The Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley Darby is spilling all of the Housewives tea with Us Weekly, from her messiest moment to the Housewife that “rubbed her the wrong way.”
Ashley, 35, has been stirring up drama on RHOP since it premiered in 2016, currently starring alongside Gizelle Bryant, Robyn Dixon, Karen Huger, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Wendy Osefo, Mia Thornton and newbie Nneka Ihim. When asked which Housewife from another franchise she’d trade for one of her costars, Ashley offered up Candiace, 36, for Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s Whitney Rose.
“She is a vibe,” Ashley exclusively told Us of Whitney, 37, during the latest installment of the “Housewives Happy Hour” series, revealing that the women share some of the same philosophies when it comes to parenting. “I love it. We have a lot in common.”
Ashley’s Bravo ties even extend to Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice. “I love her so much,” Darby told Us. “Every time I see her, it’s just like I see a member of my family.”
Teresa, 51, has been helping Ashley through a tough “transition” in her life. Us confirmed in April 2022 that Ashley separated from husband Michael Darby after eight years of marriage. The former couple have been “parallel parenting” their two sons in the wake of their split.
“She’s very supportive,” Ashley told Us of Teresa. “She’ll check in on me. She said she has somebody she wants me to meet, so she’s trying to matchmake [for] me, and I love it.”
While the pair have become fast friends, there are some Housewives she doesn’t “mesh with” — including Real Housewives of Miami star Adriana de Moura, who claimed during a panel at BravoCon 2023 that she made out with Below Deck favorite Captain Jason. Ashley denied that hookup.
“I’m not vibing with that. I don’t like that,” she told Us. “When I watched season 1 [of RHOM], she was the only person I was like, ‘Could I imagine being friends with her?’ And turns out, no. I can’t.”
When it comes to RHOP, Ashley gets her share of tea from Gizelle, 53, who “causes the most drama” on the show. “The tea she spills — she’s like an endless source of information,” Ashley told Us. “[People] tell her everything. And then she’ll sprinkle in a little bit for me.”
Ashley has been involved in her fair share of drama during her run on RHOP, calling season 3’s “Pizzagate” her most iconic scene. Her messiest moment, however, was when she went on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen and said Karen, 60, “was canoodling with somebody in the pizza shop.”
Season 8 of the Bravo series is sure to bring even more iconic moments — and Nneka, 36, might be gunning for Karen’s “Grande Dame” title. Ashley called Nneka “a breath of fresh air,” telling Us that her new costar is “funny, she’s witty, she’s smart, fashionable, I love her.”
Season 8 of The Real Housewives of Potomac airs on Bravo Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi