show, following years of some viewers hoping she’d be fired. Candiace Dillard Basset, who trended the night RHOP returned, is also absent. Additionally, Nneka Ihim was fired after only one season.
Recently, Gizelle sat down for an interview with Entertainment Tonight. She was first asked about how she approached season 9 of RHOP following a disappointing season 8.
Gizelle says, “I think my approach is always the same. I’m just gon’ do me, be me, and but I was very much aware of trying to get the group together and trying to make sure that the group can work things out.”
She goes on, “The hatitude party, for me, was like I’m going to see where we can go as a group, and we made it through the finish line.”
The topic of Robyn’s absence and how it impacted her this time around also came up. Gizelle responds, “I tried not to think about it, and then I would be in a scene, and I would be like waiting for her to come because Robyn always comes last.”
She then says, “She’s missing, I can say that. She’s like the missing component. And even there were times that Karen would look at me and say, ‘I miss Robyn,’ and I’m like, ‘I know.’ Robyn was always like the stedying, balancing force here.”
Gizelle also said that she talked to Robyn as filming was happening and even vented to her about the drama. She also said she hopes her green-eyed bandit pal makes a return for season 10.
The conversation then goes to fans giving Wendy Osefo “heat” when they saw the clip of their sitdown in the trailer. Gizelle says she didn’t know fans were upset.
She explains, “I didn’t know that was happening, so that’s interesting. It was both sides. There’s no second chance, no third chance here like she’s been wrong, I’ve been wrong.”
She continues, “I really just wanted to sit down with her and figure it out, and if after that it didn’t work, it didn’t work, so let’s just figure it out.”
The interviewer then asked Gizelle about the GNA event and if she regrets kicking her castmates out for being late. She says, “Absolutely not. If it was tomorrow, I would do it again.”
Gizelle goes on, “You all RSVPed to my event just like Vivian did. She RSVPed, and she said she was coming, so she came. Also, all of those ladies knew how important this was to me. I can say yes to all of the different little organizations that wanna honor me; I can be honored all day long, every day for the next six months. But, you know, that’s actually not important. They just want you to show up, right?”
She continues, “And everybody knew that’s what was going on with Karen, but ya’ll choose to do that instead of just honoring your commitment to me. So yeah, get out, ladies.”
They also noted in the interview that Karen’s event didn’t have any cameras from productions, which means it was much more of a last-minute decision, while Gizelle’s event had been planned further in advance.
They also talked about the newbies and how they faired this season.
According to Gizelle, “There was some struggling, and I’ll let you guys see that you know, let that play out. Stacey is like a newbie newbie, she was like, kinda like a Katie version. You know, Katie’s very quirky. She’s different. We need somebody different; we don’t just need another Gizelle or another Karen.
Naturally, they discuss Gizelle’s relationship with Karen. Specifically, Gizelle is asked about how Karen is handling her DUI compared to how Shannon Beador discussed hers on RHOC.
Gizelle explains, “I don’t think the comparisons to Shannon are fair just because I think Shannon’s case was like open and shut. In Karen’s defense, her case is still ongoing. So, I think she felt like, ‘Hey, I can’t really talk about it if this is going to hurt my case, so I understand that, but you have to say something.”
She continues, “You can’t just let it fly in the atmosphere. You gotta say something.”
Of course, Gizelle recently filmed the dating show Love Hotel for Peacock in Mexico with Shannon. The interviewer asks Gizelle about Joel Kim Booster‘s comments about her co-star.
According to Gizelle, “You know, a lot went down in Mexico, and you guys are absolutely going to eat up and devour that show. Ya’ll are going to love it. There’s that. And Joel was around, and I just, listen, after Joel did what he did, he did text me, and he apologized before he apologized to Shannon via the world, and I told him, ‘why, just why,’ on so many levels. It just wasn’t necessary. What happened?”
She then says, “I think he just lost his mind one night, and, you know, you just can’t do that. You can’t talk about the show, and for the love of God, you can’t talk about people’s children.”
About being an empty nester, Gizelle says, “Truth be told, I spent one of those months in a love bubble in Mexico, so there was that, but here lately, I’m actually kind of enjoying it a little bit. I never thought I would say that. I walk around the house naked; I never go to the grocery store anymore; I hate that place. I wake up whenever I feel like it or not, so empty nesting has been good for me.”
They also discuss the clip posted online of NeNe Leakes telling Karen to beat up Gizelle. Gizelle responds, “It was so weird to me. So crazy. I gotta ask Karen about it. But like it was a little strange, and because I don’t have an issue with NeNe I thought she didn’t have one with me. Very weird.”
In the end, Gizelle teases “a season finale that tops, I can safely say, all season finales for all Real Housewives franchises.
Live Viewing Thread – This is also the live viewing thread for an all new Real Housewives of Potomac season 9 episode! So feel free to chat and comment below as the episode airs on Bravo at 8/7c.