“Wow. Whaaaaat? No.”
Garcelle Beauvais is making her grand exit from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and fans are devastated.
On Mar. 25, the actress posted a video on her Instagram announcing her departure from Bravo’s hit reality series to followers after starring in the last five seasons. The post came Tuesday just hours before the Season 14 finale was set to air.
“Hey guys. So, I have some news. I’ve decided to leave Beverly Hills,” Beauvais said at the start of her video. “It’s been a wild ride. I mean, some of the most amazing things have happened, and some hard things have also happened. But it’s been a ride nevertheless.”
In 2020, Beauvais made show history by becoming the first Black woman to join the RHOBH cast. Since then, she has become a fan favorite, beloved for her ability to call out the show’s veteran bullies and her knack for addressing topics that her other cast members shy away from.
Before joining the reality show, Beauvais worked as a model and then as an actress, appearing in shows like Miami Vice, NYPD Blue, and The Jamie Foxx Show, and films like Coming 2 America and Spider-Man: Homecoming. But after a bit of a Hollywood lull, Beauvais got the offer to join RHOBH—a decision that allowed her screen career to blossom once again.
In her Instagram video, Beauvais gave her reasons for leaving the show, and they are surprisingly mundane.
She isn’t leaving because she defrauded the elderly, got arrested for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, or to do a stint in rehab.
Instead, Beauvais is leaving for her family and career.
“One of the reasons why I’m leaving is my family, my boys. Their last year of high school is next year, and I want to be a part of that. And Jade is starting a new career, and I want to be a part of that too,” Beauvais explained. “And secondly, I have the most exciting projects that I am developing, producing and acting in. I can’t tell you anything right now, but you’ll know soon.”
Fan reactions to the announcement are as expected—they’re devastated, understanding, and ultimately proud of Beauvais for leaving the show on her own terms and in good public standing (a rarity for the housewives, believe it or not).
“WOW. (said in my best Garcelle imitation voice),” one person wrote on Reddit.
“And that is how you do it. Graceful and true,” an Instagram user wrote, before sending some heart emojis Beauvais' way.
“Garcelle revamped her career, snagged several bags, cohosted The View, bought a beach house, got her son into modeling and started producing her own movies. 5 seasons and miss girl milked it for EVERYTHING. I give lashings to those I love. I’ll miss her,” a fan wrote on X in reaction to the news.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Real Housewives fandom without some put-downs and a little nastiness.
One person on X celebrated her exit by posting a video of Real Housewives' cast members cheering and clapping, along with the caption: “GARCELLE LEAVING RHOBH.”
“She definitely got fired,” a user claimed in the comments.
Contrary to speculation amongst haters, Beauvais says she remains on good terms with Real Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen.
“Andy Cohen says I can come back anytime, the door will always be open, so you never know, I might pop back in sometime,” Beauvais teased.
Everybody better pour one out for Beauvais before Tuesday night’s finale. RHOBH is losing a real one.
