Wendy Osefo

Wendy Onyinye Osefo (née Ozuzu, born May 21, 1984) is a Nigerian American political commentator, public affairs academic, and television personality. She is a main cast member of The Real Housewives of Potomac. Wendy practices in the field of journalism and has received awards recognizing her contributions.

Early life and education Born to an Igbo family in Nigeria, Osefo immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of 3 to Durham, North Carolina before settling in Maryland.

Osefo earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Temple University and a Master of Arts degree in government from Johns Hopkins University. In 2012, Osefo completed a M.Sc. in public affairs with a concentration in community development from Rutgers University–Camden. In 2016, she became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in public affairs and community development from Rutgers University-Camden. Her dissertation is entitled Engaging Low-Income Parents in Schools: Beyond the PTA Meeting. Gloria Bonilla-Santiago was Osefo's doctoral advisor.

Career Osefo is a contributor for The Hill, the founder and chief executive officer of 1954 Equity, and a former assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Education. In 2014, she served as the inaugural director of the Masters of Arts in Management Program at Goucher College.

In 2020, it was announced that Osefo had joined the fifth season of The Real Housewives of Potomac. In 2025, Osefo was set to star in the spin-off Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition. However, her episode was pulled following her arrest. On October 20, 2025, Bravo reversed their decision and rescheduled Osefo's episode.

Awards and recognition In 2017, Osefo was named one of 12 Pan African Women to Watch by Face2Face Africa. Also in 2017, she received the Distinguished Recent Alumni Award from The Johns Hopkins University. She is the recipient of the Diversity Recognition Award. Osefo was named in the 2017 40 Under 40 class by the Baltimore Business Journal. The Baltimore Sun named Osefo as one of 25 Women to Watch. She was named a 2018 Black Women in Media honoree for her work in media and television.

Personal life In August 2011, she married Edward Osefo. The two reside in Finksburg, Maryland with their three children.

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Osefo publicly supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 United States presidential election.

Fraud charges

Osefo and her husband were arrested on October 10, 2025, and charged with 16 counts of insurance fraud. The charges stem from an alleged April 2024 burglary at the Osefos' home. The Osefos claimed that numerous luxury items were stolen, valuing them at $450,000. Deputies reportedly determined that many items actually had been returned to stores for refunds. After being booked, the Osefos were released on a $50,000 bond.