How I Joined 'Real Housewives of Lagos' - Mariam Timmer

Real Housewives of Lagos housewife Mariam Timmer is opening up during in a new interview with TVC about how exactly she ended up becoming a real housewife. Here's what she said.

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Speaking about how she was chosen to join the Real Housewives of Lagos, Mariam Timmer opened up about it saying:

MARIAM TIMMER: Fifteen years ago, because I'm a huge personality—very sarcastic, goofy, and funny—you can't be around me and not laugh. I remember my mom looking at me and saying, "See those Kardashian people? You should go and look for them, let them be following you around with a camera."

In my mind, I thought, Who wants to be followed around with a camera? But she insisted, saying I was underestimating my personality. I just left it there.

Fast forward to five years ago. Like everyone else, I was making my New Year’s resolutions, deciding what I wanted to do that year. My mom brought it up again and said, "Mariam, just try again."

At the time, I was in LA with my husband, and I thought, You know what? Let me just try this thing. Worst case, they'll tell me no. A friend of mine, an American actor and content creator, had connections with agents and casting people. So, I asked him, "Do you know anyone casting for Real Housewives of Atlanta?"

He said, "Oh yeah, you know in LA, everybody knows casting directors and everything." So, we were at his house for lunch—me and my husband—and we did this mini video. He edited it, airdropped it to his phone, and sent it to someone. He didn’t tell me much at first.

The next day, he called and said, "Mariam, I heard there’s Real Housewives of Lagos." I said, "I’ve never heard of it before." At the time, the press release was out, but I didn’t know anything about it. I knew about all the other Real Housewives shows, but not Lagos.

He said, "Why don’t you try applying?" I wasn’t sure, but I went online and saw the press release. It was true, but there were no faces attached yet—just the announcement. My friend found out who was involved and mentioned their names. I said, "I don’t know these people personally. I know Aunty Deola and her husband from the outside, but that’s it."

I called another friend, who was my business partner at the time, because she knows everyone. She said, "I know them now, no problem." She made some calls, but by then, they had already fully cast the show.

Since Lagos wasn’t on my radar—I wanted to make money in dollars—I thought, This isn’t for me. Atlanta is for me. But by the time I called my friend, Atlanta had already started shooting too.

In August 2021, I came to Nigeria. By December, during my birthday, I got a call from that same friend. She said, "They want you for Real Housewives of Lagos."

What do you think about what Mariam Timmer had to say? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment either below or on my Jide Okonjo Facebook post.

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