Actress Ashley Clarice of BET’s Church Wives. Photo courtesy of BET and aTwist.
A new face is stepping into the world of megachurch drama! Actress Ashley Clarice is among the stars of BET’s latest scripted series, Church Wives, a drama that explores ambition, power, relationships, and the competition for influence inside a prominent Black megachurch. Starring alongside The Real Housewives of Potomac Gizelle Bryant, who serves as the shows executive producer, Clarice takes on the role of Dr. Morgan Hayes, bringing a fresh perspective to a church where tradition and ambition are about to collide.
BET and aTwist are joining forces for their second microseries collaboration with Church Wives, premiering Wednesday, November 4, at 10 p.m. ET/CT on BET as part of the network’s Where Drama Lives Wednesday lineup.
Clarice Ashley stars as Dr. Morgan Hayes, a psychologist and the wife of a young, aspiring junior pastor who brings a mental health aspect to her role. New to the church, Morgan enters an established world of church leadership with her own ideas about faith, influence, and the role of a pastor’s wife. Her approach doesn’t necessarily align with that of the established pastor’s wife, played by Bryant, best known to audiences as one of the stars of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Potomac. Bryant also serves as executive producer of the series.
The contrast between the two women sets up an interesting old-school-versus-new-school dynamic. When a coveted leadership position opens up, competition quickly turns into a battle for status and power. Church committee meetings, fundraisers, and even Bible studies become settings for shifting alliances, manipulation, and rivalry. As personal ambitions take center stage, the congregation finds itself caught in the fallout.
For Clarice, Church Wives is another opportunity to showcase her range as a performer and expand her presence on screen. A Los Angeles-based actress and graduate of the University of California, Riverside, she earned an NAACP Theatre Award nomination for her breakout performance in the stage production of Steel Magnolias. Her experience also includes an independent thriller and audio comedy and drama productions with Raedio, the production company founded by actress and producer Issa Rae.
With a background in dance, fitness, and strength training, along with experience in rollerblading, light stunts, and improvisation, Clarice brings a diverse skill set to her work as an actress.
She says, “I had a wonderful working experience with Gizelle Bryant on the show…this is one of my favorite sets today…it had an all-black cast…majority black crew and we filmed a lot of the scenes in a church here in L.A….you could just feel the comradery with the cast and crew…it was a beautiful experience.”
I recently sat down with Ashley Clarice for an engaging conversation on the Lin. Woods Gospel Entertainment Podcast. We talked about her journey into acting, her faith, her preparation for the role of Dr. Morgan Hayes, and what audiences can expect from Church Wives. The interview premieres Friday, November 6, 2026 wherever you get your podcasts.
The BET and aTwist partnership also brings an interesting twist to how audiences experience scripted entertainment. Church Wives will initially air in half-hour installments on BET before moving to aTwist’s vertical entertainment platform, where the episodes will be reformatted into shorter, mobile-friendly microseries content.
With Ashley Clarice stepping into a compelling new television role and Gizelle Bryant bringing her star power and executive producing experience to the project, Church Wives offers viewers a dramatic look at the personalities, relationships, and power dynamics behind the pulpit.
Don’t miss Church Wives, Wednesday, November 4, at 10 p.m. ET/CT on BET. And join the conversation Friday, November 6, for her exclusive conversation with rising actress Ashley Clarice on the Lin. Woods Gospel Entertainment Podcast — Where We Talk To Inspire!
by Lin. Woods
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