Author | Maxine

This is the problem that I really have when it comes to Gizelle Bryant on The Real Housewives of Potomac. We all know that Gizelle was once married to Pastor Jamal Bryant, and during that time she held the role of a First Lady. When I think about what a First Lady traditionally represents in the church, and then I watch some of the things that happen on this show, it honestly makes me a little sad.

I’m not saying that Gizelle has to be perfect. Nobody is perfect, and being a Christian or having been a First Lady does not mean that a person will never make mistakes. I’m also not saying that she has to walk around acting like she’s still the First Lady because she’s made it clear that she doesn’t wear that hat anymore. But at the same time, you once stood for something. You once represented a church, stood beside a pastor, and had people looking at you as an example. I don’t think something like that just completely disappears because you’re no longer married to the pastor.

That’s why it can be so hard for me to watch her on RHOP sometimes. We have watched Gizelle get involved in people’s personal business, spread information, argue with people, and say some pretty nasty things. Yes, I understand that this is reality television. Drama is part of the show, and these women are being paid to entertain us. But there are still moments when I find myself thinking, Wow, this woman used to be a First Lady.

And I think that’s part of the reason some viewers have had such a problem with hearing her bring up her former First Lady role. It’s not necessarily because people expect her to be perfect. It’s because when you remind people that you once held that position, they’re naturally going to compare what you represented then to what they’re seeing from you now. You can’t really be surprised when people notice the difference.

For me, this is bigger than just Gizelle Bryant. It reminds me that titles don’t necessarily tell us who someone really is. Someone can be called a pastor, First Lady, minister, church leader, or anything else, but God sees beyond a title. A title doesn’t automatically mean that someone has everything together spiritually or personally. We’re all human, and ultimately God knows people’s hearts better than any of us ever could.

I’m not writing this to judge Gizelle or say that she’s a terrible person because I don’t know that woman personally. I’m talking about what I see as a viewer of the television show. There’s a difference. I just can’t pretend that some of her behavior isn’t difficult for me to watch knowing the background that she herself has talked about publicly.

Maybe she truly considers that chapter of her life completely over. Maybe she feels like she should be able to live however she chooses now that she isn’t a First Lady anymore. And yes, she absolutely has the right to live her own life. But viewers also have the right to say that the contrast is uncomfortable to watch.

At the end of the day, I’m not expecting perfection from Gizelle Bryant or anybody else. I’m simply saying that when you’ve publicly represented something as serious as the church and Christianity, people remember it. You may take off the title, but people don’t automatically forget what you once represented. And for me, watching the difference between that former First Lady image and some of what we see on RHOP is just hard to watch.