Why Are Real Housewives Of Potomac Monique Samuels And Candiace Dillard Taking Each Other To Court?
They've both filed criminal charges.
Instagram The new season of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Potomac" hasn't even wrapped filming yet and it's already off the hook.
This week, cast members Candiace Dillard and Monique Samuels filed charges against each other in a Maryland criminal court.
Both women say the other assaulted her in a smack down that happened at a party — and possibly on camera.
It's no secret that Dillard and Samuels have had their differences on the show.
The two spent a lot of past seasons criticizing each other, but for the most part, it was just the typical Housewife-style drama that keeps fans coming back to watch the show.
They even seemed to have put the worst of their conflicts behind them once the season had wrapped. Now, however, it seems they're back to beefin', and it's gone from throwing insults to throwing punches.
What happened to start this battle, and why are Monique Samuels and Candiace Dillard feuding?
Read on for all the details.
1. Dillard and Samuels feud provided much of RHOP's Season 4 drama
No Real Housewives franchise would be complete without at least two cast members engaged in open conflict. And during season 4 of RHOP, it was Monique, 36, and Candiace, 32, who had ongoing problems with one another.
The two started sniping at each other during a getaway to New Orleans where Monique took exception to the way Candiace questioned a fellow cast member about her plans for a baby in the future. After that, the two spent some time gossiping about one another and spilling tea with other Housewives before deciding to sit down and hash out the details face to face.
Monique tried to play therapist and told Candiace all of her problems were related to her relationship to her mother, which bothered Candiace so much that she brought it up again at a party a few days later. They yelled at each other over the dinner table at a hoedown themed event, and the rest of the season continued without them resolving their differences.
They did appear to be on better terms at the tell-all, where Andy Cohen encouraged them to hug and make up. But Monique, who was live-tweeting the reunion, dropped a cryptic remark about what happened after the kiss-and-make-up moment.
"Beautiful moment," she shared, "too bad it didn’t last long."
2. What happened between them after Season 4 wrapped?
What happened next is still mostly a matter of rumor and speculation.
Season 5 is in production now, so we haven't seen any new footage of the cast since the fall finale. But in a summons obtained by People, Monique was charged with second-degree assault after Candiace filed a complaint against her on November 7.
"The commissioner found probable cause in Dillard’s complaint," reports say, "issuing a summons for Samuels to appear in court on Dec. 23."
Sources said Monique and Candiace began arguing during a dinner party on October 16. Monique grabbed Dillard by the hair and pulled her down, as other cast members and Bravo cameras watched the whole incident go down.
3. Fellow Housewives have confirmed the story
Real Housewives of Potomac cast member Gizelle Bryant was present for the incident and confirmed that the fight happened.
"I was actually there, so I was super duper hurt, I was very sad," Bryant said (making this as much about her feelings as about what happened with the other two women). "I felt like we're better than this and this is really, really unnecessary."
Ashley Darby wasn't there to witness what happened but she also says there was definitely a fight.
"Obviously I don't want to see anything go down that's controversial or physical between my friends, but it is what it is, and the way that it happened, unfortunately, I didn't see everything in the way it happened, so I don't know all the details. I'm really going to be learning with everyone else."
What no one is sharing is what started the fight and how it got so bad that the women were grabbing one another by the hair. But based on Darby's statement, it's pretty safe to assume this will all end up as a plot point on the upcoming season.
4. Monique filed her own complaint against Candiace in response
Now Monique has filed the exact same charges against Candiace, in the same court, and Candiace has to appear before a judge on February 6, 2020.
Monique's attorney A. Scott Bolden asserts that she only grabbed Candiace in self-defense.
“My client was assaulted by someone known for her aggressive, threatening and belligerent conduct. In this regard, Mrs. Samuels had no choice but to fully defend herself and she did," he said.
In response, Candiace's attorney James Walker insists that video footage of the fight will prove Monique was the aggressor.
“I did not know innocent people filed counter claims as a strategic move," he remarked. "We pray she is presently getting some type of treatment for anger management! The video is very clear and my client and I have confirmed with the network that Mrs. Samuels was clearly the aggressor!”
5. So what we all want to know is, will Bravo cameras be allowed in the courtroom?
The upcoming court appearances for both women won't be full trials; they will be probable cause proceedings where a judge will determine if the charges move forward.
We know that a second-degree assault charge can come with jail time if convicted. But what we don't know yet is whether Bravo will be allowed to film the proceedings.
The new season of "Real Housewives of Potomac" premieres in the spring of 2020, so we all have to wait a bit to see how the drama unfold with our own eyes.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.