Garcelle Beauvais is experiencing a lot of new lately. To start, she’s the newest (and the first black) Housewife on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (RHOBH). She recently built a new house, launched a new podcast, has a new grandbaby, and is doing it all ever so glamorously while navigating a whole new manner of working and living. What isn’t new is her heart for others, as well as her work ethic, determination, and the staying power of her incredible career.

Hers is an ideal example of what the modern-day American Dream looks like. Born in Haiti, Garcelle immigrated to the United States with her mother and sisters at the age of seven. Since French and Creole were her native languages, she took it upon herself to learn English by watching Sesame Street—an early example of her persistent drive.

Garcelle launched a diverse career with modeling, moving to New York at the age of 17. Opportunity abounded her, leading to innumerable jobs with the industry’s biggest names over the course of a decade. That might have been enough for some, but Garcelle took it to the next level with an ironic transition. Her big break into Hollywood came with booking the role of Cynthia Nichols (a mature and collected model) in Aaron Spelling’s primetime soap Models Inc. in 1994, the third series continuity of Beverly Hills, 90210.

Then came The Jamie Foxx Show in 1996—there, Garcelle shined as Foxx’s co-star and love interest Francesca “Fancy” Monroe until 2001. The role of Assistant District Attorney Valerie Heywood on NYPD Blue followed that same year, which she played for three years. A slew of other television roles pepper her resume. Now, she is currently playing opposite Dennis Quaid in the Netflix series Merry Happy Whatever, as well as Cinderella’s Wicked Stepmother in the psychological television thriller Tell Me a Story.

She has also been seen in the feature films Wild Wild West and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Due for release at the end of the year, Coming 2 America is her latest movie. “I’m really excited about that project, and I just hope that by then theaters will be back to being open … It’s really a great big-screen movie visually.”

Her career-founding modeling days may be a slightly distant memory, but her beauty is transcendent. In 2014, People Magazine awarded Garcelle a name on the year’s 50 Most Beautiful list. Between acting jobs, her versatility lent to Garcelle’s role as a co-host for shows like Fashion Police on E!, NBC’s Access Hollywood Live, and Window Warriors on GSN. Since 2019, Garcelle has been one of the co-hosts on Fox’s daytime talk-show Hollywood Today Live, where she breaks down the latest in entertainment, pop culture, and celebrity news.

Life has a way of taking us down paths that we may not have anticipated—for Garcelle, joining the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is one such example of that. “I never thought I would do reality. It wasn’t something that I was seeking out,” recalls Garcelle. “When I first started in the industry, if you were an actor, you were an actor. If you were a producer, the world didn’t blend, and now I think you can’t box us in. We can do anything, and it’s okay,” as there is much more fluidity between professional genres nowadays.

So, how did her career lead to Housewives? “Still trying to figure that one out!” she says with a laugh. “It’s really more of a life decision,” Garcelle begins to explain. “Obviously I started off as a model, then became an actress, and I’ve been doing that for over 20 years successfully, which is a feat in itself to continue to work in this industry, so I’m grateful for that.” When it came to Housewives, “Like anything else, timing is everything.”

Having friends on both the Beverly Hills and Atlanta franchises, she watched the show here and there. “I really thought that there were some scripted parts of it.” On the contrary, “that was really surprising to me—that it’s really driven by us women. They don’t really tell you what to do. We get together. They may say, ‘You’re going to have lunch with Rinna and Denise,’ but everything else is whatever we make of it.”

There’s still a reunion to be had. “Girl I don’t know if I’m ready! I gotta put my big girl panties on and show up! I’m hoping we can do it live and in-person, which is a big deal now with quarantine.” Garcelle cherishes the friendships between the Beverly Hills ladies, and loves that at the end of the day, “No one’s really trying to tear each other down. I think we will have, hopefully, honest conversations and people will sort of air their grievances, and then hopefully we can move on from that,” before going into a new season of filming.

She was wanting to try something outside the box. “As an actor, I’m away a lot. So I was really thrilled to do Housewives because,” first of all, “it shoots in LA, so it keeps me with my kids.” Garcelle and her ex-husband co-parent their teenage twin boys, Jax and Jaid. Housewives was a way for Garcelle to collaborate several aspects of her life in a way that just made sense. “I love the franchise. I’m friends with some of the women.” Then Garcelle’s business-savvy side kicks in... “I’m a businesswoman.” By doing Housewives, she thought, “It’s a great platform for me to have a bigger reach.” Especially for her philanthropic causes, and that list has grown recently due to the rapidly shifting current of American society.

Though the onset of social restrictions has made it tough to be hands-on, Garcelle finds ways to stay involved with numerous charities. “I make a lot of calls and raise money for Angels of Humanity, which is an organization that helps kids in Haiti.” Locally, she and the Housewives ladies came together to donate 5,000 masks to an LA hospital. Working at the Los Angeles Mission is a big part of what she and her boys do together. “It’s hard because everyone’s quarantined, but those are the people that are affected the most because they are out on the street.” Now more than ever, she believes in supporting black-owned businesses, “from smaller beauty brands, designers, to larger corporations. And of course, supporting the Black Lives Matter organization.”

SHOP THE FEATURE

Take a look at Garcelle’s Instagram and you’ll find a woman who is unapologetically defined by that which is important to her: she is a mother, actor, producer, author, host, humanitarian, and proud Haitian. Yet her ability to express her political and societal stances in a manner that is not only unwavering but also benevolently logical is rare—and much needed during these times of unrest.

Garcelle believes the key is found in conduct—by demonstrating compassion and by getting back to humanity. “To me, compassion and humanity is where we need to start. This would be by treating everyone with kindness and respect.” Only then can America move forward in unity. “I think we’re starting to see America uniting with all the protests. I am finally hopeful that change will come this time.”

What’s being witnessed is nothing new. “We are still fighting for change because we haven’t seen it yet! We want to be treated equally. We want to have the same opportunities across the board.” Despite her tremendous success, even Garcelle’s career has been shaped by the color of her skin. “When I first started in the industry, there were jobs that I couldn’t get because I was black,” she recalls. “I would be told the words of the producers and casting were along the lines of, ‘We’re not going urban with this character.’ I believe storytelling is about people’s experiences and race should be secondary to the story.”

Rewiring the mentality of current and future generations begins with open conversation. “I think we have to start with talking to our children and making sure that the next generation understands, so change remains.” The way we educate our children about the importance of equality must evolve. Garcelle urges, “By leading by example. If we show our children that everyone should be equal and treated that way, kids are so smart, they’ll get it.”

Garcelle has referred to herself as a strict parent before. Since quarantine began, she’s “a little looser, I think.” Her boys are very much into sports. “I feel badly in a way that they can’t … do that now, and I don’t even know what that’s going to look like once we are back open. So I’m a little bit more laxed with the amount of video time that they get, but there’s a certain curfew because I’m like, ‘You can’t stay up past midnight! They’re like, ‘At dad’s we can!’ And I’m like, ‘Well, two different households! Two different rules.’”

Speaking of house rules, her newly built home couldn’t have been finished at a better time. “I’m so grateful, especially through quarantine.” Yet Garcelle’s home means much more for her big picture. “For me, it really, really signifies a new beginning,” she reflects. “When I was living in my old neighborhood and my old house, sometimes I still felt married because I would go to the same places, the same markets and the same everything. And it just felt like there wasn’t that big of a shift, even though there was. But I think this is like a new beginning to me.”

“I feel like I’m freer now … I don’t know why,” Garcelle speaks of this new chapter. “Maybe it’s because of my age. Maybe because of my experience … and I think that probably lends itself to being single. I don’t have to worry about somebody else—what they’re thinking and how they feel.” With her kids being older and understanding more, her life doesn’t need to be quite so edited, “and so I think that lends itself to the podcast, to being able to be so free, and I think women now can take our own empowerment, and do what we want with it.”

Starting the Going to Bed with Garcelle podcast during quarantine “has been a godsend because it’s giving me something to do!” Having always wanted to do a late-night show, “I feel like late-night looks a certain way across the board, and it’s time that we sort of diversify it. Not just color, I’m talking about women as opposed to just men in late-night.” Her partnership with MGM seemed like the perfect fit to launch it. “So what we’re trying to do is incubate it as a podcast, but eventually a late-night talk show is what I want.”

With so many irons in the fire, one can’t help but wonder: what does a day in the life of a quarantined Housewife look like? “Not as glamourous as you would think! When I have my kids, it’s a lot more cooking and cleaning and trying to get them outside, trying to get them to hang out with me,” Garcelle chuckles. “Next time I’m quarantined, I want to be quarantined with a chef, with a manicurist, with a masseuse, and Brad Pitt, for sure. That’s my quarantine checklist for next time!”

SHOP THE FEATURE

“Maybe now we can appreciate the little things that we took for granted and just did on autopilot.” She is referring to coveted family time. Every bit a boy mom, she is now a grandmother to a darling baby boy. “He’s so cute I can’t stand it!” Garcelle gushes of her grandson, named after her oldest son Oliver. “I saw him right before quarantine, right before everything got shut down.” Until the end of May when, Garcelle admits, “We actually broke it for Mother’s Day.” With both families maintaining quarantine on their own, Garcelle and her family were still mindful to keep their distance during the holiday. “But I just couldn’t help it! He’s so cute. So it was a really nice Mother’s Day/Grandmother’s Day, which I never thought I’d say.”

We get to see Garcelle navigate the new norm, whatever that means. Befitting, given that that’s exactly what everyone in the world is doing right now. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is a glamourous beacon of normalcy—watching her live out her life on RHOBH may be a vicarious respite, but by emulating her example of humanity, compassion, and inherent kind-heartedness, we may look forward to interacting with society as reborn members of the human race.

SHOP THE FEATURE

Features Contributor Elisabeth Ross

Photographer Josh Williams

Stylist Jenny Dayco

Hair Robear Landeros

Makeup Kym Nicole Oubre

Assistant Chandra Brice

Josh Williams

Photographer

Josh grew up right outside of New Orleans and has taken his love for its culture anywhere he goes. He started his dream in photography in Sarasota, Florida at Ringling College of Art and Design. Directly after, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he began building his photography career. After 10 years in Los Angeles, Josh has relocated back to the New Orleans area, but continues to travel, finding the beauty in everything he photographs.