Ever since the reboot of Real Housewives of Miami, Alexia Echevarria, the self-proclaimed “Cuban Barbie” has been the star of there show. She’s engaging, her life is interesting, and she is extremely candid for a housewife. On camera, she’s discussed everything from her fiancé and son’s volatile relationship to her other son’s struggles after a traumatic car accident.
But one thing that is rarely discussed on housewife franchises is sexuality. And RHOM took the lead when it comes to being more inclusive. One of their stars, Julia Lemigova, is the first openly LGBTQ+ housewife ever cast. We love to see it! And Alexia added to the conversation when she revealed that her estranged husband, Herman Echevarria, had a relationship with a man at the time of his death in 2016. The couple separated in 2015 but their divorce was not finalized when he passed. Alexia even spoke with Herman’s boyfriend for two hours off camera about their relationship.
As reported by Radar Online, Alexia revealed on the podcast Behind The Velvet Rope with David Yontef why she wanted to discuss his sexuality out in the open and also where she got it wrong. Namely, that she labeled Herman as a closeted gay man, when really she believes he was bisexual. At a Pride event honoring Alexia, she noted that she learned later in life that her father was also gay. But she now also believes the same of her father – that he was in fact, bisexual. She dedicated the award she received for her work with the LGBTQIA+ community to both Herman and her father.
Said Alexia, “I want to say that they were bisexual. Yeah, I mean, that’s what their history shows, that they were bisexual. And I do believe in bisexuality, so yeah.” Host David Yontef asked Alexia why she felt it was ok to out two people who are deceased and cannot tell their side of things. Former castmate Lea Black also previously slammed the move, saying of Herman, “He’s not here to defend himself.”
Alexia responded, “There has to be more awareness and openness. If people would be more open with their hearts and with their minds then we wouldn’t live in this world that we do. Obviously, everybody’s going to have an opinion, but it is my story because all these things affected me. So it is my story.”
On RHOM, Alexia disclosed that Herman’s partner told her that Herman had no intention of being honest about his sexual orientation. But to Alexia, it was important to share publicly for a few reasons. She explained, “I had to say my story because A.) there was always rumors. The girls brought it up in Season 3. It didn’t really happen like that, but it was rumored. And B.) after he passed away, when the person’s no longer here, everybody starts talking.”
RELATED: Alexia Echevarria Wishes Late Husband Herman Echevarria Came Out During Their Marriage
Alexia acknowledged that she knew the reboot of the show would stir up rumors about Herman. She wanted to make sure it didn’t get “ugly” or “nasty.” She elaborated, “You know how these shows are – if you don’t say your story and your narrative, somebody else will.” She noted that fellow cast member Adriana de Moura announced at a cast dinner that she heard a rumor Herman died having sex with his alleged partner.
Said Alexia, “Look what Adriana said in the middle of the sushi dinner, what she had heard at the funeral. I can control what comes out of my mouth, but I can’t control what’s going to come out of yours. So I’m happy that I got to share it the way that it really is, the way that I really feel it, the way that I really wanted it, because it wasn’t to badmouth him or to make fun of this or anything like that.” She continued, “It came from love, and it came from a good place. … I needed to speak about this, and it’s something that was important to me. So that’s why I shared it.”
In addition to her wanting to get ahead of the rumors, Alexia also wanted to bring light to an often taboo topic within some communities. She explained that people were aware of Herman’s sexuality but didn’t necessarily support it. She claimed, “…in my community, in the Cuban-American community here in Miami, a lot of people knew. And it’s still a taboo [topic]. People want to act like, ‘oh it’s so cool’ or ‘we’re so open,’ and they’re all a bunch of liars.”
RELATED: Lea Black Slams Alexia Echevarria For “Outing” Ex-Husband Herman Echevarria After He Died
Alexia also elaborated her feelings about her late father. She stated, “When I was being honored at Wynwood Pride, it made me think of my dad. So it’s like, this is reality TV. You don’t know what you’re going to say. How are you going to act? So it is my story, you know? And I feel like people should be more open and more sensitive and compassionate … because I feel like it was very therapeutic and healing for me.”
She added, “But my heart has always been that I’ve always wanted to be an advocate and I’ve always wanted to help in any way.” Alexia confessed, “I grew up being ashamed, or you know, having my family protect me from knowing that my father was bisexual because they thought it was a bad thing. Because if they thought it was a good thing, why didn’t they tell me? Why didn’t they tell me?”
Now that Alexia is married again and has moved forward with her life, she can reflect more on what mattered to her in the end. And one regret that she has is not being able to tell Herman that she loved him for who he was. Said Alexia, “We were separated, but you know, I wanted him to trust, like I wanted him to know that it was OK. Like, ‘I still admire and respect and love you. This is never going to change our relationship.'”
RELATED: Alexia Echevarria Pushed Producers To Show More Of Son Frankie On Real Housewives Of Miami
She went on, “And I never had the moment to do that. You know what I mean? I wish I would’ve had that moment because I know he thinks he was all alone, like with nobody’s support. So I’m just unhappy about that. But I got to have that moment with this boyfriend.” In regards to Herman’s boyfriend being so open with her, Alexia thinks age played a factor. She concluded, “I think it might be a cultural thing, or like, you know, he’s a young guy. Herman was older.”
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH ALEXIA’S CHOICE TO SHARE HERMAN AND HER FATHER’S SEXUALITY? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HER AS A HOUSEWIFE?
[Photo Credit: Ralph Bavaro/Bravo]
