When Garcelle Beauvais joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2020, she was the franchise’s first Black Housewife and, at the time, the only Housewife of color. Beauvais has quickly become a fan favorite, injecting some much-needed humor and well-timed callouts (ahem Lisa Rinna ahem) to the cast, and the trailer for the upcoming season shows her in top form. “Last year, there was some fun, but I think we’re back to having more fun,” she says of next season. “But obviously there’s going to be drama.”
Prior to joining the Bravo show, Beauvais was a successful model and actress, appearing in countless high-fashion print ads and starring in Coming to America, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Models, Inc., among other films and TV shows. Now she’s published her first book, Love Me As I Am, a conversational memoir of her life before and in the spotlight. It’s full of juicy tidbits, like the time Michael Jordan tried to whisk her off to Hawaii, and delves into her experiences explaining racism to her castmates, including the hurtful, racist implications behind Kyle Richards’s accusation that she had bid on an item at Richards’s charity auction only to not send a check. (Richards listened and learned, says Beauvais.)
Here, Beauvais talks to the Cut about writing her first book, making the move from scripted to reality television, and which Real Housewives she’d get stuck on a deserted island with.
You write that you always knew you wanted to write a book. What made you decide that now was the time?
I feel like I’m in a place where I feel strong within my body. I feel like I’m in my skin. The timing is right. My kids are older. I felt like the stories I wanted to share could help someone, be inspiring to someone, and women especially. It just felt like the right time.
This is a recurring theme throughout your book, but tell me about your “G-spot.”
My G-spot is a double entendre about finding Garcelle, finding my voice. For the longest time, I had the disease to please, as I write in the book, in terms of wanting to be the “nice girl.” My mom taught me how to be nice to a fault, and I had to figure out where my voice was so that I could be nice but still stand up for myself. My G-spot is also who I am, what do I want to leave behind for my kids.
It seems to have a lot of meanings, some of which were also literal.
Yes …
I think fans think of you as one of the more private Housewives, so it was illuminating to read some of the stuff in the sex and relationship sections. Did that make you nervous at all?
A little bit, just because when I grew up, we didn’t talk about sex. You didn’t talk about what was happening to your body. Over time, I became more liberated. I mean, when I started my podcast, Going to Bed With Garcelle, that was all about sex and relationships and friendships. It was a journey, and now I’m comfortable with my sexuality, and I’m not afraid to talk about it.
What was the hardest part of the book to write for you?
I think the hardest parts were my relationship with my dad, or lack thereof; watching my mom go through heartbreak, because I feel that he was the love of her life out of all the men she married; and then, of course, my divorce. Those are tough things to talk about.
How did you approach writing stories that included your sons and your ex since you’re still on friendly terms with him?
I did not make it up; it’s all my truth. With my boys, we put them first, and therefore, they may never know how much work I had to do in order to co-parent with their dad. It’s true. Maybe it’ll be a cautionary tale for them when they’re men and they’re in relationships. Although I don’t think they’ll read the book — at least not now.
I can see you maybe hoping they do read some parts and not some other parts.
Exactly, exactly.
What was the most fun part of the book to write?
My past relationships that people may not have known about. Moving to New York at 17 and navigating the modeling world, I knew nothing about it, and I didn’t have family there. I was really relying on the Ford modeling agency, and those things were fun. Writing about my friendships — the girls that are my front row, as I call them — the girls that hold me up and keep me accountable. We have crazy stories.
You write a bit about the distinction between playing a role on TV and being yourself on TV within limits. How do you feel about not being able to necessarily control the way the public reacts to you on the show? How have you felt like you’ve been received?
I feel like I’ve been received really, really well. I think it’s because people have a Housewife they can relate to. I’ve been happy with it. The thing with the Housewives, it comes in layers. You shoot the show, and then when the show comes out, you watch the show, and you see what the women are doing and what they’re saying. And then the world weighs in. And then you have to relive whatever it was that you’re going through.
Can you talk a little bit about what it was like joining an all-white Housewives cast?
I was excited to be on the show, and I was also nervous, if I’m gonna be honest. It’s a whole different world than what I was used to, but it was exciting being the first Black Housewife in Beverly Hills. It was about time they had some diversity. I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders because people wanted to see what I was going to bring, how I was going to come in. It was important for me to be myself.
You write about the confrontation with Kyle over the charity payment, which I think has been one of the most effective conversations about race (especially on a non-Black franchise) on Bravo. You’ve been so generous in your efforts to educate your white castmates. Does that ever feel like a burden?
It’s a little bit of all those things. Sometimes it’s a burden — why can’t I just come in and be light and airy like everybody else? Why do I have to educate? But I do. And that’s what comes with being a Black woman. What I thought was great about the conversation with Kyle was that it wasn’t a moment for me to disrespect her, although I felt disrespected, but it was more about educating her. What I liked about our conversation is that she heard me and she took it in, and once we were done, we were able to move on. It wasn’t something I had to keep bringing up. She got it. I think that’s what’s new with the show. Being on the show and being a woman of color, different issues are going to come up that they’ve never had before because they never had somebody around who was different from them.
If you had to spend a year — which is, I realize, a very long time — on a deserted island with another Housewife from any franchise, who would it be?
Do they have to be a current Housewife?
It can be anyone.
Dorinda seems fun. We’ve sort of struck up a friendship through social media, and she did my podcast. And Heather Dubrow. Can I split it? Half a year with Heather Dubrow, and the other half with Dorinda.
That works. Who do you think gets away with the most on your own cast, currently?
Who gets away with the most? I would say Lisa Rinna.
Back to the book, where did the idea of Garcelle’s gems — the last section of the book, which features short, inspirational quotes — come from?
I used to put inspirational quotes on Instagram. I used to do it almost daily. First thing in the morning, I’d post an inspirational quote. And I thought, Let’s bring that into the book.
You could have one of those tear-away calendars full of them.
Wouldn’t that be great?
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
