After quitting The Real Housewives of Potomac following an explosive Season 5 three-part reunion special, Monique Samuels swore off reality television. But she surprised fans when she announced that she’d be starring in the Love & Marriage: Huntsville spinoff Love & Marriage: DC, and promised it would show a more authentic side of her. Instead, she received tons of backlash on social media amid showcasing her marital trouble. Once again, she quit the show. Initially, she stated it was a business decision. But now, she says the reason she quit is due to her not agreeing with the direction of the show.
Monique Samuels quit ‘Love & Marriage: DC’
Ahead of the Season 2 premiere, reports surfaced that she wouldn’t appear on the show. There were also reports that her and her husband, Chris, were separated and headed toward divorce. She denied divorce rumors but said in a YouTube video that they were living separately in an effort to salvage their relationship. The former reality star took to her DC radio show to confirm reports she wouldn’t be featured on the OWN series moving forward.
“At this point, I think we’re done with reality TV, honestly, and I’m just at a place in my life where I will never again in my life allow myself to be devalued,” she said. “The contract has to make sense for me. When I’m filming, I’m giving my all. So, if you want all of me, you gotta make sure that paperwork is straight.”
She wasn’t the only one from Season 1 who wouldn’t return. Neil and Tasha Lyons were featured as friends of the show. Tasha confirmed in a Twitter comment that they are not returning. “I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. That’s not where God wanted me and my family,” JaysRealityBlog captured in a screenshot.
The ‘RHOP’ star says she quit ‘Love & Marriage: DC’ because she disagreed with the direction of the show
Season 2 of Love & Marriage: DC is currently airirng. Samuels recently addressed her exit in an Instagram comment with fans who questioned why she quit the show when she promised to tell her story and previously said she trusted the production team.
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“There’s no way to tell my story because what happens is I can tell my story through my filming. Then production and then the network is going to tell the story they want to tell. And I’m tired of giving up my power to other people telling my story and trying to do with my life as they please. I’m tired of that,” she said, per Urban Belle Mag.
She added: “I thought the second time around it would be different. It wasn’t. I kind of didn’t like how the direction of things were going as I was watching everything unfold the first season.”
She compares ‘Love & Marriage: DC’ to ‘RHOP’
One of the reasons Samuel agreed to do the OWN series is because she was promised it wouldn’t mirror her time on the Bravo reality series. But she says her experience on both shows were similar.
‘Y’all didn’t look bad at all, not sure what the problem was.’ It’s not about looking bad. It’s about I signed up for ‘Love & Marriage.’ And I slowly started to feel like it was shifting to a Housewives kind of dynamic. And that’s not what I signed up for. If I wanted to be on Housewives, I would go back to Housewives,” she said.
