‘RHOBH’ Star Annemarie Wiley Addresses Transphobia Claims and Political Controversy After Show Exit
Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Annemarie Wiley has broken her silence on the allegations surrounding her husband, former NFL star Marcellus Wiley’s alleged transphobic comments and her controversial political beliefs following her departure from the reality show.
In an interview with Carlos King for his Reality with the King podcast, Annemarie addressed speculation surrounding her husband’s remarks and her political views, shedding light on her experience on the show and the ensuing discussions.
Annemarie revealed that although scenes featuring her family were filmed for the recent season of RHOBH, they were not included in the final edit. When questioned by Carlos about whether this omission was related to her husband’s alleged transphobic comments, Annemarie firmly denied any association with transphobia.
“I have no idea, but I am so happy to address that,” Annemarie said. “Calling someone transphobic is very hurtful, disgusting, and damaging. I support the trans community, trans rights, and women’s sports. No one is transphobic.”
She further elaborated on her husband’s stance regarding transgender female athletes competing in sports alongside cisgender female athletes.
“My husband’s stance on it is that he is not in support of it, and he’s in support of there being safe spaces for everybody, and I agree with that.”
Annemarie defended her position by highlighting physical differences like hand and heart size between individuals and their potential impact on athletic performance.
In February 2023, Annemarie’s husband took to Instagram to share his stance on trans women playing sports. The former NFL star said he had “no issue with transgenders” but had “an issue with athletes who are transgender women trying to compete against biological women.”
During the interview, Annemarie expressed frustration with her portrayal on RHOBH, alleging that she was “badgered” and “attacked” during discussions about her husband’s remarks. Still, those conversations didn’t make the final edit either.
Annemarie said that she believes that behind closed doors, the sentiments she holds are shared by the majority, estimating that “around 90 percent” of people hold similar views. Additionally, she claimed that her co-star Garcelle Beauvais shares her perspective but chooses not to express it openly.
Annemarie criticized the lack of rational discourse among her castmates and accused them of seeking to label her as transphobic without engaging in meaningful dialogue.
ET reached out to Garcelle for comment.
Addressing rumors linking her to political commentator Candace Owens, Annemarie vehemently denied any friendship, clarifying that she had never met Owens. She explained that her interest in Owens stemmed from Owens’ outspokenness on certain social issues, particularly a fashion campaign that Annemarie believed to be controversial.
Last month, Annemarie confirmed her exit from Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after just one season.
The 40-year-old nurse anesthesiologist broke the news in a statement posted on Instagram, where she expressed disappointment over not being asked back for season 14, which is gearing up for production.
“I’m disappointed is an understatement,” Wiley said of not returning to the reality show after season 13. “I never auditioned for this show. The show found me and asked me to be on it out of the blue 6 weeks after the cast had already started filming. I was thrown into filming two weeks later, mid-season.”
Despite her excitement about the opportunity, Annemarie regrets not being able to showcase her true self and life story on the show.
During her brief stint RHOBH, Annemarie’s major storyline revolved around questioning co-star Sutton Stracke regarding her esophagus, which became a notable moment among fans. However, Annemarie emphasized that there was much more to her life and identity that viewers didn’t get to see.
“What I am is a woman, a proud Black woman, who is truly blessed with a wonderful strong Black man as my husband [Marcellus] who lifts me and our four wonderful children up with so much love and positivity on a daily basis,” she declared. “It was an important mission of mine for the next season to show a solid Black family unit and that ‘rue Black love’ exists, even in Beverly Hills.”
The reality star also had hoped to share her struggles, such as coping with the loss of her mother to lung cancer and her journey with adoption trauma.
As season 14 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills prepares for production, Bravo has yet to confirm the returning cast members. However, it’s expected that familiar faces such as Kyle Richards, Erika Jayne, Beauvais, Dorit Kemsley, Crystal Kung Minkoff and Stracke will return.
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