‘RHOP’: Candiace Dillard Bassett Says Gizelle Bryant is the Reason Sexual Assault Victims Don’t Come Forward
The Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant has lost a friend in Candiace Dillard Bassett. Since making allegations about Dillard Bassett’s husband Chris, their relationship has deteriorated. Dillard Bassett says her allegations are baseless and being used as a storyline to secure her spot on the show. But she says Bryant’s behavior is dangerous and puts sexual assault victims at a disadvantage.
How the drama between Candiace Dillard Bassett and Gizelle Bryant began
In the Season 7 trailer, Bryant shares details about what she says went down between her and Chris. Ashley Darby tells Robyn Dixon that she received a social media message from Bassett that she felt was inappropriate.
According to Bryant, following the Season 6 reunion taping, Chris asked her if they could chat about his wife in her room. When they got to the room, Bryant says she wasn’t comfortable being in the room alone with a married man.
She says she doesn’t remember their conversation but claims she asked Chris to leave. Bryant also notes that Chris didn’t corner her nor come on to her, but that she had a “funny feeling.” Dillard Bassett accused Bryant of conjuring up the story for the show and unfairly maligning her husband.
Candiace Dillard Bassett says Gizelle Bryant is the reason sexual abuse survivors don’t come forward
In a preview clip of Ep. 6, Dillard Bassett sits with Bryant to discuss the turn of events. “The last time that we spoke, I had to get up and leave. But I wanted to make sure that I was clear on understanding your feelings and where you are…what exactly made you uncomfortable?” she asks Bryant.
“I’m in a room with a man that does not belong to me, and the door is closed,” Bryant tells her. The two then disagree on whether or not her husband or Bryant suggested they go to her room and talk. Bryant insists her husband didn’t do or say anything sexual in nature, she was simply uncomfortable because of the optics of it. But Dillard Bassett isn’t having it.
“That implies some sort of mal-intent. For you to say, ‘Well, Chris knew that no one was in the room, and he still lured me,’ that’s the intent…you could have called me, and you didn’t because you wanted to wait for an opportunity to do it on a platform that would cause the most hurt,” a tearful Dillard Bassett says. “You are the reason that people cannot come forward with sexual assault allegations because you say things that have no basis and no back.”
She says Gizelle Bryant is thirsty for attention
The relationship between Dillard Bassett and Bryant may be over. In her appearance on Reality With the Tea podcast, she was asked by Carlos King if Chris is attracted to Gizelle after noting the men on the show have a crush on the green-eyed beauty.
Dillard Bassett responded: “You would have to ask him that. I would say no. We had an event at Karen’s [Karen Huger] house two years ago. It was a couple’s date day. And one of the questions was if you had to sleep with someone else in this group or if you had to date someone else in this group…something like that. Who would it be? And everyone answered [Gizelle], except for Eddie [Osefo] because Wendy [Osefo] was giving him the eyes.”
Despite the flirty relationship, it doesn’t raise a red flag for Dillard Bassett. “For me…Chris said Gizelle. And I also guessed Gizelle only because…Gizelle is very flirty with Chris,” she explained. “And Chris flirts back with Gizelle, and this happens in front of me. It has never given me pause or made me feel threatened in any kind of way because Chris does not want Gizelle’s 50-year-old p–ss. Why would he want that when he has this?”
