Loni Love, Adrienne Bailon, Garcelle Beauvais, and Jeannie Mai-Jenkins
Garcelle Beauvais Talks Legacy of 'The Real' Following Cancellation (EXCLUSIVE)
Jun. 7 2022, Updated 3:03 p.m. ET
Things are getting real!
The TV world has seen its share of cancellations in 2022, including ABC's The Celebrity Dating Game and The Hustler along with CBS' The Wendy Williams Show. Now, it turns out that the daytime talk show The Real is the latest show to get the axe.
In April of 2022, co-hosts Loni Love and Garcelle Beauvais, who joined the panel in Season 7, confirmed that The Real would be coming to an end after eight seasons (Deadline was the first to report the news).
The series, which also counts Jeannie Mai-Jenkins and Adrienne Bailon as hosts, officially came to an end on June 3, 2022. The Real may now be over, but it will never be forgotten, as it earned two NAACP Image Awards and three Daytime Emmy Awards during its run.
Why was The Real canceled? Read on to find out how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affected the series and to see what co-host Garcelle Beauvais had to say about the show's legacy during her chat with Distractify.
'The Real' co-host Loni Love shared that COVID-19 "killed the show."
According to Variety,The Real's cancellation is for real. The Real, which originally premiered in 2013, bid the TV world adieu on June 3 after eight seasons.
Talks surrounding the reason for The Real’s cancellation have been running rampant, but showrunners have remained mum about the topic. However, co-host Loni Love confirmed the news on Instagram and shared that the cast and crew did all they could to keep the show running in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In the end, The Real cast and crew did everything we could to scale the show down,'' Loni shared in a message. “We shot seven to eight shows in three days with no audience and made a conference room into a studio."
However, Loni went on to explain that COVID-19 costs essentially "killed the show."
"It's been a great ride and thank you to the studio for allowing eight seasons of a show that was Emmy-winning and historic. Most importantly, thank you to the viewers for riding with us... this is not goodbye but see you all soon," Loni wrote.
Co-host Garcelle Beauvais also commented via Twitter, stating, "it was a fun ride," and sharing that she was happy to have "worked with an amazing group of women and crew."
The show premiered in 2013 with co-hosts Loni, Jeannie Mai Jenkins, Tamera Mowry-Housley, Adrienne Bailon, and Tamar Braxton. Tamar was later fired from the show after Season 3, and Tamera left the show during Season 6 — a month after Amanda Seales' departure. The Insecure actress shared that she left the show due to feeling restricted from discussing topics in her own way on the show.
Garcelle Beauvais opened up about the end of 'The Real,' and the show's legacy: "I grew a lot."
Shortly before the daytime talk series officially wrapped, Distractify caught up with Garcelle while she was promoting her role as the Social Director for Absolut's Front Yard Citrus Club.
Though the conclusion of The Real marks the end of a chapter in her long and successful career, Garcelle looks back on her two-season stint with nothing but fondness.
"I did two seasons and it was incredible," Garcelle shared exclusively with Distractify. "The fact that we were all women of color on this panel with diverse opinions, thoughts, and lifestyles, it was really, really great. I grew a lot. I love that platform more than anything, and it was fun."
While a cancellation can be a disappointment, Garcelle recognizes that the show's eight-year run is nothing to scoff at.
"In terms of the legacy, the show was on for eight seasons, and that's a huge feat," the RHOBH star added. "No one can leave sad because it happened, and it happened in an amazing way."
Reporting by: Shannon Raphael
