Season six of The Real Housewives of Potomac is winding up, but not before viewers get the chance to feast on the final installation of the epic four-part reunion special, co-hosted by Nicki Minaj. Throughout the culminating special, the women continue to hash out all of the drama of the season with a little help from Nicki, who pulled no punches when it came to pressing them about some of their questionable behavior.
“Nicki Minaj was everything when she filmed the reunion with us,” RHOP star Gizelle Bryant told ESSENCE. “When it was all said and done, I gave her a hug and told her, ‘Nicki, you did a great job.’’
While it’s apparent that it’s all love between Gizelle and Nicki based on their post-reunion social media postings, that doesn’t mean that she was spared from Roman’s wrath.
“She came for us a little bit and she thought that we were going to come back at her and cuss her out,” Bryant shared. “We would never do that.” In actuality, the reality star said that she enjoyed having the rapper take her to task. “I wasn’t nervous but I could tell when she sat down she was. After like 10 minutes, she got into a groove and she was everything. Let me be clear, if Nicki is coming for you, you want her to come for you. I was like, ‘bring it.’”
Over the years, Bryant has done things that some would consider to be unkind and she has even developed a reputation as a mean girl. The mother of three, however, pushed back against this notion. “What you see on camera is what you get. I’m a fun girl. I’m a girly girl, but I am no-nonsense,” she expressed. “No, I’m not mean. However, I can see where people might think that. I do say things to the other ladies on the show and if you would just hear me say it without the music in the background and all of the things that go into a show, then it would just be a conversation as opposed to me being a mean girl. I really don’t think that I’m mean. I have very good intentions, always.”
One of the conversations that earned Bryant a reputation as a mean girl was her mention of rumors that painted co-star Wendy Osefo’s husband as an adulterer. Though Osefo and many viewers interpreted her behavior as a means to attack her co-star’s marriage, Bryant said that was not the case.
“[I have] absolutely no regrets,” she said of her handling of the situation. “We’re on a show to talk about our lives. When we talked about the rumor about her husband, it wasn’t just that. It was like, ‘Hey, sis. You’re new to this game. You’re just here for your second season. There’s a lot of social media nonsense out there. How are you able to handle that?’ I know that social media is devastating to people when they first come on because they’re like, ‘Oh my God, all of these people have this commentary about who I am, what I am, and what I look like.’ And that’s really a lot to take. So that’s really what that was, but she just became so angry so I just let her sit in her anger.”
Although it appears that Bryant and Osefo won’t be resolving their issues any time soon, viewers witnessed a touching exchange between the Nutrisystem brand ambassador and her sworn frenemy, Karen Huger, during the reunion. “Lawd, have mercy. There’s always an underlying level of respect there, but she gets on my nerves and I get on her nerves,” Gizelle said of her complicated relationship with Huger. “I feel like we are dysfunctional aunties. We get on each other’s nerves but we like to kiki.”
Of course, the season wasn’t all bickering and discord between cast members. Motherhood remains a theme that binds the cast together and reminds viewers of their humanity outside of their reality TV-based personas. Amongst those tender moments was when Bryant’s three daughters revealed that dating has been challenging for them because their parents did not set the best example for them in the relationships department. “The outcome was just me being hyperaware that they’re getting older and assessing where they are in little relationships that they’re getting in and they have questions about how to navigate things because they haven’t lived in a household with their two parents,” Gizelle said of the revelation. “I’m always beyond happy when my kids are honest with me. I feel like that’s what it’s all about. That’s what I’m here for.”
Aside from what we see on television every week, Gizelle is a regular mom whose schedule is tailored to be in alignment with school pick-ups, drop-offs, and the extracurricular activities of her children. “A day in the life with me is waking up, grabbing breakfast with my kids. I work out 5 days a week. I take care of the different businesses and things that I have going on during the day. I pick up my kids. They typically have a bunch of extracurricular activities,” she shared before adding that she either spends her evenings with her kids or her real-life girlfriends, such as co-star Robyn Dixon. “I’m a mom and I’m taking care of my business out here in these streets,” she chuckled.
Amongst the many tasks that fall beneath the “taking care of business” umbrella is tending to her health and physical fitness. Recently, the reality star turned to Nutrisystem for support in burning off pesky pandemic pounds. “Nutrisystem saved me from the pandemic,” she shared. “I was just eating unnecessary food and I think everyone else was as well. I love the fact that with Nutrisystem. It comes. It’s what I want to eat. It hits the spot. I’m not hungry anymore. During the day, it takes care of that urge you have to snack on a bunch of food that you shouldn’t be eating. It helps me control what I’m intaking, which I love.”
The program is one that she intends to carry into Thanksgiving and beyond. “The holidays are [here] I’m a greedy girl. I like to eat,” she laughed. “I want people to feel comfortable having their cheat days but knowing that you have to get back to whatever plan you’re on and not go wild with the holidays.”