‘The Real Housewives of Potomac’: What’s real and what’s fake?

In true-to-life fashion, reality show The Real Housewives of the Potomac comes out swinging.

Case in point

In November 2019, The Real Housewives of the Potomac star Monique Samuels faced charges after allegedly getting into a physical fight with co-star Candiace Dillard.

The commissioner found probable cause in Dillard’s complaint and issued a summons charging Samuels with second-degree assault.  The summons was issued from the District Court of Montgomery County in Maryland on November 7th, 2019 for Samuels, 36, to appear in court on December 23rd, 2019.

According to the records, Dillard, 32, filed the complaint directly with the court. The charge made against Samuels appears to stem from an incident that occurred on October 16, 2019.

A second-degree assault conviction could’ve led to jail time for Samuels. She later filed a countersuit, claiming her actions were in self-defense. 

Get down on the throwdown

A source confides that Samuels & Dillard were at a dinner party with other Real Housewives of the Potomac cast members when the physical altercation occurred. 

“Samuels grabbed Dillard by the hair and pulled her down,” says the source. Bravo cameras were said to be filming the incident the whole time, for the franchise’s upcoming fifth season.

Attorney on the attack

Samuels’s lawyer A. Scott Bolden describes Dillard as a provocateur and called her claims “completely one-sided, inaccurate and unwarranted”. 

“Ms. Dillard has a public reputation for aggressive, belligerent and threatening behavior that has played out repeatedly on the (Real) Housewives of Potomac for millions of viewers to see for themselves.

“To be sure, my client did nothing but defend herself in the face of more aggressive behavior by Ms. Dillard. If this event occurred during taping of the show, I am confident that the video will bear all of this out.

“My client has every right to file for a counter criminal summons, as well, and will consider doing so, while fully defending herself in this action that has been filed with the Court. Either way, I am confident that she will prevail on this matter. 

“Going forward, we hope that Ms. Dillard seeks the help she needs to avoid creating these kinds of unsafe and unfortunate circumstances in and outside of the workplace,” Bolden concluded.

Barrister throwback

“The physical assault, humiliation and emotional distress have all been very painful and difficult for Candiace,” remarked Dillard’s attorney James L. Walker, Jr. “At this time, we do not want to say too much and just allow the criminal process to play out.

“We only ask everyone to pray for our client Candiace and her family. The physical assault, humiliation and emotional distress have all been very painful and difficult for Candiace, as it would be for anyone attacked so viciously.

“We also pray that Monique will get some help. The summons to court charge of second degree assault is just one step below first-degree assault and must be taken very seriously. This behavior has no place in our society.”

Back to reality

The Real Housewives of Potomac viewers will remember Samuels and Dillard became close friends when Dillard joined the show back in its third season. Their friendship fell apart during season 4, though it appeared the two made up during the final part of the The Real Housewives of the Potomac reunion, which aired in September 2019.

“I do look at you like a little sister,” admitted a tearful Samuels. “I want to move forward. I feel like a lot of what happened throughout this season was a lot of misunderstanding and us not communicating. I miss you.”

“I know, I wish that I would have called you,” Dillard said, before the women hugged one another.

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In late December, the Maryland State Attorney’s Office dismissed charges against both Real Housewives of the Potomac stars.