Monique Samuels is doing things all on her own. The former #RHOP/Love & Marriage D.C. star recently shared that after divorcing Chris Samuels, she receives no child support or alimony payments from the former NFL player. She’s being completely candid about the “probably stupid” decision to sign the prenup she did, although she has no regrets.
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The former housewife was a recent guest on the “Dear Future Wifey” podcast and chatted with host Laterras R. Whitfield about her marriage, which ended after more than a decade.
Monique Samuels Speaks On Initially Meeting Chris Samuels, Admits She Didn’t Feel “Emotionally Covered” In Their Marriage
According to the reality star, she and Chris started out as friends after meeting when she was just 19. Monique shared that Chris, who was 6 years her senior, was adamant that he didn’t want to get married, and she was fine with it, especially amid her parents’ divorce.
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She candidly admitted that we were friends at first before being “hump buddies” for a year. Eventually, she caught feelings for the offensive tackle after noting that he fits almost all 60 of the qualities that she looked for, so she wrote him a letter expressing her feelings.
Luckily for her, despite Chris being initially caught off guard, the feeling was mutual.
“He told me loved me,” said Monique during “Dear Future Wifey.” “He said, ‘I can’t stop thinking about you and I want us to be official.’”
After 6 years of dating, the two went on to tie the knot, but eventually, Monique said she didn’t feel emotionally supported by her spouse, so she stifled her feelings, causing blow-ups during arguments.
At one point in the podcast, Whitfield asked her about a #RHOP moment when she “showed out,” seemingly referencing Monqiue’s highly discussed fight with Candiace Dillard Bassett.
According to the host, Monique told him there was a build-up that led to that explosive moment, and he wondered if some of her outbursts in her marriage built up like that.
“In the relationship, no, I always expressed [myself], I expressed too much at certain points and I had to work on my delivery.”
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She did admit, however, that she had moments where she blew up emotionally, especially when her husband didn’t provide an “emotional covering” for her.
“If I’m expressing to you, ‘Hey, this is what I’m going through, this is what I need from you, I want us to talk, I want us to be open and safe with each other,’” said Mo’Nique. “But in the meantime, I’m still having to put that armor on; I’m becoming more masculine because certain things that I feel emotionally need to happen aren’t happening. So now I’m hard, now I’m stone.”
She continued,
“I want to feel safe, I want to feel safe to know that if I express something I’m feeling, you’re open to hearing it and understanding it but instead that’s turned into an issue.”
She added that she would stifle her feelings because she was made to feel bad about her emotions, and after they stacked and compiled, she exploded, including during a moment on their honeymoon.
“Now I look like the crazy, belligerent, nagging, nitpicking wife who is unreasonable,” said Monique.
Hit the flip for more details about Monique’s candid conversation about her Chris Samuels divorce.
Monique Samuels Says She Receives No Alimony Or Child Support, Was Paid A Lump Sum That She Used For A Home
At another point in Monque’s “Dear Future Wifey” podcast, she explained that she was not awarded alimony or child support in the divorce settlement because of a prenup.
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When the host noted that she’d been accused of being a gold digger, Monique shared that that was far from the case, considering that she signed paperwork to ensure Chris never thought she was after his money.
“So, we had a prenup,” said Monique “And when we sat down to create our prenup, it was with the intention of ‘I don’t ever want you thinking I want what you have. Or I want you for what you have.’ So, like I said, at the time when Chris and I were first together, I was working for him.
“So the way we did it was as if I was still his business manager. What that salary would have been, that would basically be it. Because once we got married, it was basically like I no longer have a job. I have no need to have income, it’s not like I’m getting money and I’m sitting it in an account for me.”
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She continued,
“It was just basically like ‘In the event that we get divorced, here is what would have been your salary over the past however many years if you were still working. So it was more so to cover the fact that I wasn’t going to have a job.”
She added however, that it was a “probably stupid” decision” because she didn’t factor in having children in the future.
“It was a one lump sum payment to purchase my home because I wanted my children to have their own bedrooms, I wanted them to feel like this new home is home,” said Monique. “And then I was working in radio and I have my essential oils company, I’m using the money now that I make from that company.”
She went on to note that detractors look at her Instagram posts of her travel with children and believe her ex-husband is footing the bill.
“They think Chris is paying for those things, no, we flying Southwest, the fares that be low,” said Monique. “I never allowed my identity to be attached to what I have and I still have everything I need. I ain’t have no problem with living within my means,” she added.
In another viral interview moment, an emotional Monque admitted that she felt like a failure when she finally decided to file for divorce.
“It’s very hard when you feel like that is the only option; you feel like you failed,” said Monique. “I feel like I failed myself.”
The couple, who officially split in September 2023, share three children—Christopher, Milani, and Chase whom Monique said she didn’t want to be affected by their “battlefield” of a marriage.
Watch Monique Samuels on “Dear Future Wifey” below.