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As the newest member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Bozoma Saint John has quickly made a splash, especially with her budding friendship with castmate Dorit Kemsley. Their connection, which began at Sutton Stracke’s Surrealism party in the season 14 opener, took Boz by surprise, as forming friendships as an adult isn’t always easy. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the 48-year-old marketing executive turned entrepreneur shared how their fast bond was unexpected but refreshing.
“I was surprised by how quickly we bonded only because it’s hard to make friends as an adult,” Boz admits. “In the work space, I haven’t been able to make friends because I’ve been in that top seat for a long time, yeah, and it is not always appropriate to make friends, you know?” She continued, explaining how her professional environment, particularly at Netflix, made it difficult to develop friendships. “And so your circle of potential friendships becomes very small,” she says, citing the small number of other executives at the company as a barrier to forming close relationships.
Despite the challenges, Boz is grateful for her deepening connection with Dorit, a bond that has even extended beyond the show. Dorit traveled to New York City for Boz’s 48th birthday celebration and to support her debut on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. However, their friendship will face some tension in this week’s RHOBH episode when Garcelle Beauvais accuses Boz of being “Dorit’s spokesperson” in her absence during a conversation with the other women.
In response to this, Boz encourages a more open and positive approach when forming friendships. She reflects, “Instead of focusing on not liking my relationship with Dorit, or feeling like, ‘Oh, I’m spending so much time with her,’ why don’t you do it in the affirmative? Why don’t you tell me what’s going on in your life? Why don’t you come in and share with me? How about you ask me what’s going on in my life so I can share with you, and then that way you and I can become friends, right?”
Boz shared how Dorit’s openness surprised her but also made her more receptive to forming a real bond. “I think Dorit opening up to me immediately at that first event took me by surprise,” Boz admits, “but I was very open to it because I haven’t had the opportunity to really make friends as an adult.”
When it comes to getting to know other women on the show, Boz isn’t interested in focusing on conflict or drama. She explained her desire to connect with Kyle Richards for more personal reasons: “I don’t want to get to know Kyle because she has conflict with Dorit Kemsley. I want to know Kyle because of what she’s going through with Mau. I want to know Kyle because we have daughters who are the same age. I want to know Kyle because she’s about to be an empty nester and how she’s feeling and how she’s dealing with that.”
With the season 14 reunion on the horizon, Boz remains hopeful about building strong connections with her new castmates. “I’m hopeful that we can build real relationships,” she says, despite being the newcomer.