Why LisaRaye Turned Down 'Real Housewives'

Reality television has catapulted C-list celebrities to A-list stars, created pop culture icons and billionaires, but not everybody is ready to do what it takes to secure that bag.

During a recent interview on The Breakfast Club, host DJ Envy and his guest LisaRaye McCoy both explained why they turned down offers to join the Real Housewives franchise.

Enny confirmed he and his wife Gia Casey were asked to join the Real Housewives of New Jersey cast back in 2013, when they were friends and neighbors of cast members Theresa and Joe Guidice. “They wanted my wife…to be honest, one: we didn’t need the money. Two: I’m not gonna let them dictate what’s going on in my house,” he said. “We have a real Black family with things that go on, and you’re not gonna try to do fighting and try to create tension in my real household. Like, I got five kids. This is real! Nah, you’re not gonna do that. So we just decided to gracefully back out and say, ‘Nah, we’re good.’”

He then asked LisaRaye, “I heard that the Real Housewives reached out to you to possibly be part of their show. Is there any truth to that?”

The Player’s Club star confirmed it was true.

“It is. It was years ago. That’s not my brand. That’s not what I wanna do. I’m not interested in that at all. And so I declined,” she said. “We got enough going on, and I do believe in T.M.I. Some things are just too much information. And the way that reality TV is going on, you don’t even want your kids to watch it because you don’t want it to dictate or rotten their mindset in thinking this is cool – to be disloyal, dishonest…I’m too grown for that.”

Watch the full exchange, below: