Background and career
Gizelle Annette Bryant (née Graves; born September 9, 1970) is an American television personality, podcaster, author, and entrepreneur. She is best known for her role as an original cast member of the reality television series The Real Housewives of Potomac, which premiered on Bravo in 2016. She is also the co-host of the podcast Reasonably Shady with her Real Housewives costar Robyn Dixon. She was formerly married to pastor Jamal Bryant and served as First Lady of Empowerment Temple AME.
Bryant was born Gizelle Graves on September 9, 1970, in Houston, Texas, to Curtis Graves and Joanne Graves. She was born into a Creole family. Her father was a civil rights activist and politician who served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973. Bryant attended Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, graduating in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She credited her father with her decision to attend an HBCU. While at Hampton, she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. After finishing university Bryant worked for the NAACP under Kwesi Mfume.
Bryant made her television debut as an original cast member of Bravo's reality television series The Real Housewives of Potomac when the series premiered in January 2016. The series follows the personal and professional lives of affluent women (Bryant and her friends) living in Potomac, Maryland, and the surrounding Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Bryant has remained a main cast member of the series throughout its run. Bryant has appeared in numerous Bravo spin-off series. In 2020, Bryant became a co-host of Bravo’s Chat Room, a talk show featuring personalities from the Real Housewives franchise. In 2023, she appeared alongside her fellow The Real Housewives of Potomac cast member Candiace Dillard Bassett in the third season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, which was filmed in Thailand. In 2025, Bryant appeared as a cast member on Bravo’s dating reality series Love Hotel. She returned to The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip for Roaring 20th in 2026, joining Vicki Gunvalson, Luann de Lesseps, Teresa Giudice, Kyle Richards, Porsha Williams, and Lisa Barlow for the franchise’s 20th anniversary season. In 2026, Bryant was announced as a contestant on the sixth season of the reality competition series The Traitors, scheduled to premiere on Peacock in January 2027. She is also set to star in and executive produce the BET drama Church Wives, which is scheduled to premiere on November 4, 2026. Bryant has appeared at several editions of BravoCon, including the inaugural convention in 2019 and subsequent events in 2022, 2023, and 2025. Bryant has also made guest appearances on various television programs including The Drew Barrymore Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Sherri, The View and Would I Lie to You?
In 2021, Bryant and fellow The Real Housewives of Potomac cast member Robyn Dixon launched their podcast, Reasonably Shady, on the Black Effect Podcast Network. The podcast covers topics including relationships, motherhood, popular culture, entrepreneurship, and their experiences in reality television. Reasonably Shady was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Arts and Entertainment Podcast in 2022.
Bryant’s novel My Word was published by Brown Girls Publishing on April 30, 2019. The novel follows Ginger Williams, the wife of a megachurch pastor, as she confronts her husband’s infidelity and the pressures surrounding his church. The story draws loosely on Bryant’s experiences as the former wife of a pastor. My Word received the African American Literary Award for Best Fiction.
Bryant founded EveryHue Beauty, a cosmetics company, in 2017. The company produced makeup and skincare products, including tinted moisturizer, concealer, setting powder, primer, highlighter, blush, and setting spray. EveryHue Beauty products were sold online and through Target as part of the company’s broader effort to include more beauty options for women of color. The company later ceased operations after its manufacturer closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bryant subsequently entered the fashion industry with GnA, an athleisure brand founded with her The Real Housewives of Potomac costar Ashley Darby.
