Monica Garcia is a woman of “many identities.” In recent years, she’s used four different last names.
In Part 2 of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 4 Reunion, host Andy Cohen attempted to untangle Monica’s plethora of identities floating around the Internet.
Monica walked him through her multiple visits to the Social Security office in order to accommodate her various name changes.
Monica’s multiple monikers
When Andy asked if her maiden name was “Fowler,” the reality star corrected him. Actually, her maiden name was “Darnell,” which was her mother’s last name. Fowler was her married name.
Still confused, Andy then asked, “What’s Delgado?”
“That’s my dad’s side,” she responded. “Garcia is my mother’s side.”
“My mother was born ‘Linda Darnell Susan Maria Garcia.’ When she was growing up, she was teased for being a Portagee in Boston, and she was called [an ethnic slur] all the time and it stuck with her … So when she became of legal age, she wiped her entire name off because she was ashamed of it and just kept, Linda Darnell. So when I was born, I was ‘[Monica] Linda Darnell.'” Monica’s parents were never legally married.
Though she was named after her mother, Monica claimed, “That name means nothing to me.” Following her divorce, she decided that she wanted to use a “family name” to tie her to her roots.
“So you have used four names,” Andy commented.
“I legally have only ever used three [names],” Monica added. “The one I was born with, when I got married, and when I got divorced.” I have to confess that I’ve personally used three legal names myself: my birth name, first husband, and second husband. It’s not uncommon.
Monica’s mom ridiculed her name change
“Your mom was confused that you changed your name so many times,” Andy mentioned.
During filming, Linda once exclaimed, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what the f*ck your name is. You change it every f*cking week.”
The single mom believes that her mother “definitely brought” that up “as a dig,” after she confided that “certain” housewives were making “fun” of her for using her various names. “They were saying I was trying to make myself look more Latina to get on the show,” she explained.
“Who said that?” Lisa Barlow asked.
“You did,” Monica answered. Though Lisa vehemently denied ever saying any such thing, Monica continued. She accused Lisa of saying that she opened a book and randomly chose a name to get her the job on RHOSLC.
“I did not say that — you know who said that? Jen [Shah],” Lisa argued, attempting to deflect any blame.
“Okay, then you were repeating what Jen said?” Monica replied.
Caught in the lie, Lisa’s angry response was, “You fake f*cking bitch!”
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 4 Reunion concludes Tuesday, January 23 at 8/7c on Bravo.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK MONICA WAS BEING HONEST ABOUT WHY SHE USED DIFFERENT LAST NAMES?
