Everybody knows Garcelle Beauvais has had it rough in the romance department. Her first marriage to producer Daniel Saunders ended in divorce after nine years and one son, Oliver. And everybody knows about her second marriage to Michael Nilon which she cut short after 10 years, twin sons Jax and Jaid, and an extramarital affair on her husband’s part which she put on blast in a company email. Since things didn’t work out with an African American or a Caucasian American, Kreyolicious.com, a lifestyle site for Haitian-Americans, is wondering whether Garcelle should try a Haitian man next time around — after all, she is straight out of St. Marc, Haiti. In an interview with the site, Garcelle answered that question and more about her previous experience with Haitian men/boys, here’s a bit of what she had to say:
Some people are wondering…would Garcelle date a Haitian man?
Um. [Tremendous laughter] I am open to dating a good man, so whatever forms he comes in, then great. I would have to date a Haitian man who’s more Americanized. A traditional Haitian man would probably not go for the way my life is…in terms of what I do. I’m only speaking of that in terms of my sisters’ husbands. I’m open to all nationalities. It would actually be fun to date somebody Haitian. We can speak in Creole. He’d understand my background and culture. Yeah, I’m totally open.
You never had a Haitian boyfriend or anything like that?
I did, I did; I did. Back in the days when I was younger, I did.
You said you had a Haitian boyfriend before. Was it something about them that turned you off to marriage?
No, no. I never dated—I was so young then. It wasn’t about getting married. We were just dating. I haven’t yet met a Haitian man who’s asked asked me out. [Laughter]
Say for example, say a Haitian man who wants to romance Garcelle…
Have fun, I think. [Long stream of laughter]. Great dinners and nights, you know. Someone who’s honest and fun. Who loves God too.
Can it be anybody, career-wise? Like a carpenter? A blue-collar worker?
Yeah. [Laughs] Well, yeah. I’m not, you know, he has to have six figures; you have to have to have this and that. I’m looking for somebody who’s fun, loving, honest. It doesn’t matter what he does.
God, I hope this doesn’t come out wrong. Has the fact that you’ve dated two men who were outside your culture and “race”, made you more open to dating a black man?
I’ve always been open to dating black men. Oliver’s dad is black. I’m not opposed to it. It’s that the right people have to approach me. I love who loves me; I love who comes to me. I’m accessible to everybody. I’m receptive to everybody. I can’t just go out and look for only one type of man. Life is tough enough. I love who loves me; who approaches me.
If you could give advice to all the girls out there about love, relationships, and marriage, what would you say?
First of all, I would say, be true to you. I don’t think you should have to give up part of you just to be with somebody else. I think it’s important if you can start with self-love. Loving yourself, you will not allow other people to hurt you unnecessarily. Love yourself. Have boundaries for yourself [so] that you won’t let anybody hurt you. I think that it’s also finding a good person, who has the same morals, the same goals with you. Relationships are tough no matter what. If you have somebody who has a lot in common with you, that’s half the battle. Obviously, I don’t know. I have two divorces. I’m not an expert. I think self-love is where you can start off with.
Check out more of Garcelle’s interview on Kreyolicious.com. What do you think about what she had to say?
MORE ON MADAME NOIRE!
After Two Failed Marriages, Is Garcelle Thinking About Snatching Up A Haitian Man Next Time Around? was originally published on zhiphopcleveland.com
