The Grande Dame has a grande idea!
“Real Housewives of Potomac” OG Karen Huger believes castmate and longtime frenemy Gizelle Bryant is worthy of the next spinoff — so long as it focuses on her oft-discussed fashion choices.
“You’re going to make me be messy!” Huger, 58, joked to Page Six in a new interview.
“You know, [Gizelle is] improving. I think it should be focused on her wardrobe. Maybe a makeover show.”
The reality TV personality — whose own Bravo special, “Karen’s Grande Dame Reunion,” recently premiered — added, “That could go well for her because she’s making progress. Hey, it’s a story. Stay tuned!”
Bryant, 51, has consistently taken heat for her unique sense of style from “RHOP” fans and co-stars alike.
Despite all the shade thrown her way, the “My Word” author — who appeared on an episode of “Project Runway” alongside Huger in January — previously told Page Six that she is proud of the looks she puts together.
“They come for everything: my style, my house, my hair, my makeup. It doesn’t end. So no, I don’t care at all — not even a little bit,” she said at the time, adding that Huger’s opinion is the one she cares “least” about.
“When I leave the house, I look in the mirror and I know I look good. So, I don’t care what people have to say or think about what I’m looking like.”
Regardless of past friction in their friendship, Bryant publicly expressed support for Huger’s new family-focused reality TV project. Huger told Page Six that she appreciated Bryant’s social media shoutout — even if it came mere moments before part one of her “Reunion” aired Sunday night.
“She came through, didn’t she? There is hope, Jesus! There is hope!” exclaimed Huger, before noting that Bryant was notably silent when the ladies of “Potomac” discovered that the La’ Dame Fragrance founder would be the first among them to receive her own show.
“It was quiet. It was like crickets. But, you know, Gizelle has her own victories. We all have our own thing. But it was crickets for months.”
Still, Huger told Page Six that she hopes her special can open doors for Bryant and the entire cast, including Ashley Darby, Mia Thornton, Robyn Dixon, Candiace Dillard and Dr. Wendy Osefo.
“That’s the one thing about ‘RHOP’ women. We can be kind to each other [about] our projects and we lift each other [up],” she explained.
“So, I certainly love the support I got … They posted support and I just really think that’s a beautiful thing because when one of us does well, you know it’s lining it up for the other.”
“Karen’s Grande Dame Reunion” sees Huger returning back to her native Surry County with her husband, Ray Huger, and their daughter, Rayvin, to reunite with their extended family, the Woodens — who were once enslaved but went to great lengths during the Reconstruction Era to purchase the farmland that they now own.
“Episode No. 2 is a powerfully packed episode. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to cry, you’re going to celebrate in victory for us. It’s very real,” she teased. “And I thank Bravo for allowing me to use the platform, especially in this time in this country, where we’re not encouraged to talk about black history — and we focus on my black history. That’s powerful.”
For the special, Karen was tasked with navigating complicated family dynamics to find out where the future of their ancestral land lies. She said going through that journey with such loved ones as Aunt Val and cousins Megan and David provided an opportunity for the Woodens to form a “deeper” connection.
“The keyword is deeper. I’ve always been connected to my family. My family is the foundation from which I stand and I’ve always said that on ‘RHOP,’” she said. “It was a deepening for us. There’s a love and a reconnection. [We were] never disconnected, but there’s a more powerful connection now, if you will.”
Huger is optimistic that Bravo viewers might see more of the Woodens down the line.
“We have exciting plans already. That generation of kids, I can’t keep up with them,” she said of her younger relatives. “I’m like, ‘Hold on! I’m a full-time Bravo Housewife.’ But they’ve already got me working on a project to repurpose the land and it’s exciting. You’ve got to stay tuned. I can’t want to share it with you.”
