Who Is Erika Liles? Everything You're Dying to Know About Gizelle Bryant's Business Partner
The Real Housewives of Potomac friend goes back 25 years with Gizelle and hangs with Tina Knowles and Oprah.
The Real Housewives of Potomac ladies took the definition of tête-à-tête to a whole new level in Cannes when Gizelle Bryant and Karen Huger went heel to, well, sneaker, in the hotel lobby. When Gizelle told the group that she and Robyn Dixon would be skipping the essential oil excursion, the grand dame stepped in to make Gizelle see the error of her ways. Turned out, it was Gizelle who saw an error in Karen's husband Ray Huger's ways and decided that this was the moment to call it out. Watch the clip below as Gizelle accuses Ray of liking her business partner Erika Liles a little too much. Like, wants to "lick her up and down" too much, according to the green-eyed bandit.
But who is this mysterious business partner Erika Liles? Well, we caught up with Gizelle at the RHOP reunion to find out who exactly is the woman at the center of this French fallout. Apparently, these two aren't just business pals — these besties go back 25 years.
"We went to college together," explained the Housewife. "She pledged my sorority, I pledged her, and we’ve been friends ever since."
And if you were wondering about her business acumen, wonder no more. "Erika used to work for Johnson & Johnson, and she was not only one of the top, she was one of their regional managers, she was a trainer, she was their marketing director at some point, so she really has business savvy, and marketing, expertise."
Naturally, when Gizelle went on her own company, Erika was her first call. "When I decided to start EveryHue ... I went, 'Look, I really want to start this and I can’t do this without you, I really need your help.' And she was like, 'Girl! We gonna do this and we gonna knock this thing out the park!' And we have." The rest is now Target-bound beauty history.
Gizelle also explained Erika's certain, let's say, je ne sais quoi. "She’s just somebody that if you want to go into business, you want her on your team. Period. And she’s a bad one. She’s a baddie," explains Gizelle. "And I don’t say a lot of women are bad ones… Erika Liles is a bad one." You can say that again! Erika Liles is so bad, she's hanging out with friends like Tina Knowles and Oprah Winfrey on the regular (evidence below). So, yeah, definitely a "baddie" if you ask us!
But what does Erika think about her debut on RHOP? Gizelle says Erika actually took the moment pretty well.
"I did tell her that I had an Erika Liles moment, and I probably said her name more in five minutes than I’ve ever said in my life. I was like, 'Look, I didn’t mean it, Karen made me mad, I told the story,' but you know she gets it." And she must really get it because Gizelle told The Daily Dish, "You know Erika’s really a sister to me, so she’s like 'Girl, I understand; if I was in your situation I would do the same thing.'" True friendship.
And finally, Gizelle cleared up a little bit about her accusations about the "black Bill Gates." "Let me tell you something: I ain’t mad at Ray … Erika, like I said, is a bad one. Everybody, every man that is a heterosexual, loves to chit-chat and have a conversation with Erika and just be around her." Let the Cannes drama continue...
