The Real Housewives of Potomac‘s Stacey Rusch is taking the high road when it comes to critics of her new cannabis brand, Shayo.

Though Stacey previously denied rumors she was starting a cannabis line at the RHOP Season 9 reunion, she announced on Season 10 that she was, indeed, launching a wellness-centered business in that space. As she clarified on the show, however, those discussions did not begin until several months after the reunion taped.

Still, some of her castmates, namely Gizelle Bryant and Ashley Darby, said they weren’t buying Stacey’s timeline.

RELATED: Stacey Rusch Slams Ashley Darby for Questions on Chris Samuels: “Speaking My Truth” (EXCLUSIVE)

“I don’t have anything to say to people who criticize my decision to talk about the launch of my brand in my own time,” Stacey clapped back in an exclusive interview with The Daily Dish. “I think that reasonable people and people that have businesses understand the importance of timing. And when I was asked about my brand, I didn’t have it at the time. And now that I do, I’m very excited to share that.”

The former QVC host also highlighted the historical nature of her new career venture.

“I mean, I’ve made history as the first Black woman in the state of Virginia to have a cannabis brand,” she continued. “I can’t be worried about other people. I can only focus on myself and my success.” 

As Stacey concluded, “So, I don’t have a response to anyone who rushes greatness.”

Stacey Rusch reveals updates on her cannabis line

Elsewhere in the interview, Stacey reflected on her “phenomenal” cannabis brand launch — and shared that business is already booming.

“It was such a beautiful moment,” she added. “We are thriving in the state of Virginia.”

The RHOP ‘Wife also explained that her main reason for entering the “wellness industry” was that she simply wanted “to help people.”

They include clients “who may suffer, for example, from anxiety; or people who are going through treatment and need help in terms of getting their appetite back; people who have certain personal issues but need a little help maintaining their anxiety or their stress level,” she said.

How Stacey Rusch’s cannabis brand launch impacted her friendship with Jassi Rideaux

The timing of Stacey launching her cannabis business came up again during Season 10, Episode 6’s cast trip to Nevis. As the ladies feted Jassi Rideaux ahead of her June 2025 wedding to NFL linebacker Darius Harris, Gizelle and Ashley brought up how Stacey was “asked to be a bridesmaid.”

“I declined because of family reasons, and we talked about that,” Stacey vaguely explained on RHOP‘s Nov. 9 episode.

RELATED: Ashley Darby Opens Up About Her “Complicated” Friendship with Stacey Rusch (EXCLUSIVE)

In a confessional, however, she shared more details about what was really going on behind the scenes.

“My business launch is coinciding with Jassi’s wedding,” Stacey elaborated to a producer. “I want to support my friend, but this is life-changing for me. This is the legacy that I wanna leave to [9-year-old daughter] Arabella. And I wanna be very careful about my decisions. So, my intentions are to be there to support her, but there are a lot of factors at play here.”

As the ladies enjoyed a group meal on the Caribbean island, Jassi said that there were no hard feelings, though: “I love Stacey, and I would love for her to, ya know, be a part as much as she has the capacity to.”

Despite Gizelle and Ashley’s continued skepticism, Stacey insisted that she and Jassi were “good,” before shutting down all their questions and eventually adding, “I feel like I’ve said enough.”

As RHOP Season 10 continues, don’t miss what Stacey had to say about her drama with Ashley in Nevis.

— Additional reporting by Stephanie Gomulka