‘RHOP’ Alum Monique Samuels on Biggest Misconception About Her on the Show – ‘They Painted Me as a Kept Wife’
Celebrities whose rise to fame is via reality television will often complain that they aren’t depicted as their true selves on their respective shows. Monique Samuels is one reality star who feels that way. The RHOP alum says she was portrayed unfairly. But she says the biggest misconception is that she was a kept wife thanks to her retired NFL hubby.
Monique Samuels says viewers of the Bravo series believed she didn’t work and was a kept wife
Samuels has been the wife of retired Washington Redskins player Chris Samuels. But she says she’s not the typical wife of a wealthy athlete, despite how she appeared on the show. “They painted a picture as if I was some kept wife. From the beginning of Chris and I’s relationship, I’ve been his business manager; I’ve handled everything, always,” she told The Jasmine Brand. “I was always the one juggling out entire life – monitoring the homes, doing everything. Once we got married and then had children, I was still doing it all by myself. I had to then take on [hiring] personal assistants, having to let go of personal assistants, trying somebody out that could actually fill my shoes. It just never worked out.”
As she transitioned into a career in reality television, she was advised to seek help. “It wasn’t until I started doing reality TV that the casting director of RHOP told me – he said, ‘There’s no way you can do this show and not have help. You need to get a nanny, you need to get somebody that can help you with the children. You need to start looking for a personal assistant if you’re going to go into this world,’” she explained. “Up until that point, I was handling it all. And still, to this day, that’s what I do.”
She continued, noting that things in her business management haven’t changed much because it works best for her family. “So, I am a go-getter, I’ve always been a businesswoman, I’ve never been limited as a stay-at-home mom or an NFL wife. That was the one thing that used to irritate me. They’re acting like I’m some kept wife, and I handle my business,” she said.
She previously said she didn’t make much money on ‘RHOP’
While fans of such shows believe traditional housewives join the cast to earn their own income and establish independence separate from their wealthy husbands, Samuels says the money wasn’t worth it compared to the amount of work they do. She joined the show in Season 2.
“I spent more on my wardrobe and makeup than I made that first season,” Samuels revealed during a recent appearance on the podcast Behind The Velvet Rope with David Yontef. “My light bill went up [because of production constantly filming]. That check wasn’t anything.”
Samuels says she was paid for 12 episodes in her first season. Yontef informed Samuels that other housewives insist newbies make an estimated $60k during their inaugural season, but she says each franchise differs. She says earned $42k, which rounds out to roughly $3,500 per episode.
The ‘RHOP’ alum is now a leading cast member on ‘Love & Marriage: D.C.’
Samuels took a two-year hiatus from reality television, but just wrapped her first season on OWN’s Love & Marriage: Huntsville spinoff. The show focuses on three couples navigating life, love, career, and friendships.
