Draft:Annemarie Wiley

Annemarie Wiley
Born	(1983-10-10)October 10, 1983 Edmonton, Alberta
Citizenship	Canada, United States
Education	University of British Columbia (BSN)
Occupations	nurse anesthetist television personality political commentator
Years active	2023–present
Known for	The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (2023–2024)
Spouse	Marcellus Wiley
Children	4

Annemarie Wiley (born October 10, 1983) is a Canadian American certified registered nurse anesthetist and reality television personality. She is best known for her appearance during the thirteenth season of the Bravo series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She is the ex-wife of former NFL defensive end and ESPN analyst Marcellus Wiley.

Early life and education

Wiley was born on October 10, 1983, in Edmonton, Alberta. Her biological father was Nigerian and her biological mother was Dutch. Wiley was placed up for adoption at birth and, at two weeks old, was adopted by a Dutch-Indonesian family. She was raised in British Columbia. Wiley shared that her mother gave her up for adoption because she felt she was not equipped to care for Wiley. In the adoption paperwork, her birth mother asked to never be contacted. After she learned of a biological aunt via DNA testing, Wiley reached out to learn information about her biological parents, but she never received a reply and was blocked by her aunt.

Wiley was active in sports from an early age. She began competing in track at the age of five and continued through age twelve. At twelve, she sustained a knee injury that required surgical intervention. However, Wiley continued playing basketball through college and participated in weightlifting competitions before she graduated. Wiley attended the University of British Columbia, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN).

Career

Nursing

At age twelve, Wiley sustained a bucket handle tear of her right meniscus, requiring surgery. During the procedure, Wiley remained conscious under anesthesia and later described watching the surgery with fascination, an experience she has cited as influential in her later decision to become a nurse anesthetist. After graduating from the University of British Columbia, Wiley passed the NCLEX examination and became a registered nurse in 2004. She relocated to Los Angeles as a travel nurse, initially intending to move to New York City, though she ultimately did not leave Los Angeles.

In the United States, Wiley began working on a post-operative spine floor, where she developed professional relationships with neurosurgeons and anesthesiology staff. One nuerosurgeon and his wife, who was a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), took her under their wing and introduced her to the field of nurse anesthesiology, which doesn't exist in Canada. Wiley later transferred to a neuro-intensive care unit, where she worked for approximately a year and a half before applying to nurse anesthesia programs. Wiley was accepted into CRNA school and became a registered nurse anesthetist in 2013. Although Wiley has worked on a variety of cases throughout her career, she now primarily works on "bread and butter" cases to support her lifestyle.

Television

In March 2023, Wiley joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for the show's thirteenth season. She met producers through Kyle Richards, who, along with then-husband Mauricio Umansky, sold Wiley the house she had moved into two years prior to filming. Wiley joined the season midway through filming, first appearing in the sixth episode of the season at a marijuana-themed dinner hosted by Richards.

Wiley's defining storyline on the series revolved around her feud with costar Sutton Stracke over Stracke's esophagus. After Stracke disclosed an esophageal condition, Wiley questioned the legitimacy and severity of Stracke's health issues. In response, Stracke accused Wiley of invalidating her personal medical information and abusing her medical credentials to do so. In the wake of the argument, dubbed “esophagus-gate” by fans, multiple Bravo celebrities with medical degrees weighed in. Dr. Terry Dubrow of Botched, whose wife Heather Dubrow was a cast member on The Real Housewives of Orange County, noted that Wiley did not have complete information about Stracke's medical issues because she was not Stracke's provider and ascribed the argument to Wiley's inexperience as a housewife. Dr. Tiffany Moon of The Real Housewives of Dallas, who works as an anesthesiologist, corrected Wiley on the accuracy of Stracke's medical condition. Dr. Nicole Martin of The Real Housewives of Miami agreed with Dr. Moon but affirmed that Wiley was kind to her, though the two later began a feud on social media. Wiley later said she regretted the argument and that she should not have been talking about Stracke's esophagus.

Wiley also had a notable feud with Crystal Kung Minkoff after she accused Minkoff of claiming Stracke is suffering from an eating disorder. Minoff, who had previously been open about her own struggles with disordered eating, claimed that it was Wiley who made the comment about Stracke having an eating disorder. Minkoff, known for normally being more quiet and reserved, called out Wiley in a heated confrontation that was labeled by Us Weekly as one of the most iconic Real Housewives moments of 2024. Wiley denied that she was claiming Stracke had an eating disorder and accused Minkoff of misrepresenting the conversation. Minkoff also alleged that Wiley misrepresented her medical qualifications and referred to herself as a doctor rather than a certified registered nurse anesthesiologist. However, despite the conflict between the two, Wiley provided medical assistance to Minkoff during a cast trip to Spain when Minkoff suffered an emergency.

Wiley stated her motivation for joining the series was to "show a different kind of housewife... someone that was a professional." She shared that she wanted to show a successful, happy black nuclear family, which she felt was lacking in the entertainment industry. She said, "I wanted to be someone that was relatable to people." However, fan reception of Wiley was extremely critical. Vulture referred to Wiley as a "one-hit blunder" who was "annoying, unnecessary, and a little too strident." The negative reception took a toll in Wiley, who said she received support privately from some of her costars but wished they had supported her more.

In March 2023, Wiley revealed that she had been fired from the series. In a post on Instagram, Wiley expressed her disappointment with the way the series edited her, stating that she had filmed content that was never shown, including her struggle after her adoptive mother's death; the trauma she faced as an adoptee; and the search for her biological parents. She alleged that she was encouraged to involve herself in the feud over Stracke's esophagus by producers and that she was doing as she was told, which she called her "rookie mistake." She later alleged in a Fox News interview that she was fired for her conservative political views and that's why her edit was so negative.

Philanthropy

Wiley is the co-founder of Project Transition, a nonprofit organization she established with her husband, Marcus, to support personal and community development. Project Transition provides resources and assistance focused on family values, education, youth empowerment, and economic opportunity. Their mentorship and coaching programs are designed to help youth, particularly young athletes, from disadvantaged backgrounds. As of December 2025, the charity has served over 18,000 youth.

Personal life

Family

Wiley and her husband Marcellus in 2013 on vacation at Villa del Palmar Loreto, Mexico

Wiley married her husband Marcellus on June 17, 2014. Together, they share three children: Marcellus Jr., Ariya Jayne, and Alivia Marie. Wiley is also the step-mother of Morocca Alise, Marcellus's adult daughter from a previous relationship. Prior to joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she lived a private life. In the eighth episode of season thirteen, Wiley revealed that Marcellus rates her as an 8.5 out of 10 in all things, which is part of why he's attracted to her. Although many fans saw the comment as insulting, Wiley explained that she feels it is a compliment because it means she is well-rounded.

During the season 13 reunion of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, producer Andy Cohen revealed that Wiley's mother had passed away during filming, which Wiley kept secret from her castmates. Wiley explained that her mother developed a cough, which was later discovered to be an 8x7 inch tumor in her lung. When asked why she didn't open up to her costar about her loss, Wiley explained that she wanted to "compartmentalize" and keep the news to herself.

In November 2023, Marcellus was accused in a lawsuit of sexual assaulting a classmate in 1994 at Columbia University. During the suit, the victim alleged that she learned of other sexual assault complaints against Marcellus during his freshman year that were dismissed. In March 2025, Marcellus was accused of raping two other women in 1994, with one incident occurring in late October 1994 and the other occurring in November 1994. Marcellus has publicly denied the claims.

In July 2026, Wiley filed for divorce from Marcellus after 12 years of marriage and sought a domestic violence restraining order against him. She alleged a pattern of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault, intimidation, and financial control; Marcellus denied the allegations and said he had evidence contradicting them. In September 2026, a Los Angeles County judge granted Annemarie Wiley a three-year domestic violence restraining order against Marcellus Wiley. The order granted her full legal and physical custody of their three children, with a visitation arrangement established for Marcellus. The court found that she had met the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence.

Political views

After leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Wiley became a conservative political commentator. Although Wiley considered herself a lifelong Democrat and voted for Joe Biden in 2020, she admitted to voting for Donald Trump in 2024 after her negative experience on The Real Housewives. In an interview with Fox News about why she changed her views, she stated, "I did not leave the Democratic Party, it left me." After posting her support for Trump online in January 2025, she was invited to the White House for Black History Month.

As a former collegiate athlete, Wiley is outspoken about her belief that transgender female athletes should not be allowed to compete in sports alongside cisgender female athletes. Wiley stated this opinion comes from the physical differences between the genders and their potential impact on athletic performance. Although Wiley has clarified that she supports transgender equality, her comments were widely labeled as transphobic. In June 2025, Wiley was a guest speaker at a New Mexico event honoring the 53rd anniversary of Title IX, along with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, former New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, and other commentators.

Wiley has spoken publicly about her support for universal healthcare, drawing on her experience working as a registered nurse in both Canada and the United States. After training and beginning her career in Canada, she described the transition to the American healthcare system as challenging because of the fundamentally complex insurance landscape in the United States, which she feels is more complicated than Canada's single-payer system. Wiley said she was initially struck by the high medical bills patients received and the extreme tracking of inventory, which were not issues for her while practicing in Canada.

Health

Wiley describes herself as a '"fitness enthusiast" and often uses her social media platforms to encourage healthy habits. In September 2024, Wiley shared that she had tumors on her gallbladder and gallstones which required removal of her gallbladder. Although doctors were initially concerned about the presence of tumors elsewhere in her body, Wiley was cleared of visible tumors after an MRI.

Legal issues

In January 2025, Wiley filed a federal lawsuit against the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc. (ASA) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleging that the professional organization had defamed her after the ASA made comments and a social media post about Wiley's tenure on The Real Housewives. The complaint alleged that the ASA falsely accused Wiley of misrepresenting her professional credentials while on the show, per the claims made by costar Crystal Kung Minkoff that Wiley had referred to herself as an anesthesiologist.

The ASA responded by filing a defamation counterclaim, asserting that Wiley's public comments regarding the organization's statements constituted defamation themselves. Wiley moved to dismiss the counterclaim, and the court sided with Wiley and dismissed the ASA's defamation suit with prejudice in October 2025. The court found that Wiley's statements were protected as "nonactionable opinion" under the applicable defamation standards and that, in context, Wiley's explanations about why she brought suit were subjective interpretations rather than factual assertions that could defame the ASA.

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Notes
2023–2024	The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills	Main cast
2024	Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen	1 episode