In a strange twist of fate, Chanel Ayan has formed an unlikely bond with Caroline Stanbury, while her friendship with Lesa Milan is slowly going up in flames. As seen in The Real Housewives of Dubai Season 2, Ayan found herself in hot water for sharing a voice note Milan had sent her in confidence with Stanbury, who then outed the message at a cast dinner in Bali. But the next day, Ayan and Milan hashed things out and made up — so that doesn’t explain why they aren’t speaking now.
“Something bigger happened and has nothing to do with the voice note. We moved on from the voice note,” Ayan told DECIDER when asked what actually led to their fallout. “Something happened that’s really insane.”
While Ayan didn’t tease more than that, she did express her hope to patch things up with Milan at the Season 2 reunion, which was filmed the day after we spoke to her.
“We had a real friendship. We had a real, good friendship. It wasn’t for the show,” she said. “We actually cared about each other … It’s hard. So I’m definitely open to resolutions. Let’s see how it goes at reunion. It all depends on what goes down.”
In the preview for this week’s episode, Ayan finally confronts Stanbury for telling the other ladies about the voice note — which Sara Al Madani had originally sent to Milan. “I think she really was enjoying it. Stanbury’s very — she can be a bit conniving, but in a funny way,” Ayan said of the debacle.
Despite the small crack in their newly formed friendship, Ayan explained how she and Stanbury were able to move forward.
“I think if you really hold a grudge with people, you lose who you are. This is why I look 50 and young, because I literally live my life without holding grudges,” she quipped, noting that Stanbury was “really” apologetic about bringing up the voice note. “It took us time, but we’re getting to know each other right now.”
With a little less than half the season to go, Ayan offered more of her unfiltered thoughts on all things Real Housewives of Dubai. Check out the full interview below.
DECIDER: The last time we talked was before Season 2 premiered. How has business been at Ayan Beauty since the show’s been airing?
CHANEL AYAN: Oh my god, I think honestly, this is the best thing about being a Housewife. Because usually you just fight, but now I’m making, ca-ching, ca-ching money, you know? Like, people are buying my product. And I love that, because Ayan Beauty is so special to me because most of the proceeds go to help stop FGM [female genital mutilation], which is something happened to me when I was a kid with my sister. And recently, some African countries brought back FGM. So I’m trying to bring awareness to it to stop it, so Ayan Beauty has been blowing up. We’ve been selling like crazy. People are loving the name, and the comments have been really good. The product is beautiful.
I love to hear that! In last week’s episode, you expressed your fear of djinn out in the water. Should the cast of Dubai fear the djinn or should the djinn fear the cast of Dubai?
I think the djinn should be worried about the cast of Dubai. I’ll tell you why. Because we are nasty people. I think the djinn, at least you cannot see it. I think the cast of Dubai kind of reminds me of a djinn. So djinn should be scared, because you never know when they want to kill you or fuck you, these bitches.
I really want to get into last week’s episode. We saw the aftermath of the revelation that you shared Sara’s voice message with Caroline Stanbury. Were you shocked that Stanbury brought the voice message up at dinner?
Yes, I did. It’s edited so you don’t see a lot, but I did speak to [her], I said, “Don’t bring it up yet, don’t bring it up.” But I think she really was enjoying it. Stanbury’s very – she can be a bit conniving, but in a funny way. So she did put me in a problem. And I think, also, the reason why she did it, now that I know, is because she wanted Sara to hold herself accountable, and it didn’t work out because it was all about Taleen.
You seemed really mad at Stanbury for throwing you under the bus. How were you able to come back from that and be friends again?
The thing with me is I have nine sisters, and I don’t believe in holding grudges with people. I think if you really hold a grudge with people, you lose who you are. This is why I look 50 and young, because I literally live my life without holding grudges. If you keep watching, you get to see her really apologizing, and we get to a good place from there. And it took us time, but we’re getting to know each other right now. We’re not best friends. We’re getting to know each other. And I think I’m loving it, because she’s a straight shooter. She says how she feels, and whatever she’s doing is right to your face, and I appreciate that.
I love to see you guys as friends. I think you’re so funny and have such great banter with each other.
We also have so much in common because our kids are going to college together, they’re the same age. I’m trying to like, “Taj, date her.” So we have a lot of things in common. She’s very, very supportive. That’s one good thing about it. You can call and be like, “Hey girl, do you want to post my brand? Do you want to help Ayan Beauty out because we’re new?” She will do it. She really wants to see you win. And I think that’s beautiful in people.
Do you think Lesa would’ve been as upset with you if you had shared the message with anyone besides Stanbury?
I mean, I did share the message with Taleen and Stanbury. When we started filming Season 2, everybody was in a good place. There was a lunch between me, Stanbury and Lesa, where they were good and moving on. The whole entire time, they are good. Even after we filmed, Lesa was in Stanbury’s house eating her food. So I’m like, “They must be good.”
And yes, I think she was upset that I shared it with Stanbury. It made her feel like I was getting closer to Stanbury. But it wasn’t about that. It was more about like, “Hey, Sara is seeing the light because Brooks is too dark. She’s seeing the light. She’s changing her mind. And let’s all know about this.” But it didn’t happen like that because Sara had three voice notes. Even when I don’t speak English that well, when Sara played the voice note, I literally understood that the voice note had nothing, and I mean nothing, to do with Brooks. So I don’t know why my friend sent me only one voice note. There was three of them.
After you kicked Lesa out of your room, we saw her call your husband to vent. Is that something you guys normally do? What did you think about that?
I don’t think she’s ever called Chris before on the phone. But I don’t mind her calling Chris because our husbands are very good friends. We travel together. Our kids play together. So that did not bother me. I just think she wanted to talk to him.
Knowing where you and Lesa stand now, I was surprised to see that you both made up in the episode. Does something even bigger happen? Does it have to do with the voice note? What can you tell us about that?
Yeah, something bigger happened and has nothing to do with the voice note. We moved on from the voice note. Something happened that’s really insane. To me, it’s insane.
When we talked to Caroline Brooks, she said she initially celebrated your fight with Lesa because she felt like it was “karma” for you two being “mean” to her in Season 1. What’s your response to that?
If karma catches somebody every single day, it’s Brooks. When she sleeps, she wakes up, she eats, she pees, like I cannot even say it. She really enjoyed it so much. It hurt me. I’m not gonna lie. Watching that, I was like, “Girl, you were really wanting us not to be friends.” Because I still care about Lesa so I do not like watching that. And her saying that we were mean to her? Girl, are you serious? Does she know who she is? I’m sure she doesn’t. Most of the time she does not know who she is.
What needs to happen in order for you and Lesa to reconcile your friendship?
I think we have to talk about a lot of things, and I think taking accountability. I feel really bad about playing the voice note. I apologized immediately. I took accountability immediately. I still will because it was wrong of me to do that. But I think that she was annoyed when I told her about it. So I just need to understand why she would do too much on camera. It was like, why? What was the reason? Maybe she wanted Sara to feel like she didn’t know about it, which is okay. I don’t mind that. Because then she doesn’t lose Sara. But for me, I think we have to take accountability and speak about it. I wish she had told me all the feelings she was feeling, because I didn’t know that’s how she was feeling when I told her about the voice note, before we went on camera, before we were there.
Whose friendship is more repairable and why: you and Lesa, Stanbury and Lesa or Brooks and Taleen?
I think for now I would say maybe me and Lesa. Stanbury and Lesa, really, I don’t understand what issues they have. Like, I don’t get it. Because they’re always together, they talk to each other, they call each other, they go to each other’s houses. Like, you guys don’t see a lot of that. So for me, outside the view, I’m like, “Girl, I know you guys talk to each other.” So I don’t understand that. Taleen and Brooks? This is going to be a very tough reunion for both of them, but I’m excited for Taleen to put Brooks in her place.
When Stanbury was here, she picked you and Lesa also. So you have everybody rooting for you to be friends again!
We had a real friendship. We had a real, good friendship. It wasn’t for the show. We actually cared about each other. So for me, it’s hard because, it’s somebody like your family, you know? We travel together. We do things together. It’s hard. So I’m definitely open to resolutions. Let’s see how it goes at reunion. It all depends on what goes down.
Exactly. And that can go 10 different ways as we know.
Yeah. But I’m going with an open heart and I’m going with love and I’m going with kindness and I’m going with, “Let’s try to fix it.” That’s my energy going in.
As the fashionista of the group, what did you really think about those dresses Lesa got for everyone in Bali?
To be honest, the dresses were crazy. And the funny thing is, the only person that the dress fit right to the body, to the type, was Lesa. My boobs were here. Sara was literally here. It was too big. There was no point. So I think Lesa sent the designer, because I know Lesa, Lesa would be like, “Fix the dress. This is my measurement, make sure it’s perfect.” But we all looked crazy.
But then, is it about clothes, or is it about being together as a group? I watched the scene and I was like, you know what? I liked seeing Taleen and Brooks making up. That actually made me feel really good watching that, because I didn’t know, because we don’t know what we film. Nobody knows what’s going on. So I loved seeing that. I love seeing all of them [being] funny and stuff.
Your cousin is Ubah from Real Housewives of New York. Have you guys connected since you’ve been in the city?
Yes! She was on vacation and she’s now in Connecticut, so I’m supposed to see her tomorrow. But we talk a lot. Yeah, we talk a lot. She’s loving my season! Every time she’s like, “Send me the episode,” she goes, “Oh my God, this was so funny. Oh my god, the V.V.I.P. thing, so fun.” And she was so proud of Ayan Beauty, so proud of it. She was like, “Oh my God, you and Toni [Malt] did such a good job with Ayan Beauty. The event looked so fabulous.” I was like, “Girly, it was big and fabulous.” She was like, “Only you can pull this off.”
She loved seeing her cousins on the show, my brother and my sister. She loves seeing us come together and talk about our family and how we’ve moved on and how we’re changing our lives. She goes, “I love that so much.” So, yeah, she really enjoys it. She enjoys everybody. She thinks Stanbury’s really funny. She loves my friendship with her. Yeah, she just loves everything.
Maybe we’ll get a crossover between Dubai and New York!
I hope so! Teresa [Giudice] also watches the show so she would send me notes like, “Oh my god, this is so cute.” Porsha [Williams], recently, I asked her to do something and she goes, “Oh my god, I’m literally watching you right now.” So it’s so beautiful that they’re watching, supporting us because I feel like we’re all like sisters.
What are you hoping to get out of the reunion?
Last season, I went in with a plan and none of the plan I had went through. So I really, honestly do not know what’s gonna happen, but I would like to definitely take accountability for the voice notes, because I feel like it was wrong. Of course, me and Lesa have a lot to discuss and we have a lot to talk through. But I think that if we both go in with love, the way I’m going in with love, and talk through our situation, I think it would be beautiful. That’s how I’m going in.
I mean, I’m not going in nicely for Brooks. I have a lot of discussions with Brooks and I just think that her coming for my business was weird. I really felt really hurt by that because I come from a family that I grew up in – I lived one time in a mosque. We had nothing to eat. She keeps saying I’m uneducated. I’m like, “You know what? That’s okay. I am, but look at where I am. You’ve been educated your whole entire life, you went to university. You did so much. But why is it that you have sugar daddies?”
Good luck with everything! I hope you all come out of the reunion feeling at ease.
I think we will. I think that the good thing with our group, if you see our show more than other shows, it’s like we move so fast. We don’t drag things for a long time. We moved forward and stuff. So I feel like we’re all gonna move forward after reunion. I think my favorite part is the end, where we hug each other. Like, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I hurt your feelings.” I think that’s what makes me feel good. Like the end, we go back to normal, we go back to hanging out with each other, having fun. And I think that’s what I’m looking forward to.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Real Housewives of Dubai airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.