After the drama of season 5, the reality star says she's 'over it.'
After the drama of season 5, Monique Samuels is saying goodbye to The Real Housewives of Potomac.
ET can confirm that Samuels will not be back for the sixth season of the franchise, after the reality star announced as much during an Instagram Live on Sunday.
"It’s not easy doing reality TV, and to be quite honest, I’m over it," shared Samuels, who first joined RHOP in season 2, adding that her time on the show was a "crazy ride."
"I appreciate everything that people have done for me, everybody that's been Team Monique -- I love y'all, I thank y'all -- but when you cross certain lines there's no going back," she continued. "For me, my family is that line. The opinion of my family and my kids and what they think about anything that I do is more valuable than anybody’s opinion, so I’m over it."
Samuels didn't participate in certain parts of filming, including group events, during season 5 of RHOP, due to her physical altercation -- and ensuing legal battle -- with co-star Candiace Dillard. The pair came face-to-face for the first time in months during the season 5 reunion, where Samuels offered Dillard an unexpected apology.
"I take full responsibility for my part and my actions in the altercation -- that fight wasn't about you," she said, explaining that she had worked with a therapist to explore how the altercation with Dillard had triggered childhood trauma, which caused her to lash out violently.
"Nothing that you said or did in that moment warranted the response that you received," she continued. "I offer you my apology and I'm sorry for the pain that you are still going through and the fact that you still haven't healed from it and I hope that you are able to heal and move forward... I take responsibility for my actions and I had a terrible lapse of judgment and I lost control and I own that ... there's no other excuse for it."
In her IG Live announcement, Samuels said that she'd realized it was time to step away from the series when she took a look at the effect it was having on her family.
"I wanted to represent real Black love and show people something outside of what the stereotype has been on TV," she noted. "Unfortunately, this season, I played right into that stereotype ... I was working overtime to really check myself because that is the opposite of what I want to display on a TV show and in real life, most importantly. I'm always going to be a great example of a role model for my kids and you have to know when enough is enough."
See more from this season of RHOP in the video below.
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