Monique Samuelshas officially filed for divorceafter 11 years of marriage. During her four seasons on the Bravoreality series, theReal Housewives of Potomacalum wanted to promote a strong Black marriage and family, despiteGizelle BryantandRobyn Dixon’s insistence that there was trouble in paradise. After appearing onLove & Marriage: D.C.for its inaugural season, it was obvious that the Samuels' were in trouble. But looking back on their time onRHOP, the signs were always there. Chris' mom was not a fan, and Monique always complained that she did the heavy lifting with their children and household responsibilities. Additionally, Monique claimed Chris was stagnant and semi-controlling. There were also rumors that Monique was a little too close to her personal trainer. Whether any of it was true has yet to be addressed, but fans of the show now say they looked over tale-tell signs.
‘RHOP’ Monique and Chris Samuels Mini Marital Red Flags
Monique and Chris Samuels got married in 2012 after seven years of friendship and a few years together romantically. Things seemed pretty rosy with the couple, and Monique joined theRHOPcast in 2017. One could say that this was the beginning of the end for the couple, but in truth, it is likely that these little red flags existed in their relationship prior to her becoming a Real Housewife. Early on she began sharing things with the cast, including the fact that their relationship always faced difficulties around her birthday. This is red flag number one. Why the tension around a day that should be focused on celebration? Not to mention the idea of this tense time happening every year of their marriage. Robyn Dixon,known for having excellent marital judgment, soothes Monique in this moment, stating that it’s simply difficult for professional athletes to care about things that aren’t centered around themselves, as Chris is a former NFL player. Monique accepts this, but it is clearly the first public sign of dysfunction in their relationship.
Included in the many difficulties hiding in plain sight with their marriage was the fact that Chris’s mother did not like Monique. In a moment that will go down inRHOPhistory, her mother-in-law refers to Monique as a “heifer”. This moniker is extremely insulting, especially when directed at the mother of her grandchildren. Upon discovering her less-than-courteous words, Chris cut off all ties with his mother. There was also the news that the couple had a miscarriage prior to becoming pregnant with their third child. Miscarriages are notoriously devastating to relationships, with the emotional weight of grief and loss bearing down on both parents involved.
In an interview withPeople MagazineMonique said of the loss, “To be honest, I don’t think we fully dealt with it. We have been nonstop.” She went on to share, “Until you’ve experienced loss, it’s hard to even put it into words, you know?” Thankfully, the tragedy did not occur again, and their son Chase was born in November 2018. AsRHOPcontinued to film, new issues arose leading to Monique being arrested for assault thanks to another moment that will go down inRHOPhistory. And then there was more drama in 2020; rumors quickly began swirling that Monique was cheating on Chris with her personal trainer. Monique vehemently denied this rumor, but one can only imagine the stress it added to their marriage.
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‘LAMDC’ Monique and Chris Samuels Massive Marital Red Flags
After exitingRHOP, Monique and Chris were approached to film and star inLove and Marriage D.C. During their stint on the series it was very clear that things were not good in their relationship. Monique even sharedin an interview withTV Insiderthat things were difficult when they were approached for the show. Viewers noticed pretty immediately that their relationship was immensely strained. Monique’s frustration with Chris’s inability to help her out with the kids and around the house was a constant contributing factor to her frustration. Fans of the series couldn’t help but notice that there was not a single episode in the series' first season in which either of them looked happy. At the reunion, Chris was stoic and almost vacant in his responses, with some bloggers making references toJordan Peele’sGet Out, and the idea of being in, “the sunken place”. As announcements were being made regarding season two ofLAMDC, Monique and Chris shared that they would not be returning to the OWN series.
Monique Samuels Filing for Divorce Wasn’t A Surprise, So What’s Next?
No one was shocked when the news broke. After all the suspicions had been there, especially after watching them onLAMDC. Monique later shared her thoughts on their impending divorce on Instagram live, sharing, “It wasn’t just all on him, it was also just with myself, dealing with my own issues and trauma, understanding myself and why I respond and react the ways I do, going through my childhood.” Childhood trauma does have an immense effect on adult relationships, and it is incredibly impressive that Monique was able to come to terms with this as she works on herself. Hopefully, these two will be able to navigate the challenges of co-parenting their young children, and we wish them nothing but the best.
