Mention It All - Garcelle Tells All: Leaving RHOBH, Protecting Her Peace, & What's Next

Episode Date: June 2, 2026

On this Tuesday episode, Dylan is joined by Garcelle Beauvais to talk about her new Audible memoir, 'Protecting My Peace At All Costs'. She shares why she decided it was time to leave The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, what she’s learned about trusting her intuition, and how protecting her peace became non-negotiable. She also opens up about evolving friendships, raising her twin sons, and stepping into a new season of life focused on producing, creating, and letting things unfold naturally. Plus, she reflects on the start of her friendship with Lisa Vanderpump and the end of her friendship with Sutton Stracke. Go to the BravoByBetches YouTube page to watch full length episodes every Tuesday & Friday: Youtube.com/@BravoByBetches Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Mention at All podcast. I am so thrilled to be joined today by a legend. She is an actress, a producer, a housewife, an author, Garcel Beauvais. Welcome. Thank you for having me. Thank you for being. I'm really excited.

I'm excited to chat with you. You have a brand new project. Another memoir. Another memoir. This time it's an audio experience. It is an audio experience. You can only get it on audible and it's three hours and five minutes. So it's a digestible amount of time.

It goes down quick and when I was listening to it, it's like broken up into chapters. And it really felt like you moved through so much. much material, but it also really all ties together as like one kind of package in a way that I really enjoyed. Yeah. I mean, I really wanted, obviously, it's more intimate hearing it from me. And I know personally sitting down and reading an entire book is kind of hard. We're all distracted the phone, the thing. Yeah. But if I'm like walking my dog, driving to the beach, I can listen to a book and I think it's our new way of, you know, sharing. Totally. So it's called protecting my peace at all cost.

It's an audible exclusive. Yes. I want to know because you wrote a memoir a few years ago and obviously there's an audio book, you know, element of that. What was it like for you sitting down to do this one, both with the different format, but also knowing that you've already written a book that covers a lot of stuff in your life. Yeah. You have some new stuff to chat about.

Yes, I do. How different was it for you with this experience? This was completely different because it's really like, you know, knowing what you want to say and getting in the booth and talking about it. And I didn't realize that some of the things that, you know, I got emotional about that I thought I had already unpacked. I thought I had already dealt with. And it was, it was really interesting. And I feel like it's a love letter to the listeners, to women, to my family. Because and also this is, in a way, it's not retelling the same. stories at all, but it's the lessons that I've learned from the things that I've been through. You've had such a widely varied life and career. I swear putting it. No, but even, I mean, just like the first 20 years of your life, you know, coming from Haiti, you were living in Massachusetts, you were living in Miami.

You moved to New York when you were 17. Yeah. Like, that's just a lot of different stuff, different environments, different experiences. And so now, obviously, then when you, you know, take your more career element, it's like, Housewives, NYPD Blue, like all the different stuff that you've done. But it's, you can, you can pull the same kind of threads out of all those different things. 1,000 percent, I think, coming from Haiti at the age of seven and not knowing a word of English, really sort of helped me go into different rooms that I may not fit in, but I can get there,

you know, and it was just really helping me adapt. I didn't realize that that was my first. introduction to adapting to different rooms. Yeah. Right? And, you know, coming from modeling into the acting space, also, I imagine that there's kind of, you know, there can be stereotypes or ideas there about, you know, is this person, is this the vibe we want?

Is this the, is she going to be able to, you know, fill in X, Y, Y, Y, Y, could she walk and talk at the same time? A lot of casting directors didn't know if I could. Because, you know, models were seen but not heard. and now I'm embarking into acting. A lot of casting directors wasn't, it wasn't the first thing. Oh, let me hire a model for this part. It wasn't the first thing they think about.

There was one thing you said. I think you said in this on NYPD Blue that you were only supposed to be on one episode. One episode. How does that even happen? I don't even know. I don't even know. I went in and read. And I didn't know at the time that Stephen Botchko was going to be in the room when I went to audition.

And he was. And I remember there was. there was something like we had we hit it off and even in that little time of auditioning and then I did I got the part and then they kept on writing for me and then next thing you know four seasons in on a show that was so you know critically acclaimed and coming from the Jamie Fox show where it's much more like improv you know Jamie would change words and you would sort of adapt this was like so strict you couldn't change uh to what the I mean it was like every word was precious that's legal jargon and now the storyline doesn't make sense anymore.

Exactly. Yeah. That is so crazy. I mean, 100 episodes at the Jamie Fox show. That was another situation where, you know, you're saying we thought we might get 13, one season. Nobody knew what, you know, the WB was. That was a brand new network.

No one knew. We thought, oh, great, we're going to do this little show. And, you know, I only knew Jamie Fox as, you know, a stand-up comedian. I didn't know much about him. It wasn't like we had Google back then. And so, yeah, to end up doing 100 episodes was just like, what? Yeah. I'm curious for you.

Obviously, in this memoir, you get into Housewives and your decision to leave the show and all of that, which I want to talk about. But what was it like for you when you decided to join Housewives, knowing that you had all of this life and career under your belt, but that not a lot of it. everybody on the Bravo platform or the audience or whatever knew any of that. Some people did, of course. How is that for you kind of navigating like to some people I'm Garcell, this iconic actress model whatever.

I don't think like that, but okay. Sure. But to some people I'm a random lady that they've never seen before. What is that kind of mental dynamic? You know, it's so funny because I've always, in my career, always done things that weren't I wasn't just an actress, you know, in the middle of acting. I decided to do, I've always wanted to be a talk show host, right? Right.

So then I did this show based out in L.A. called Hollywood Today Live with Ross Matthews. And that was something that I committed myself to doing for a year and a half so that people could see me in that world and know that I could do it. So I always did things that were sort of unconventional for an actor. Yeah. So when Housewives came along, my team was like, don't do it. Right. It's going to ruin your career as an actor. But I really wanted to be in L.A.

I wanted a job that kept me in L.A. more. All the things that I was doing was either Atlanta or, you know, Toronto or anywhere else but L.A. And my kids were starting middle school. And I really wanted to be around for that because that's a pivotal time in a kid's life. Yeah. So it was like, yeah, let's try it. And they were like, what? I was like, let's go for it.

And I didn't think of. it in that way. I just thought, let's do something different. And I knew the show. I, you know, obviously had friends on the show. So I thought, this will be fun. Yeah. And I can sleep in my bed at night. I know. That's the thing because when, you know, the life of an actor, the life of somebody who's, you know, working in the entertainment industry, it's, you know, maybe Jamie. Not a lot of shot in L.A. Yeah. NYPD Blue, you're on four seasons. You're in one place. That's not an easy thing to find. No. And a lot of things because of the tax breaks, too. A lot of people aren't shooting in L.A. Right.

So it just makes, you know, the job's a little tougher. And this is the first time in my career. I was talking to my team. And they were pitching me a project and they said, it shoots in L.A. And I'm like, guys, like, I'm going to be an empty nester. I don't have to stay in L.A. You know? You're like, somebody with the White Lotus.

Come on. Oh, hell, yeah. Absolutely. Totally. I just saw it. It was really interesting. I saw a clip just the other day of Eileen Davidson on a podcast or something. And she was talking about people will.

come and ask her for like advice about if they should do housewives. Sure. I get that too. And that she was like, it's not, it's not going to hurt your acting career. Not anymore. Yeah. It's a question of like, do you want to be in that experience? Yeah.

Obviously you had kind of some mixed experiences. And I think it's interesting because a lot of people would say, oh, that's, you know, it's going to harm your whatever. Right. No, it's like, focus on what it's going to do to your. But no one really knew that. No one really knew that doing reality wouldn't hurt. We didn't know if casting directors would no longer, you know,

bring me into a room or anything like that. But what we found out is everybody watches the shows. Yeah. You know, I walked into a room. I was in D.C. And it was history talks for A&E. And they were like, we want you to come and take some pictures. And I said, okay.

And they had different celebrities in and out. So I walk into this room. I don't know who's ahead of me. And I look and it's Julia Roberts. And she sees me and she goes, oh my God, I need a minute. I turned around and see who's behind me. Because I'm like, she can't be talking about me. But everybody watches the show.

Ben Stiller comes up to me. And it's like, so now I think it's different. Cut maybe 15 years ago, maybe it wouldn't have been the same. Yeah. There is this like, I think with Bravo and with Housewives specifically, there's this, it's a cultural institution in a way that it's like, it's not just some side project. It's a whole mothership, yeah. It's global.

I'll never forget the first time I went to BravoCon. I know. Holy shit. Oh my God. No one warns you. No one tells you what it's like. And it was just pure fandom and fun. And that is a really cool part of it.

And I think, too, I mean, you. obviously you've lived a lot of places, but being in New York, being in L.A., there's, you know, celebrities are out there. Yeah. You can see people, whatever. But when you go to something like BravoCon, you realize. It's concentrated. There's all these people that live wherever that they don't get any opportunity ever to just

see someone walking down the street. Yeah. And suddenly it's like, you know, a shot in the arm of like everybody I care about. Totally. Totally. Totally. Totally. I was in line and people, you know, I was standing there and people were in line coming, you know, to ask for autographs or take pictures.

And I heard someone asked me from the other side of where the line is. And they were like, Garcell, can my mom take a picture with you? And I said, I turned around and I looked and I go, Jake from State Farm? Yes. And I don't know what his real name is, but I was like, Jake, okay. I was like, Jake from State Farm. Now, I met him. It's like all people love the shows.

Yes. We did a thing with State Farm like when I was there at BravoConn a couple years ago and it's so strange because they go, hi, this is Kevin. You're like, what? Okay. Yeah, that's so funny.

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BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. I thought the way that you spoke about Housewives and your time on the show was really lovely. Thank you. I think when you are on a show that has that much attention, tension. It's just like this nucleus of energy. When you leave the show, when you take some time to like, you know, speak on it, whatever, there's a lot of voices in that conversation that aren't yours where people are going to have opinions. They're going to project things on to you. They're going to assume how you feel. That's the thing about the show. Exactly. And I wonder for you what it was like

in that first, you know, few weeks or months after that reunion, after deciding to leave, like, seeing and hearing so many voices comment on you. I was surprised how much attention that got. Yeah. Not that I thought it wouldn't get attention, but I was surprised at how much and how, you know, some people were like, oh, she was fired, or this and that, or, you know, she couldn't handle it.

Yeah, first of all, I took some time to take a moment. Right. Because, you know, it was a lot. And, but I'm happy with my decision. I really am. but I can also honor the time that I was on. I had some really great times, you know? Yeah, I think like people sometimes jumped to the idea of like, oh, she, she left.

It's like, is it like a, is there a bitterness? Is there in anger or whatever? And I think the way that you wrote about it and speak about it in this, it's like there's everything. Yeah. Yeah. My friendship. Yeah.

My friendship with Sutton was important to me then. And I think two things can be, you know, two things can be, how do I say it? I loved what we had. Yeah. But that doesn't mean that, you know, I need to throw it away. I loved what we had and I wish her well. But, you know, I'm in a different place now. So I think, and I had a lot of fun.

You know, it wasn't all bad. It wasn't all horrible. Yes, there were things that were painful. There were things that weren't fun, didn't feel good. but, you know. Well, it's like five years of doing anything. Yeah. It's going to be a roller coaster a little bit.

Yeah, for sure. And no matter what kind of job. But for me, it was like, it was just time. I had never planned on housewives being the end for me. Right. Because there's so many things that I like to do and so many things that I want to try. And I love producing now. And that's become like my new baby.

And so, yeah, it was just time. Mm-hmm. So when you were working on this new memoir and you were getting to those chapters. Yeah, those were hard. What was, yeah, how was, how was that for you kind of deciding that this was going to be the time and the place to really speak on it? Yeah. What was that process like? The process for me with that, it was I always want to go out on a high note.

And it wasn't about bashing anyone or taking anybody down. It was really about what was my takeaway from being on the show. And this book is really about a reflection of the things that I went through in my life, whether it's divorce, whether it's, you know, going into empty nesting and what that looks like for me now. So I really wanted to honor the good things and separate that from the painful things, but still talk about it. Yeah.

The two kind of like themes that you speak about, a lot are intuition and discernment. Yes. Those words, I feel like both carry so much stuff. Yeah. What was it like kind of pinpointing those two things as these like pillars of your, you know, protecting your peace? Yeah. Well, for me, really, discernment is a new word for me that I am.

Just taking a moment, taking a pause and really seeing what things look like before I jump in, whether it's a relationship, whether it's a friendship, like just taking a moment because I'm usually like, I just throw myself into it. Right. Right. And so that's that part of it. And alignment is really my whole entire life, chasing the career, chasing the marriage, chasing the having to have children, that now I just want to, not in a lazy way, sit back, but let things align a little bit, not trying to control everything, letting things align to what feels right to me. Mm-hmm. You said something I liked, you said not everyone deserves a front row seat to my life.

Not anymore. Yeah, I mean, it's like when you've, when you've lived so much life and been through a lot of, you know, you've met a lot of people. Yes. People have, you know, come into your life, come out of your life for every different reason. It's like you really do, you keep what you, what serves you. Yeah. And what you need. Yeah.

And I think it's really important that just because. They're in your life doesn't mean they need to be in the front row and know everything and be a part of everything. I think you can keep some things to yourself or share it with the people who you know where, you know, you're right and dies. You know, I don't think everybody needs to know everything all the time. Yeah, yeah. You know? So, like, you know, it's been a year-ish. I know.

I can't believe that. What has been kind of like your favorite part of? of your life in the last year that maybe would have been on Housewives in the past that you've just kind of gotten to have for yourself. Having privacy. A little bit more privacy is kind of nice. No cameras in the house. No cameras in the car in my house. You mentioned when you film a scene in the car that it takes them like an hour to set up all the stuff they need. The lighting, the audio, the microphones, you know, who's sitting in the back and making sure those cameras face whoever's in the car with you. And every time when they took those cameras away,

I would blast music that I know they wouldn't buy because it's expensive, the royalties, just because to be safe that there's no one listening. Do they still have a camera in here? I want to know. Oh, my God. I love it. So you're entering a new chapter of your motherhood era.

It was obviously, you know, I can do math, but hearing you say that you've had kids in the house for 30 plus years. Isn't that crazy? Because Oliver was, what, like 17 when you had the twins? voice, yeah, when I brought the boys home from the hospital. It's a, that's a big change. It's a big change, I know. And every now and then I burst into tears because I can just, you know, it's right around the corner.

You know, Jacks graduates in May, the end of May this month, and Jade and June. And it's just upon me. And I've never had a house that was completely empty. So, yeah. It seems like your twins are like really have a lot of, like, substance going on. I think it's this new generation. Yeah. I think they know who they are.

They're not afraid to say no. They're not afraid to, you know, be like, I'm not doing that. You know, whereas. Yeah, there was a moment you talked about. I think it was before you taped the last reunion where I think it was Jade was like, I think it's enough. That's when I came back from the reunion. When you came back, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And it was just like, they're so sure. Yeah. Yeah. It's really crazy. But I think it's this new generation. Yeah.

Yeah. But it's, yeah, it's, it's cool. be able, I'm not a parent, but like to be able to look at that and say like, I did that. Yeah, I think they're okay. I think they're going to be okay. I certainly hope so. So I was thinking about something that I, on like socials, people always love to see as like throwback pictures. And I remember this was a few years ago looking on like Getty images and you can sort by like old to new. There are some really, really great photos of you

with the twins on like daytime red carpets when they were tiny when they were little little kids and there would be like you know it's like I don't know themed to like whatever the kids movie is right right like a Nickelodeon or some kind of some of those I mean obviously you have like the memories of yeah those events just like so many fun little things that you've gotten to do with them over the years I mean it's been incredible and now to see them you know driving around and having having girlfriends and it's just sometimes it's still I it's still shocking when they walk in the house and I see how big they are and and how mature they are it's really like wow when did that happen I feel like as soon as middle school hits it goes by so fast do you obviously you know when

you were on housewives they got wrapped up in certain situations and things yeah that's the one regret I wish hadn't happened do you feel like in the last year or so that that they've been been able to kind of have that privacy back a little bit too? Yeah, I think so. I think they were definitely happy with that decision. Yeah, I think just for privacy, especially this time in their life, they're still figuring things out. They're teenagers, so not to be in that fish bowl.

Right. You know, yeah, I think it's better for them too. You talk about dating. You talk about, you know, figuring out this next chapter of your life. Like, now that you are, you know, protecting your. piece, figuring out all the, all the boundaries and things like that. Like, what do you kind of see for yourself? Do you like set specific goals?

Are you like a vision board kind of person? No, I used to be. Yeah. I used to be. But now I'm aligning. I want alignment, right? Right, right, right. So I don't know where it's going to take me.

I mean, I hope I still get to create. Yeah. I have, you know, some new shows that I'm working on, one, one that I'm executive producing only and then others that I'm executive producing and starring in. So I want to continue. creating and travel and and truly feel like whatever it is I want to do I can do. Yeah. And spending time with my grandkids.

Grandkids. That are so cute. I can't stand it. OJ has an iPad. So he now sends me like, I love you, you know, either a little heart emojis or he sends me pictures and it's really, really sweet. That is so cute. He's six now.

He's six? I know. That's crazy. It is crazy. It's crazy. Because something that people always, you know, housewives has been on for 20 years. Yeah, yeah, yeah. People always talk about like, oh, I feel so old seeing, you know, Teresa's girls.

Right, right, right, right. Or whatever. Yeah. OJ being six is another one where I'm like, we're in a totally different generation now. Totally. It's unbelievable. Gen Alpha, I think. It's crazy.

Wow. Yeah. It was interesting also to hear you talk about Lisa Vanderpump a little bit, like kind of meeting her. serendipitously. Totally. Because I think that's another thing, too, where, like, the, like, Bravo universe, people will have, you know, it's a conspiracy theory.

It's a, you know, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's sending a message, it's like, no, we met at some. No, we met at an event. I mean, literally, I mean, it was at her restaurant, but I didn't know if she was going to be there or not. And that was the first time I met her. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. And it seems like, it seems like you, that's been like a positive relationship to have in your life. Yeah. So great. So great. Yeah. She was in the restaurant recently in Vegas where all of her works. And she's like, your mother, it owes me a call. And I'm like, I'm going to call you. I promise. I promise. But she's so awesome. Lisa was just here a couple weeks ago. Oh, she was. Yeah. Because she, I mean, she's doing a million things all the time.

A million things. This woman never stops. And now a hotel in Vegas. I mean, it's unbelievable. I think I'm going to go. I think I'm going to be there next month. Are you? Because she, I've been to her restaurant in Tahoe. Yes, me too. I went to the open. It's Wolf. So beautiful. It's gorgeous. Yeah. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Do you, okay, do you like see your, are you trying to be like a business woman in like that? Like, do you want to put your name on like a restaurant? I don't know. I never think like that. I mean, that's not in my bucket list, but if it was offered and it made sense. Sure, why not? I feel like that's the one about like being, you know, housewives and brought. It's like created this whole economy.

me where it's like, 1,000% you doing like acting production like that's so in your wheelhouse but then it's like, oh I guess I'll do a vodka, I don't know. Yeah, it's really crazy and that's the thing I feel like we,

the women of Bravo don't get enough credit for because all the businesses that have started and you know, we're women, I hate to say this, but I have a certain age, but still doing stuff and creating things and I feel like we don't get enough credit for that. You know, that it's usually just

the drama focus, but these women are running businesses and doing great things. Yeah. Well, and I think that's a huge part of, you know, you talk about the atmosphere of BravoCon and stuff like that. Like a big part of it is because we watch the shows, but also it's like this 360 universe of feeling like you're in someone's life and that includes like the projects that they're working on, the books that they're writing, you know, people wanting to listen to three hours of you.

talking about protecting your piece. Right. It's like all of that kind of, it like builds on itself. Totally. In a way that is, it's like, it's good for everyone. It's good for everyone. And it's such a great group of people, you know, when you think about the fans and the people who watch the, I mean, sure there's trolls, but that's in anything that you do, right?

Yeah. But I think the positive of the fans are so, they're so invested. Yeah. And you, I, you talk about also the decision to. leave Housewives and how you told Andy that at Watch What Happens Live. And I think that was one of the moments listening where I could hear that it was like

a big moment to kind of unpack. Yeah, it was a big moment to unpack. And I really wanted, I mean, Andy's been so good to me. And I really wanted to show him the respect of talking to him first and letting him know my decision and not through a text, not through, you know, I really wanted to sit down with him.

So it was great. and he's so gracious and so he was so cool about it. Yeah, it's nice when you can kind of like have a, have an ending to a chapter that feels appropriate. Yeah, exactly. And I really wanted to talk to him, you know, face to face and get his opinion. And yeah, and it was great. I really enjoyed listening to your new memoir.

Thank you. Thank you for taking the time. I appreciate it. Of course. I hope other people take the time. It's out on Audible now. Yes. Protecting my peace at all cost.

You know, maybe we'll get another memoir in a few more years. I don't know. You got to live some more life. I got to live some more. Go see what happens. Yeah. I think there's going to be a lot of a lot of Garcell for us to unpack. Oh, I think to digest.

Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Really, thank you, Dylan. Thank you. Thanks everyone for watching. Don't forget to rate, review, subscribe. And until next time, be cool. Don't be all like uncool.

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