‘RHOP’ Star Monique Samuels Explains Her Love For Her Pet Bird, An African Grey Named T’Challa

Monique Samuels is opening up about her love for T’Challa.

Days after the African Grey parrot was featured on the premiere episode of The Real Housewives of Potomac Season 5, Monique spoke out in a new interview. She explained that when it comes to her pet bird, the two of them have a deep bond that connects her to her childhood.

“T’Challa is my piece of my childhood,” Monique revealed, according to a clip shared on NECN on August 5.

Monique, who shares three young children with her husband, Chris Samuels, said T’Challa takes her back to a much simpler time in her life.

“He brings me back to that no-stress time period in all of our lives that we experience when we’re kids where we don’t have all the responsibilities,” she noted. “When my kids go to sleep at night, I can just talk to him and look at him and cuddle with him.”

Ever since she was a young child, Monique has been a big animal person. So, when it came to the possibility of welcoming T’Challa into her home, she didn’t hesitate. She says that she finds a different kind of peace with the parrot than she does with the rest of her family members.

“I’m such an animal person. That has been the essence of who I’ve always been since I was a child. So he literally just gives me that sense of peace in a different way than my kids or my husband give me peace,” she continued.

Even though Monique certainly has her hands full at home with her family, she said that when it comes to her bird, T’Challa is a great addition to the family. She has no regrets about welcoming him into the mix.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, the fifth season of RHOP was confirmed earlier this summer and, at the time, a number of Monique’s co-stars spoke out with excitement over the upcoming episodes of the series.

After a premiere date announcement was shared on Instagram, Robyn Dixon told her fans and followers that “this summer just got hotter,” thanks to the show. Gizelle Bryant said that “word on the street” was fans would “not have to wait much longer” for the show to return.

Andy Cohen also weighed in on Season 5, saying on Watch What Happens Live in February that the new installment would serve as a “great personal story and a lot of drama within the group that will surprise you.”