'RHOP' Wendy Osefo's Mother Was Accused of Using Voodoo Magic on Nneka Ihim

The Gist:

• Wendy Osefo and her mother, Iyom Susan Okuzu, have a close relationship.
• Susan was accused of practicing voodoo on The Real Housewives of Potomac.
• She previously fought with Mia Thorton.

Reality star Wendy Osefo introduced the world to her mother after joining The Real Housewives of Potomac. It has always been clear that the two are close, but she went into more detail about their relationship in her book Tears of My Mother. "Wendy Osefo’s mother, Iyom Susan Okuzu, arrived in the United States from Nigeria with two things: a single suitcase and the fierce determination to make a better life for herself and her future family," the book description explains.

The book further elaborates on Susan's deep connection to her Nigerian culture and Wendy's observations of how that, in part, raised her into the woman she is today. However, an aspect of Susan's culture has been the center of some drama on the Bravo show.

Nneka Ihim joined the Real Housewives life and dove headfirst into some drama. Immediately, she didn't get along with Wendy. In fact, Nneka heard a rumor that Susan was practicing "voodoo" on her and had a "shrine."

"When her sister was calling, the mama said, ''I have a shrine.' A shrine is voodoo," Nneka explained to Candiace Dillard Bassett.

She also said that it was her husband's parents who made the witchcraft allegations. "I heard and I'm aware of the phone calls that your sister made to my in-law about me being part of this group. And I'm aware of the phone call that your mom made to my in-law saying that she submitted my name to a shrine," Nneka admitted to Wendy.

Wendy basically retorted that she, personally, had nothing to do with her mother's actions, but also insisted that her mother didn't have any attachment to voodoo.

Exploring cultural similarities and differences always becomes a nuanced conversation, but voodoo is a very specific practice and isn't a word to be thrown around lightly. In fact, an op-ed from Sheridan Singleton for Collider, expressed concern that these conversations on the show set a concerning narrative around Nigerian spirituality.

First, Sheridan pointed out that while both Nneka and Wendy's families are Igbo, Wendy's family is actually known to be Catholic. After all, following the colonization of the region, Christianity became the predominant religion in Nigeria.

"That aside, even if her family did blend other spiritual practices in with their Catholicism, it certainly wasn’t voodoo. The word voodoo invokes certain feelings and ideas thanks to its portrayal in pop culture. Those portrayals, for the most part, are grossly incorrect," Sheridan wrote.

In late 2022, Susan was involved with some other messy RHOP drama. After Wendy and Mia Thorton started feuding, Mia threw a wine glass at Wendy and even tried to hit her with a purse. Of course, Susan wasn't happy to see her daughter being hit on television.

In response, she made quite a nasty Instagram post about Mia, including a less-than-flattering photo of her. "You just messed with a 'wrong' Naija," she wrote in the caption. "MamaBear baby. Oh yes, Mia you assaulted my baby Dr. Wendy."

She went on to call Mia an "uneducated classless crater face." Susan demanded Mia give her daughter a "genuine apology" for the physical altercation. "The prosecution is watching," she wrote.

Mia didn't back down and reminded Susan that she won't "receive threats kindly." Plus, she made a dig at Susan, telling her to "repent" as she explained that their families know each other because they come from the same country.