Celebrating Garcelle Beauvais: 8 Memorable Moments from ‘RHOBH’ as She Bids Farewell

It’s a bittersweet moment as Garcelle Beauvais bids farewell in her final episode on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Throughout five seasons, Beauvais has graced us with her sharp wit, clever comebacks, and a level-headed demeanor that is essential in any group of Real Housewives. As she departs, the question lingers – who will miss her more, us viewers, or her on-screen ally Sutton Stracke in the upcoming Season 15?

Having been the first Black cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills when she joined in Season 10, Beauvais made a lasting impression during her five-season tenure. Citing family commitments and a bustling career as reasons for her exit, Beauvais has hinted at the possibility of returning in the future, an offer extended by executive producer Andy Cohen.

Despite any differing opinions, Beauvais has undeniably left her mark on the show, adding her own unique flair to the mix. While some may not find her as captivating as Erika Jayne, Beauvais has had numerous memorable moments that have solidified her place in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills history. To celebrate her final episode airing on Bravo, here’s a compilation of some of Beauvais’ most iconic and noteworthy moments on the show.

1. We’re going to start this list by taking it back to when things were still hunky dory between Beauvais and Dorit Kemsley. In the Season 11 premiere, Beauvais jokingly revealed that she had named her pet fish after Kemsley and Kyle Richards.

   “Can I introduce you? The black and white one is Dorit because look at her — fabulous, style! The regular goldfish is Kyle,” she told Kemsley, before explaining in her confessional, “Why is Kyle a goldfish? It’s ordinary.”

   The two women had been feuding since Season 10, with Beauvais calling out Richards for being racially insensitive when she publicly accused her of not paying a donation she pledged at a charity event. So, we can understand why, in a moment of hurt, Beauvais would want to name the boring goldfish after Richards.

3. Perhaps one of the most full-circle moments for Beauvais was when she purchased her first Birkin in Season 12. Earlier in the season, the actress had a Birkin birthday cake, which she joked was the “closest” she’d ever get to owning the real deal. But at her own Birkin and Bubbles party in the Season 12 finale, she succumbed to peer pressure and shoveled out a whopping $13,999 for the high-end purse.

4. In a Season 13 episode, Beauvais called Dorit Kemsley out for her “unconscious Karen behavior.” The two women had previously fought at Crystal Kung Minkoff’s house, with Kemsley accusing Beauvais of “attacking” her during the tense exchange. Beauvais told Kemsley that she was hurt by her use of the term, which she felt was problematic when used against a Black woman, and scolded Kemsley for acting like a Karen.

5. Beauvais has a knack for telling it how it really is, which is why Bravo fans love her so much. In Season 10, Episode 8, she was honored by the Los Angeles Mission — and she wasted no time throwing shade at her fellow co-stars while delivering her speech.

   “I want to say thank you to that table over there, everybody who supports me, loves me,” she said. “My new best friends … some of them, not so much. But we’ll figure that out.”

   While most of the women appeared puzzled over her comment, Beauvais revealed in her confessional that she was talking about Kyle Richards.

6. Beauvais will always stand by her girls. In the Season 11 premiere, she fiercely defended Denise Richards after Lisa Rinna ran her off the show with those Brandi Glanville cheating rumors the year before. In their first one-on-one interaction since the Season 10 reunion, Beauvais confronted Rinna for her treatment of Richards, proving she will always stand up for her friends even when they are not there to do it themselves.

7. Erika Jayne drunkenly cursing at Beauvais’ teenage son Jax was uncomfortable to watch when it aired in a Season 12 episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. After Jayne told the 14-year-old to “get the fuck out” of his mother’s birthday party, Beauvais called out her co-star’s inappropriate behavior, ultimately resulting in Jayne’s apology to Jax. Beauvais’ knee-jerk reaction to immediately defend her child proved not only that she makes a perfect Housewife, but she’s also an amazing mother who puts her kids first.

8. Beauvais might not have much to share about her current love life but as a hot, young starlet in the 1990s, it’s no surprise that she has an impressive dating history. Throughout her time on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the actress has name-dropped some of the A-list men from her past, including Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, and Sean Penn. She even confessed to making out with Johnny Depp in Season 14, Episode 6.

   “Erika is being honored by the GLAAD Association, and it’s at The Viper Room. And was it owned by Johnny Depp?” she asked in the episode. “I was in Miami at a club and yeah, made out with Johnny. Isn’t that crazy?”

   Garcelle, the icon that you are.

9. Sometimes, Housewives stay until the wheels fall off — until the Bravo fanbase can’t stand them, until Andy Cohen passive aggressively calls them out when they make WWHL appearances, until they have nothing left to do but wait until they are taken off pause. But not Beauvais. She saw that things were getting too toxic and high-tailed herself out of there before anyone could turn her into the next season’s villain. She put her family first, telling fans that she wanted to spend more time with her sons as they enter their senior years of high school, and prioritized her acting and producing career, which is only getting busier. We will miss her, but we certainly have respect for the way she went out!