Eva Marcille is leaving The Real Housewives of Atlanta after three seasons. The model and actress read a statement announcing her exit Tuesday on The Rickey Smiley Morning Show.
“Everything has a reason and a season and the time that I spent on Housewives, I enjoyed myself, I cried, I laughed, I obviously fought, and we did a lot of things,” she said. “But most importantly, I made some great friendships with some beautiful women and I believe that my time is up.”
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Marcille, who is a contributor on Rickey Smiley’s radio show, said she wants to focus on her family and being a positive voice in the Black community.
“I have a 6-year-old daughter and two young boys still in diapers. They are 24 hours a day and there is a lot of work to be done,” she continued. “So I decided to spend my time and energy focusing on my kids and my community, and not so much reality show business.”
[Listen to Marcille’s comments below]
She admitted that Smiley and some of her celebrity friends told her there are better ways to earn a living than being on the Bravo series.
“The reality is, is that the ability for upward mobility and that kind of money for African Americans, it’s hard to see. So a lot of times we find ourselves doing things that we are not necessarily happy doing all the time,” she explained. “But my question to myself is what is more important right now? Is it the money or is it the movement and the culture?”
Still, she said she appreciated the opportunity to be on RHOA.
“Even though we fought on the show, I love every single one of those Black women,” she said. “They are queens, they are stars, and I wish them the most successful season and transformational season 13 that The Real Housewives of Atlanta has ever seen.”
Marcille joined the series as a friend on season 10, which premiered in November 2017. She was promoted to full-time Housewife the following year.
She rose to fame as the cycle 3 winner of America’s Next Top Model in 2004 before pursuing a career in acting and hosting.
