Stacey Rusch is coming out on top in her sophomore season of The Real Housewives of Potomac. A devoted mother, television personality, and entrepreneur, she’s stepping out of her co-stars’ shadows and into her power, and fans are already loving it despite it being early in the season. Fans lauded her as the breakout star in Episode 1 of Season 10, thanks to her ability to effortlessly go toe-to-toe with the show’s OGs.
After a tough first reunion in which she was accused of paying someone to appear on the show as her love interest, Stacey has reunited with her ex-husband, and sparks have flown again for the lovebirds. But her co-stars aren’t buying it. Additionally, she’s been accused of living out a lie in other ways, but she says she’s paying the alleged attacks no mind. Blavity’s Shadow and Act caught up with the Bravo star about all to expect this season, and she promises this season isn’t one to miss.
First and foremost, you are coming in hot in Season 10. Everyone is talking about you online, and I must say I’ve been very impressed with you this season already.
Have you? I’ll take that. Thank you.
So, this is your sophomore season. What would you say is the difference between Stacey last season and Stacey this season, especially what we’re seeing right out of the gate in Episode 1?
I think that during my first season of RHOP, I was really observing and trying to get a gauge of all of the women and all of their personalities and things like that. And this season, I am finding myself allowing people to really get to know me, getting to know me, my family, and what means most to me…especially when we talk about my brand, what I stand for, which is God, love, and wellness. And I think you’ll be able to see this and follow this journey during this season.
Now, obviously, there were some allegations made about you, when we last saw you at the reunion between you and TJ, and that’s where this season picks up. Some of your co-stars are seemingly on his side in terms of whose side of the story to believe. Going into the season, where did you and TJ stand going into your sophomore season?
I think what you said right now is really important. When you talk about the story and sides and things like that, we’re talking about something in the past, and that’s not something that I’ve been concentrating on. My life is full. I am so blessed. I’m so happy to be concentrating on my family and my new brand. TJ is living his life. I’m living my life, and the only people talking about the past are people who don’t have anything else to talk about. I don’t talk about the past with anybody else during the season. I don’t talk about the past with anybody else, within the friend group, because my life is so full. So I think that’s a reflection of where people stand.
Now, there was something interesting that happened in the conversation at Gizelle’s house. There was some dialogue between you and Keiarna, where you guys spoke about allegedly faking storylines and whether it’s being done to maintain positioning on the show. You mentioned that she tried getting on the show for some time, and vice versa. How long was the vetting process for you on Real Housewives of Potomac? Had you been approached previously? Because you mentioned that it was just better timing.
I think that what you’ll find is that just like Keiarna has established relationships within the group, so do I. I’ve known Karen for many years. I’ve known many people on the cast for many years, so I think that for Keiarna to make that comment, it doesn’t really mean anything to me. I live in the DMV. I am in the social circles where other people have been in, and that’s how I was invited on the show, and that’s the bottom line.
Now, it seems like there’s so much tension here and there between you and Ashley, and, as I previously mentioned, you’ve really been getting it in with your shade, and some of the stuff you’ve been saying in your confessionals has been extremely entertaining. But outside of that, were you surprised at how gung-ho Ashley was to kind of get up in the weeds when it came to you this season?
I was so surprised by Ashley’s behavior. Ashley was someone who was warm. And she was friendly to me in my first season. She was someone who was reaching out to me and saying, ‘I love that you’re a part of this group, you’re doing a great job. I can’t wait to get to know you better.’ She and I have had many conversations and many interactions off-camera. Our children love each other. Our children adore each other. We’ve had play dates. So it really is disheartening when you think you know someone and you allow someone to be a part of your life and your child’s life, and then they completely flip the script when you meet them in person, and there are cameras. So that was concerning for me, and it immediately let me know that Ashley is a little imp, and it is what it is, and I’m gonna accept her for her impish behavior.
Who did you consider to be your friend going into friends or friend going into the season, and how will we see those dynamics change throughout the rest of the season?
I considered myself friends with everyone on the cast moving into Season 10. I love many things about many of the women individually, but we will have our highs and lows and you will see that. When we end the season, I think it’ll be really interesting to see who I’m closest to; that’s definitely gonna be a shocker.
Now, we do see you rekindle things with your ex-husband and there has been, at least from Ashley, some questions about whether or not you guys are officially divorced. What about that do you actually want to say, and what can you talk to us about in regards to why you guys decided to give it another chance? I know you mentioned on the show that you guys spent Christmas holiday together, but how do we get from you guys divorcing to spending Christmas holiday together to now you’re dating?
I think you’ll have to watch and find out. I think that we will see that journey. I don’t think I am the first woman who realizes that she has a good man and perhaps wants to circle the block. I won’t be the first, I won’t be the last, so I think you’ll see that journey and where we end up.
Now, you’ve been speaking a lot about your new brand. We know that you were on QVC for many, many years. What is it exactly that you’re doing now, and how do we see that play out this season as well?
Well, I am incredibly grateful for my career at QVC. QVC is a wonderful company, and my time there allowed me to fine-tune my skills in terms of learning what the public desires, learning what America wants. And when we talk about the cannabis industry, I realized this is a booming industry, and it’s a very small number of African American owners in this industry. So, combining my sales techniques that I’ve learned from QVC, the value that I have learned in being connected with Americans on television.
When I was on QVC, I was speaking to over 300 million people every week. So, combining all of that together, my salesmanship, knowing what America wants, knowing that I have a well-respected background in wellness, having taught yoga for the White House Athletic Center, for NASA, for the CIA, bringing all that together and entering into the cannabis market was a dream come true. And I think that you will be able to see my journey, and to really appreciate me making history as the first African American woman in the state of Virginia to own a cannabis brand. I mean, who doesn’t applaud that?
Now, there was mention at the reunion that you were starting a cannabis brand, but you said that that wasn’t the case. Was it something that you just weren’t ready to announce yet at the time?
When that was mentioned in January at the reunion, I did not have a cannabis brand. I did not have a deal. I had been approached by many businesses regarding partnerships and different ways that we could work together to really solidify who I am in terms of me launching a brand. I talked to many people from fashion, to wellness – I didn’t have a deal in January. And so when Gizelle spoke on it, I didn’t know what she was talking about because I didn’t have that. But you know, in hindsight…thanks Gizelle. She really inspired me to get into this industry because I mean, if everybody was talking about it, clearly I was on to something good, so here I am. I was approached by many brands regarding my intent to enter wellness again. Cannabis is one that stuck out and thank God that I found the right partners, and now I’ve made history, and the world is at my feet. The best is yet to come.
And as you, as I mentioned, you’ve really come out as the MVP of the season thus far, even though we’re only one episode in. What would you say about yourself that resonates with fans?
I think that at the end of the day, I am always me. I am unapologetic in the way that I approach my life with gratitude, with God first, with happiness, [and] a little quirkiness. And so it doesn’t matter what people say, it doesn’t. It doesn’t matter how people may sometimes receive me upon meeting me, like many women in the group. I think that you will see me be myself. And if you are someone who loves being celebrated for the person you are and not conforming to what everybody else wants you to be, I think that you’ll fall in love with me. And I think that you will laugh and have a great season.
RHOP airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on Bravo.