Monica Garcia wasn’t here to make friends. Or at least that’s the conclusion her castmates on “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” came to on the shocking Season 4 finale, which became the most-watched episode of that franchise’s history. And, to be fair, when it turns out she secretly co-ran a troll account that routinely bashed each of them for years, you can see why.
However, after accusations of Monica inflating her ethnicity came up, I had to draw a line.
For those who aren’t deeply entrenched in the world of Bravo and Housewives, Monica was a new addition to this season of “RHOSLC” and came with an extra spicy backstory: She was the former assistant of the infamous former castmate Jen Shah, who is currently serving a 6½-year prison sentence for a nationwide telemarketing scam. And in an early confessional, Monica revealed that she served as a witness against Jen in the case, providing evidence to the prosecution.
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Her personal life was also rife with mess: Monica, a mom of four, cheated on her ex-husband with his sister’s husband, carrying out a long-term affair that led to their divorce. On top of that, her mom, Linda, is an absolute narcissistic monster, and brought explosive, often triggering moments of familial toxicity to the screen.
During her inaugural (and likely last, though I hope that’s not the case) season, Monica added a refreshing perspective as someone who doesn’t dress like the bad guys in “The Hunger Games” or back down from the loudest of adversaries.
It all came to a head when castmate Heather Gay revealed on camera a shocking discovery — Monica was behind the social media troll account of Reality Von Tease that had been posting rumors and nastiness and leaked information about all the cast members for several years. In particular, Jen, whom Monica admitted was the account’s main target. “The other women were just collateral damage,” she said in a confessional that still sends a shiver down my spine.
While I relished in the cinematic masterpiece that was the finale and everything that led up to it on what was undoubtedly a no-skip season, I had a moment of guffawing when the topic of how Monica came to be on the show came up.
When asked about it, she explained: “I said, ‘My name is Monica Fowler and your show sucks and your ratings are s— and it’s going to get canceled ‘cause you don’t have the right cast.’”
But, as a producer’s cut showed, what she actually sent casting was this: “You guys need a feisty excommunicated Latina on the show immediately!! I’m your girl! — Monica F.”
Here’s the thing: I love it.
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“Real Housewives,” as an institution, and Bravo as a whole have faced years-long accusations of racism, from having mostly all-white casts to exploiting and undervaluing Black stars of their shows. To then, after making an effort to diversify casts, leaving those POC cast members vulnerable to racism from their castmates that seemingly went unpunished.
At its start, “RHOSLC” was the most diverse franchise in the series, with Monica, who is of Portuguese and Colombian descent, being the first Latina on the show. She joins a small but mighty crew of Latina Housewives that include Alexia Nepola, Marysol Patton, Nicole Martin and Adriana de Moura from the Miami franchise and “Real Housewives of New York’s” Sai de Silva.
This email would come into play again on the second part of the reunion, when the question of Monica’s name, or rather names, was brought up. As seen on the show, Monica emailed casting directors under the last name “Fowler,” but she appears on the show as “Garcia.” During one of their regular blowouts, Monica’s mom referred to her as “Monica Darnell” and then accused her of changing her name “every five minutes.”
Somewhere in there, the last name “Delgado” came up.
As Monica explains it, she has used three names. The name she was born with (Darnell), her married name (Fowler) and her current name (Garcia) which she chose after her divorce because she wanted a family name and it was her mom’s last name at birth. Her mom had changed it because she’d been teased for being Portuguese when growing up in Boston, which sounds very Boston.
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This became a sticking point because Monica accuses her fellow cast member and constant adversary Lisa Barlow of saying Monica changed her last name to “look more Latina to get on the show.”
First of all, people have a lot of last names sometimes, especially if they come from cultures where you take both parents’ surnames. Chill out.
Second, it’s not like she’s Natalie Wood getting bronzed up to pass as Puerto Rican. If that’s the case, let’s see the Receipts! Proof! Timeline! Screenshots!
Third, if Monica did mention her ethnicity to help her get on the show — well, who cares!
As the U.S. is wrestling with racism and the rolling back of diversity and inclusion initiatives to coddle white supremacists, this gave me the ick. If her castmates think Monica doesn’t deserve to hold a snowflake because she’s an internet troll who infiltrated the cast, fine. But let’s leave her ethnicity out of it. It would appear that’s why she initially lied about her casting email — to avoid further accusations of playing the Latina card.
Every one of these women wanted to be on this show, had to present themselves as telegenic as possible, and in the case of the Salt Lake City franchise, leaned on their experience in the Mormon church to make themselves a more compelling hire. Their religion or excommunication from it is part of their story, their history and their identity. It’s not a “card,” it’s who they are.
So, why would it be an issue for a possible hire to mention their ethnicity? Especially if the show would benefit from showing the diversity of the local region and religion through her hiring. The whole season, and series as a whole, has largely featured their disagreements and issues with the culture around Mormonism and the church.
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It’s one of the topics that has made this franchise a fascinating and often educational watch.
Even if Monica was leaning into the fiery Latina trope to get hired, the fact is, every Housewife has to be fiery. A dash of it will often do, but a barrel of it will seal the deal. Being loud and willing to throw wine in someone’s face at a baby shower is in the job description. It’s not something you can lie about to get hired, like a college degree or proficiency in Excel. You have to live, breathe and be mess to make it on the show and also to survive on it.
It’s my hope that as the reunion episodes continue, and the series moves on with or without Monica, we can stop with the concerns over ethnic hiring and focus on what we’re really here for: mess.
Alex Zaragoza is a television writer and journalist covering culture and identity. Her work has appeared in Vice, NPR, O magazine and Rolling Stone. She’s written on the series “Primo” and “Lopez v. Lopez.” She writes weekly for De Los.
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