Choosing what brings her joy. Garcelle Beauvais is breaking down why she chose to unfollow Erika Jayne after a post on social media from her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costar rubbed her the wrong way.
“It was something that I didn’t like, and it also didn’t really align with who I am,” Beauvais, 55, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting Lifetime’s Caught in His Web. “For me, I wanna follow people that [when] you’re seeing their feed, you wanna follow them. You wanna like them. You want to cheer them on, and I just didn’t wanna do that. I didn’t wanna see it.”
Fans originally noticed late last month that the fashion model joined costar Sutton Stracke in unfollowing Jayne, 52, on Instagram. After a Bravo fan account brought it to the “Pretty Mess” singer’s attention she replied in the comments section, “Well [let] me unfollow her back.”
Although Stracke, 50, has since followed Jayne back, Beauvais noted that she didn’t know what would make her want to keep up with the performer again.
Amid speculation that the cast’s trip to Aspen may have played a part in the divide, the Haiti native noted that the experience was “off the chain,” adding, “That’s all I’m saying. I don’t know how we pack so much in three days.”
Beauvais, who originally joined the cast in 2020, also revealed that she was adjusting better to being on the reality series.
“I actually like it more now. I think now I’ve got my foot planted because before the first season I was traveling to another project,” she noted. “So now I definitely enjoyed it this season.”
The actress got a break from the drama of filming season 12 with her new project Caught in His Web. The Lifetime movie, which is inspired by true events, explores the topic of cyberbullying which felt like the perfect fit for Beauvais.
“I’ve always wanted to work with Lifetime, but I wanted to find the right project. When the script came to me, it made sense on so many levels,” she told Us. “I didn’t really know a lot about cyberbullying. I knew it existed, but having 14-year-old boys that live on their phone and live on their computers, it was something that I thought, ‘Oh my God, this makes sense. No brainer I’m in.'”
The Real cohost, who shares twin sons Jax and Jaid with ex-husband Mike Nilon, enjoyed getting to flex her acting muscles again for the film.
“It was great to get back into acting again, because obviously I’ve been doing other things. But I really love the project and I love the idea that we’re all on social media,” Beauvais, who also shares son Oliver with ex Daniel Saunders, said. “I mean it can happen to me. It [can] happen to you and we give up so much information and we’re out there so I could see how it would happen.”
Although the role of Detective Holland wasn’t as “glamorous” as her time on the Housewives, Beauvais channeled her own history with social media into the project.
“I try not to read comments, believe it or not. I mean, I really don’t. I have friends that tell me what they see or they hear, but I try not to go there because for me I can have, like, a million great comments and then that one negative one will stay with you,” the television personality detailed. “I try to stay away from that. But because I’m out there, it’s a love and hate thing for me.”
Beauvais continued: “I can connect in my fans. I love that I can promote, you know what I’m doing, but it’s also so invasive because people feel like they know you, they can say anything to you and if they were in front of you, I’ll bet you half of those things, they would never say.”
Caught in His Web premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, February 19, at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi