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Garcelle Beauvais is the new star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Following Lisa Vanderpump’s abrupt exit from the Bravo reality series, Beauvais was confirmed as the new housewife set to join the show. Following the announcement, the actress received advice from Cynthia Bailey and Nene Leakes of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Garcelle Beauvais and Nene Leakes
Garcelle Beauvais and Nene Leakes | Greg Doherty/Getty Images for Entertainment Studios / Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

“When it was announced, I texted Cynthia and she was like, ‘Girl, I’m so excited for you! You’re gonna be great,'” Beauvais told Entertainment Tonight. “And then I texted Nene and she was like, ‘Giiiiiiirl. They’re all gonna lie, they’re gonna cheat, they’re gonna stab you in the back.'” 

Beauvais was skeptical of Leakes’ advice as she didn’t think the RHOBH ladies would be that vicious. As soon as filming started, the new Bravo star realized that the RHOA queen was not wrong.

“The thing that was shocking to me was that me and the women could be laughing and having a good time and then the next [day], they’re throwing you under the bus,” Beauvais added. “So, that took a lot of getting used to, you know? Like, hey, you were just leaning on me cracking up and then they’re like, ‘Oh, remember you said that about Lisa Rinna?’ And I’m like, oh…. oh, wow. OK. I did say that.”

Garcelle Beauvais hints at a disconnect with Kyle Richards

Although she didn’t mention there was any drama with Kyle Richards, Beauvais did reveal that she didn’t connect with her.

“I didn’t get a chance to get to know Kyle [Richards]. I think she’s hilarious. But I didn’t really connect with her as I have with some of the other ladies,” she told E! News.

Another castmate that Beauvais didn’t connect with initially was Sutton Stracke. The latter was also announced as a new housewife in Augusto 2019, but she was revealed to be a “friend of” when she wasn’t on the official cast photo.

“I didn’t connect with Sutton right away,” Beauvais said of Stracke. “And I think she took offense to…I said to her, ‘We don’t all have to be friends, you know, best friends.’ And my thing was that in real life, you’re not best friends with everybody, you know? So I wanted to get to know her.”

Garcelle Beauvais is the first African American ‘RHOBH’ star

The casting of Beauvais is historical for RHOBH as she will be the first African American housewife of this franchise. Prior to Beauvais, season 4 had Puerto Rican-born Joyce Giraud that only lasted one season. Fans had been asking for a diverse group for the L.A.-based show to reflect the times and the Southern California community.

“As the first African American Housewife in the Beverly Hills franchise, I am honored and humbled by this awesome opportunity to exemplify the fact that Black Girl Magic lives and thrives in every zip code!” she told The Daily Dish in August 2019.

“Already being intimately familiar with the spotlight of Hollywood, my journey of successes and trials has already been chronicled and shared with my many loyal supporters around the world. The continual encouragement, support and yes, even at times, criticism, have helped make me the dynamic woman I am today.”

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premieres on April 15 at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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