Real Housewives of Salt Lake City‘s Monica Garcia is pregnant with her fifth baby.
Garcia, 39, revealed the news on the Thursday, April 11, episode of “The Viall Files” podcast when asked what’s next for her following her one season stint on the Bravo reality show. Garcia initially seemed hesitant to share the announcement before saying she’s seven weeks pregnant.
“I literally just found out. … I have not told one f—king person except for my best friend,” she continued.
Garcia explained that she had gone “into urgent care for something totally unrelated,” and a doctor eventually informed her of the pregnancy. When asked who the father is, Garcia gave a coy response.
“I have not even — I’ve been dating him for a year and no one even knows who he is,” she said.
The reality star proceeded to get emotional, telling host Nick Viall and his fiancée, Natalie Joy, that they made “a safe space” for her to open up. Garcia noted that she and her mystery man weren’t trying to conceive.
“I should not be [pregnant],” she added. “I literally, I was on the urgent care floor bawling my eyes out. ‘Cause I’m like, ‘I’m 39, there’s no way.’ I’m on birth control. Like, by all means, I should not be pregnant. … It’s so scary, but it’s so crazy.”
Garcia is already a mother of four, sharing Bri, 18, Jaidyn, 13, West, 7, and Kendall, 6, with ex-husband Mike Fowler. The former couple finalized their divorce last year. (The twosome initially split in 2013 and rekindled their relationship before calling it quits for good.)
Garcia, who revealed at the end of the episode that her boyfriend’s name is Braxton, explained on Thursday that the pair met while filming RHOSLC. Garcia joined the cast for season 4 of the show and made one of the most shocking reveals in Housewives history during the bombshell finale in January, confessing that she contributed to the Salt Lake gossip account Reality Von Tease after she was confronted by her costars. Earlier this year, Andy Cohen confirmed Garcia is not returning for season 5.
“He works in Utah at Wasatch Excursions. He, like, manages that property,” she explained of her boyfriend. “And that is where Heather [Gay] and I shot our snowmobiling scene.”
The twosome started talking “a few weeks after that.” When Garcia was filming at the property, she asked the tour guide whether her now-boyfriend was single and learned he was “courting” someone else.
“I’m like, ‘What the f—k does courting mean?’ I’m not in Bridgerton times,” she quipped. “I don’t know what that means.”
While courting is a term often associated with the Mormon faith, Garcia said her man doesn’t currently practice the religion. “But he did used to be [Mormon],” she added. “We do have that in common.”
Garcia was ultimately the one to make the first move. “When we had a break, I went over to him and I was like, ‘Do you have a girlfriend?'” she recalled. “And he said, ‘No, I’m just dating someone.'”
After clarifying that he wasn’t in an exclusive relationship, Garcia gave him her number. She later revealed that the pair are 10 years apart in age. (Garcia’s boyfriend is 29.)
Garcia’s new man has been “so supportive” since finding out she’s pregnant. “We both were in shock,” she said. “But he has been incredible. … He’s been very, like, ‘Whatever you decide, I support.'”
Despite her excitement, Garcia acknowledged that she still has some fears. “I thought I was done [having kids],” she said. “I think being so much older and having a baby is, like, really freaking me out. Also my youngest is 6. I thought I was done. It’s like, it’s so much.”
