Candiace Has a Theory on Why Karen Brought Up Gizelle's Comments About Ray

Karen Huger and Gizelle Bryant's friendship goes way back to before they were even on The Real Housewives of Potomac. However, in recent seasons, we've seen them go from longtime friends to foes.

So, where did Karen and Gizelle's beef begin? We finally got some clarity on where things went left during Dr. Wendy Osefo's Nude Interlude party earlier in Season 6. 

It was during that dinner (and after Karen made many eyebrow-raising comments about Gizelle) that the RHOP grande dame revealed her breaking point came four years ago after watching a conversation that Gizelle had with her husband, Ray Huger, in Season 2 in which he gave her some dating advice. Ray implied to Gizelle that looks fade and that she would "need to attract guys while you can." Gizelle clapped back at Ray during an interview in the episode: "This beauty ain't fading. He will be buried six feet under before this fades."

Karen told Gizelle during the Nude Interlude party that she felt like that moment "was the beginning of the end" for the ladies' relationship. As for why Karen didn't say anything about it to Gizelle at the time, she explained that it was because her "children were young and they were hurting."

Still, some of the RHOP ladies and fans alike were confused about why it took so long for Karen to say something about Gizelle's comments about Ray. Candiace Dillard Bassett, for one, said that she didn't have any idea that it had been bothering Karen all this time when she appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on July 25 (clip above).

Candiace then went on to give her take on why Karen is reminding everyone of the incident now. "I think that it came out of left field. I feel like she just needed something to fuss about because you saw me laugh in Episode 2 when she talked about it in her house because it sounds ridiculous," Candiace said. "Karen did tell me that her kids were offended by it, and if they were, then OK, Gizelle should apologize. But you're blowing up dust just because."

Host Andy Cohen had plenty more to ask about the latest RHOP drama on WWHL, including Candiace's reaction to new Housewife Mia Thornton's comments in the July 25 episode that Eddie Osefo is "scared" of wife Wendy and that she has him on a "tight leash." That actually didn't sound like such a bad thing, according to Candiace. "I think that any good wife should have her husband on a tight leash," she said on WWHL.

The topic of Mia came up again during the WWHL After Show when Andy read a fan question asking if the new Potomac Housewife was "being disloyal to Karen" when she came to Gizelle's defense at the Nude Interlude party, which Candiace didn't attend because she was ill. "When I saw that, I was like, why is she doing all this flipping and flopping? It doesn't bode well," Candiace said before teasing what we can expect to see from Mia as the RHOP cast gets to know her more this season (clip below). "She goes through a lot of ups and downs."

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Mia explained the moment during an interview in the July 17 episode of The Daily Dish podcast. "So Karen had warned me. She told me that Gizelle has a hard time with new people in general," Mia said. "And my response to her was, 'That sounds like a personal problem, not mine [laughs].' So it had nothing to do with me."

Karen also told The Daily Dish podcast in the July 24 episode that she felt like "Mia was being genuine" in that moment. "I want all of my true friends — and I consider Ashley [Darby], Candiace, Wendy, Mia, Robyn [Dixon] and I all in a great place — she has a right to say if she believed that Gizelle has a good heart," Karen shared. "Mia has a right to feel the way she feels. My friendship does not, you know, decide whether or not she thinks someone has a good heart. I'm not saying Gizelle’s heart is not good. I just question it."

To hear more from Karen on RHOP Season 6 and why her husband Ray "is on fire this season," listen to The Daily Dish podcast, below.

Want more RHOP? New episodes air every Sunday at 8/7c or catch up on the Bravo app.

Photo: Getty Images