'RHOP' Star Monique Samuels Admitted She Was “Miserable” in Marriage to Ex Chris Samuels
The Bravolebrity's ex-husband was mentioned in a scandal in a preview of Season 10 of 'The Real Housewives of Potomac.'
Published Aug. 28 2025, 5:15 p.m. ET
After a long five-year hiatus and pivot into the Love & Marriage franchise, Monique Samuels is finally back where she belongs on The Real Housewives of Potomac. The former champagne flute holder may have returned to the popular show's tenth season in a friend capacity, but the trailer already proved she wasn't returning for a cordial visit.
In the trailer, Ashley Darby accused one of Monique's new cast members, Stacey Rusch, who made her Potomac debut in Season 9, of trying to hook up with Monique's ex-husband, Chris Samuels. The former OWN star confirmed the tea in the trailer, stating, "Yeah, my ex-husband? No. We’re not doing that.”
Stacey's alleged intrigue in Monique's ex came several years after their public divorce. But, what caused them to split up in the first place? Here's the scoop.
Why did Monique and Chris Samuels divorce?
Monique and Chris married in 2012 and were once a Potomac's power couple that most fans thought would weather any storm that came their way. However, shortly after they admitted to having marital trouble when they appeared on the first season of Love & Marriage: D.C. in 2022, Monique filed for divorce after ten years of marriage. She later shared Instagram Live in 2023 that the divorce was something she carefully considered before following through with it.
"I was in therapy and my counselor asked me, 'What is it that you want? If you could have the ideal marriage, if you could have everything you want from a marriage, what is it that you want?' And she told me to write those things down," she shared in the Live. "Then, she told me, 'If he is unable to do those things for you, and he is the same that he is now and he never changes, are you able to live life with him for the rest of your life?' And she was like, 'I want you to think about it. Next time we meet, we'll talk about it. I don't want you to answer right now.'"
Monique added that, after weighing the pros and cons of keeping her marriage alive, she ultimately decided she couldn't stay "miserable" forever.
"I just got to the point where I was in a place where I was so miserable," she revealed.
The filing came after People reported that they were separating, which the couple initially denied in a one-hour YouTube video. In the video, Monique and Chris admitted to "struggling in some areas of our marriage" but weren't planning to divorce. Since their split, the exes have remained cordial for their three children: sons Christopher and Chase, plus daughter Milani.