Andy Cohen Apologizes To Garcelle Beauvais After 'Real Housewives' Reunion Backlash
Garcelle Beauvais, Andy Cohen and Lisa Rinna at the Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony for Andy Cohen on Feb. 4. (Photo: Amy Sussman via Getty Images)
Bravo TV host Andy Cohen said he has apologized to “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” cast member Garcelle Beauvais after he and the network were criticized on social media over episodes of the show’s reunion that aired last week.
Cohen said on Monday’s segment of his SiriusXM radio show, “Andy Cohen Live,” that he’s sorry for how he moderated parts of the reunion special. “I really need to sincerely apologize, not only for diverting the topic but for not returning ― even worse ― to the serious conversation that was at hand,” he said, according to a clip published by the Queens of Bravo Instagram account.
During the second installment of the reality TV show’s reunion special, cast member Erika Jayne was asked to address an Instagram story she once posted that showed Beauvais’ memoir, “Love Me As I Am,” in a trash can.
Jayne said that fellow cast mate Lisa Rinna was the one who actually threw the book in the trash and that she merely posted the image in retaliation over a grievance she had with Beauvais.
Rinna explained that she threw Beauvais’ book in the trash because she was upset the actor and former co-host of “The Real” referred to her daughter’s battle with an eating disorder in the memoir. Beauvais and Rinna said during the reunion special that they’d “moved on” from the issue after Beauvais had the reference removed from an audio version and a second edition of the book.
But soon after that exchange, Cohen asked the group how the image of Beauvais’ book in the trash got circulated among cast mates, and then he flippantly diverted the conversation to the backlash Jayne faced at the time for seemingly neglecting to properly recycle items in her trash.
Many “ROBH” viewers on Twitter felt Cohen should have given more time to Rinna’s and Jayne’s behavior and how they bullied Beauvais by throwing her book in the trash and posting it on Instagram.
I hate how much of the conversation around Erika posting Garcelle’s book in the trash (and it actually being Rinna who threw it away) was centered on Rinna not recycling correctly… and not how disrespectful it was that she threw Garcelle’s book in the trash… #RHOBH
— Gibson Johns (@gibsonoma) October 20, 2022
Nah whether you’re team Garcelle or team Erika/Rinna, the way they acted about Garcelle’s book was 100% mean spirited and bullying, particularly giggling over it in a separate group chat #RHOBH
— Dorinda Deadly (@dorindadeadly) October 20, 2022
I can’t believe it that the ladies of the #RHOBH cast were bullying Garcelle, actually Andy Included & got away with it
— Di Helleng 2.0 (@Todi_M2) October 21, 2022
What we ALL need to do is go and buy Garcelle's book. We need to show those bullying hags that we got her back. let's use this as opportunity to support @GarcelleB . Let's turn something bad into Good. #rhobh#RHOBHReunionpic.twitter.com/fSElOKACwY
— Natalya 🇯🇲🇨🇦⚡️ (@NFitandfab) October 21, 2022
Okay Andy can fuck right off by laughing with Rinna and Erika about putting Garcelle’s book in the trash. This is straight bullying and it’s sick. #RHOBH
— Courtney ✨ (@CourtneyStage) October 20, 2022
Some fans of the show have also criticized the reunion special for what they claim are racist undertones and microaggressions.
In the first installment, Beauvais had a tense exchange with cast member Diana Jenkins in which they discussed the racist online attacks Beauvais’ son, Jax, faced on social media over the summer.
Beauvais said that she thought Jenkins could have been behind the bots who unleashed racist remarks against her son. Jenkins denied involvement, but the two engaged in a back-and-forth over threats both of their families have received online.
Many people watching the segment thought Beauvais was being gaslighted by her cast members when she discussed her family’s experience with racist attacks.
In his Monday segment of “Andy Cohen Live,” the host also said that he has a “deep admiration” for Beauvais and that he has since talked to the cast member about the reunion and “should’ve been more in tune with her feelings.”
“I get it,” he said.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
