Amanda Frances is reflecting on her drama with Bozoma “Boz” Saint John and admitting that one comment in particular crossed a line for her.
While speaking to Extra, Amanda looked back on her tension with Boz and opened up about whether she would return to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for Season 16. Although Amanda and Boz clashed over Amanda’s business, Amanda said she does not believe the two women need to stay at odds.
“I honestly really believe that it should be fairly easy for her and I to get along. We had off-camera moments where we got along very well. We had on-camera moments where I thought we understood each other very well… But, like, I don’t think there’s any inherent reason to have, like, beef. I personally don’t,” Amanda stated.
Francis’ drama with Boz became one of the more talked about RHOBH conflicts after Boz questioned parts of Amanda’s business and at one point suggested it had a “cult” like element. Amanda, who built her brand around money manifestation, online courses and coaching, said she felt like Boz kept moving the goalpost when it came to criticizing her work.
As for Boz suggesting Francis’ business was like a “cult,” Francis responded, “It felt like, okay, so you’re gonna say there’s something wrong with my business, but then I explain the business, I explain the happy clients, and you can’t really argue with that anymore, so now you’re gonna say it’s a cult. It just felt like a you-can-win moment.”
Francis admitted that the comment bothered her because of what she felt it implied about the way she treats her clients.
“The cult thing did hurt my feelings, because that’s the idea that I would control people, that’s the idea that I would somehow like take away their free will… I do the opposite. I help women think for themselves, get out of any situation that they’re in that’s controlling them and holding them back,” she said.
Still, Amanda said she eventually found a way to make light of the accusation rather than let it define her.
Amanda added, “The cult thing bothered me for a minute, but then eventually, I went like, I think I just have to lean in. I think I just have to be like, ‘Welcome to my cult. Here’s what we do over here. Here’s how it works. Heres how happy we are in my cult.’”
Amanda also addressed whether viewers could see her back on RHOBH next season. While Season 16 is expected to begin filming soon, Amanda said she had not officially been asked back at the time of the interview.
“I think there’s a good chance they’re going to, but then I have to decide, ‘Do I want to do that again?’ You’ve gotta understand, it’s like three months of filming, but then it’s like six months of interviews, and then the show starts coming out and it’s media. I was cast this time last year — that means it did take one year of my life,” Amanda reasoned.
She explained that Housewives is not just a few months of filming. For her, the entire experience took up a full year between production, press and public reaction.
“It did take a full year, and it was a lot of the year. And I was still obviously running my business, doing my thing, but during the filming chunk of the year, it actually takes up a lot of psychological space doing the show,” she said.
Amanda said filming impacted her creativity and made it harder to focus on the business ideas and projects she normally feels called to create.
“I wasn’t having, like, creative business ideas. I wasn’t thinking about the next launch. I wasn’t in the space to create and do what I think I’m here to do, you know? The show took a lot,” Amanda continued.
At the same time, Amanda admitted RHOBH also brought major visibility to her work.
“But then again, you have all these new people reading my book, checking out my courses, and that feels very meaningful,” she said.
Amanda’s comments come after a season where she found herself defending her business while also navigating a group of women who were not always sold on her methods. Boz, in particular, questioned Amanda’s money manifestation world, leading to tension between the two.
