Monique Samuels Returns to ‘The Real Housewives of Potomac’ for Season 10: “She’s Ready to Start Over”
Bravo is shaking things up for Season 10 of The Real Housewives of Potomac, and the biggest surprise? Monique Samuels is making a highly anticipated comeback.
The 41-year-old former Housewife — who walked away from the series in 2020 following a physical altercation with Candiace Dillard Bassett — is officially returning in a “friend of” role, PEOPLE confirms. Filming for the new season kicked off in summer 2025.
“Monique’s in a totally different place now, and fans will see that,” a source told the outlet. “She’s excited to show who she is now — not as a wife, not as just a mom, but as a woman starting over and taking on life on her own terms.”
Why Monique Left After Season 5
Samuels’ exit from RHOP came at the height of controversy. Her headline-making fight with Dillard Bassett during Season 5 divided the cast and sparked national debate. Though she was offered a contract to return, Samuels chose to step away from the spotlight.
“… when I saw episode three of the reunion, I said, ‘You know what? I can’t do this anymore,’” she recalled at the time.
In a previous statement, Samuels opened up about the toll the show had taken on her. “It’s not easy doing reality TV, and to be quite honest, I’m over it,” she said. “I appreciate everything that people have done for me, everybody that’s been Team Monique — I love y’all, I thank y’all — but when you cross certain lines, there’s no going back.”
Life After Reality TV — and a Public Divorce
During her initial run on RHOP, Monique gave viewers a glimpse of her life in Potomac with former NFL star Chris Samuels and their three children. Since then, the couple quietly finalized their divorce in 2023 after previously addressing marital issues on OWN’s Love & Marriage: DC.
In a 2022 YouTube video, Samuels explained the breaking point in their relationship: “It was a lot of confusion, it was crazy building up to that 10-year marker of our marriage… and when you have things that you’re like, ‘Listen, this is being unmet or I’ve been unheard’ you start to get frustrated and it’s like, ‘Oh, my God, is this what life is going to be? I can’t take it anymore.’”
She described the OWN show as her “cry for help.”
What’s Next for RHOP?
With Monique stepping back into the mix and more cast shifts on the horizon, fans can expect a major shakeup in Potomac.
Mia Thornton, who joined in Season 6, announced her exit in April 2025 following her family’s move to Atlanta. “With every new season comes a new beginning and I have some news to share,” she wrote. “My family and I have made the decision to relocate to Atlanta, and with that, I will not be returning to The Real Housewives of Potomac next season.”
Season 10 of The Real Housewives of Potomac is expected to premiere in late 2025 on Bravo.
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Avigail is an Entertainment blogger at All About The Tea, who specializes in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac. Avigail has a background in marketing. She’s a Brooklynite living in the Bahamas, with a passion for travel, writing, reality TV watching, pop culture and spoken word.
