Garcelle Beauvais says her teenage son Jax decided to step away from the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” spotlight after being subjected to racist online bullying in 2022.
The “Coming to America” actress said her son told her about his absence before cameras began rolling on Season 14 of “RHOBH.” “Jax told me, ‘Mom, I can’t do it anymore. It was too negative for me,’” Beauvais told “Pop Culture Moms” podcast hosts Andie Mitchell and Sabrina Kohlberg.
“I respected him and that's why he won't be in this season at all,” he added in the episode released Tuesday.
In August 2022, the Daily Mail reported that Jax, who was 14 at the time, had spoken out about negative comments he received on an Instagram photo. He urged trolls, who left comments about his older brother Oliver's battle with addiction, to “leave me alone please.” That same week, Beauvais urged fans to “leave our kids alone” on social media amid the drama that was unfolding on-screen.
“It hurts, it’s not right. I’ve been crying all night. It’s just a TV show. People are yelling at your TV. They’re throwing something at your TV,” she said. tweeted At the moment.
In another statement shared on August 24, 2022, Beauvais shared a statement on behalf of Jax in which she condemned online harassment: “I did not sign up for this show, nor do I have anything to do with the drama on the show.”
She added: “Being bombarded with racist and rude comments about my family by middle-aged women was not what I expected for my first week of high school.”
At the time, Beauvais’ co-stars on “RHOBH” and Bravo, which airs the “Real Housewives” franchise, also expressed support for the actor and spoke out against “harmful rhetoric.”
Beauvais, who has twins Jax and Jaid with ex-husband Michael Nilon, told “Pop Culture Moms” that she “definitely” considered leaving “RHOBH” after her son’s experience. She also said “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice was an additional source of support.
“When that happened to Jax, I was just stunned, because nobody deserves that,” Beauvais said. “Nobody’s kids deserve that. But I thought, you know, he’s doing this for me and it’s our family. And it was his first week of high school. And for him to be subjected to so much ugliness and stuff like that, it was just horrible. It was horrible.”
The “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Flight” actress said she gives her kids the option to appear on “RHOBH” before the start of each season, adding that “they have to deal with enough issues in terms of… high school and trying to figure out their life.”
Even though Jax won't be on the show, Beauvais teased that Season 14 of “RHOBH” will still be “really good.”
“I think there are a lot of good times and friendships that are changing and friendships that are dissolving,” she said. “I don’t know, can we get together in a room? It’s explosive.”
