The Real Housewives Of Miami's Julia On Being The First Lesbian Housewife - Exclusive

"The Real Housewives of Miami" Season 4 was monumental for a few reasons. It not only marked the series' return to television after being off the air for upwards of a decade, but it also introduced to the "Real Housewives" franchise the very first lesbian housewife in the form of Julia Lemigova. Lemigova is a former Russian model married to Martina Navratilova, one of the world's best tennis players. Together, they live in Florida, where they raised their children — and now appear on reality television.

While many are looking forward to Season 5 of "The Real Housewives of Miami" now that Season 4 has played out, we're still taking time to consider how Lemigova's participation in the franchise may mark a turn in queer representation in reality television. Queer representation is famously lacking in this genre. Have you seen queerness present on "The Bachelor," for example? Here, Lemigova proves that queer representation is not only necessary but also in demand. Queer fans want to be seen, want someone like them to whom they can look up. 

Luckily for us at The List, we were recently able to talk to Lemigova, who talked all things "The Real Housewives of Miami." In our exclusive interview, Lemigova offered advice to queer viewers of "Miami," in part because her own children helped her come out. As a new cast member in Season 4, Lemigova also revealed to us what being the franchise's first lesbian housewife has meant to her.

Julia Lemigova is a landmark Real Housewife, and she knows it. What we love about her is how she wants to use her new platform to help the LGBTQ+ community, which she specifically noted when asked what ventures she hopes to pursue in the future. "I do want to do more for the LGBTQ+ community because I realized how amazing it is to help other people and something that I realize I could probably," Lemigova told us. "I want to do more. I want to learn more about that."

This is, of course, because of her position as the franchise's first lesbian housewife. But how does this position make her feel? "At the beginning, I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit nervous because people would say, how does it feel to represent the community?" Lemigova explained to us. "It's such a big responsibility. When I do something, I want to excel in it, but this is not a sport to excel. This is actually helping other lives. You have to really know what you're doing."

Lemigova revealed that this openness was "new" to her and that it "felt like a very big responsibility." This is only natural, but Lemigova has been feeling some love for being so open. "I already had a lot of messages from people and responses saying the warmest, nicest things about it," she continued. "I want to continue doing it, do more, and represent our community in the best possible way. Also, my God, it's about time as well. Right?" Lemigova is absolutely correct, and her inclusion is hopefully just the beginning.

You can catch Julia Lemigova in "The Real Housewives of Miami" Season 4 on Peacock.