When Tiffany Moon got the call to be on season five of The Real Housewives of Dallas, she had to think about it.
In her new book, Joy Prescriptions: How I Learned to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Connection, out May 6, Moon takes readers on a journey from her emigration to the United States at 6, to her education and career journey, her time on Housewives and the lessons she’s learned along the way.
“I get hit up for advice all the time, whether it’s through Instagram or I’ll give an address at a conference and there’ll be a line of woman afterwards who ask, ‘How do you do it all?’ or ‘How do you deal with haters?’ or ‘I work in a very traditional job but I want to start posting about fashion or makeup but I’m afraid of what people will think of me,’ ” she previously told PEOPLE, about her motivation for writing the book.
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“I get these questions over and over. And I wanted to write to share more of my story from what people were able to see on Housewives or see on social media, because those are just snippets of our lives but not the full story.”
Now, she’s sharing the full story on her own terms. Below, in an exclusive excerpt shared with PEOPLE, she explains how she decided to take on reality TV.
Grand Central Publishing
‘Joy Prescriptions’ by Tiffany Moon
I had been friends with one of the cast members, D’Andra Simmons, for years. We were introduced to each other by her mother, whom I affectionately call Momma Dee and whom I’d known from her work with the hospital. I even had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo during D’Andra’s birthday party on season 4.
At the end of each season, the producers ask the cast members if they know anyone who would be a good addition to the show. (It’s kind of like a sorority — they always need fresh blood.) In 2018, after season 3, D’Andra offered me up. But I had two toddlers and a demanding job, and I didn’t yet feel the need to fully rebel against the status quo.
My response when she asked me was “You’re joking, right?”
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At the conclusion of season 4 in 2019, she asked me again. This time I considered it more seriously. I had recently been promoted from assistant to associate professor at work, and it felt less exciting than I’d thought it would be. I asked myself if I would be happy or satisfied if I kept doing exactly what I was doing every day for the next 30 years, and the answer was no. I felt like something was missing, but I didn’t quite know what it was (spoiler alert — it wasn’t being on a reality TV show). I called Momma Dee to ask for her advice.
“Dee, I don’t know about the show. D’Andra really wants me to do it, but I’m afraid people will judge me.”
“Why do you give a rat’s ass what other people think?” she said in her signature Southern drawl.
“Well, I’m not as brave as you. I guess there’s a part of me that still cares what other people think. What if I do or say something stupid and embarrass myself?”
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“Look, I’m almost 80 years old, so I’ve had more time to realize other people’s opinions don’t mean anything. Now, I’ve known you for quite some time, and I’d be shocked if you did anything to embarrass yourself. Just be yourself. Don’t you want to show people that you can be a smart, hardworking doctor and still be fashionable and funny?”
“I guess you’re right—”
She interrupted before I could finish: “You’re damn right I’m right.”
The next day I called D’Andra to talk it over with her. She told me that being on the show was a lot of fun. She said that it would be a good opportunity for me to let down my hair and make some new friends. As a selling point, she told me that since I would be the only cast member with a “normal job,” production would work around my schedule at the hospital and most of my filming could be done on nights and weekends. I also learned that Bravo paid for the entire cast to go on one local trip (usually over a weekend) and one international trip, which would be closer to one week long.
Altogether it would be about 12 weeks of filming. Wait. Twelve weeks? That was it? Well, I thought, I can do that. I had done medical school and a rigorous anesthesiology residency. I had been in a long-distance relationship for three years. I had twins. Surely I could handle 12 weeks of filming for a little reality TV show.
“Fine,” I told D’Andra. “I’ll talk to casting. No promises, though.”
Heidi Gutman/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Andy Cohen and Tiffany Moon
The next month I had a Zoom call with the casting director. She asked me some pretty straightforward questions: What did I do for work? Where had I met my husband? What were my kids like? I tried to show myself in the best possible light, but to be honest, I wasn’t 100 percent sure that I wanted to do the show. I was aware that some other women in Dallas were also interviewing to be on the show, and many of them really wanted the job. Because I felt it was important to be transparent, I told her that I was working full-time with two young kids, and I just didn’t know if I would be able to do it, but I was grateful for the opportunity to be interviewed. She seemed understanding and encouraged me to see how the process went.
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In January 2020, I went to Los Angeles for a green-screen interview with the executive producer. I sat on a stool with two cameras on me while I answered questions — for three hours straight. Did I know any of the other women on the show? Where did I live, and could I describe my house? How many cars did we own? What kinds of things did my husband and I argue about? What was it like being a full-time physician and a mom to twins? What was my relationship with my mother like? Was it hard growing up as an immigrant in America? How many Birkin bags did I own?
I answered everything truthfully and candidly. A week later, the executive producer, along with a Bravo TV executive, came to my home with a few cameramen to meet my family and film some scene work. This, I learned, was the final stage of “tryouts,” in order for them to see how I appeared on camera and how I interacted with others, since the other footage they had was just me sitting and answering questions.
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“What should I do to prepare?” I asked the executive producer.
“Nothing,” he said. “Just pretend like we’re not here and do what you would normally do.”
Right, I’ll just pretend that there isn’t an entire film crew in my house and I don’t have a microphone clipped to my dress. Sure, great, easy. Actually though, after the first 30 minutes (and a glass of wine), I started to feel more at ease and not so cognizant of the mic I was wearing, the extra lights they’d set up and the cameramen in my living room. It went by quickly, and as fast as they’d set up, they were soon breaking down. The producer gave me a hug and said, “We’ll be in touch.”
Almost a month went by, and I didn’t hear anything, so I assumed they’d moved on. Then, on Valentine’s Day, I got the call: “Tiffany — we’d like you to join season 5 of The Real Housewives of Dallas!”
“Wow, that’s great news,” I said. “Can I think about it and let you know tomorrow?”
A pause. Clearly this was not the answer he usually got. I think he expected me to squeal or jump up and down with delight, but that’s just not my style. Plus, I still didn’t know if I wanted to commit to the show.
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As with all important decisions in my life, I made a spreadsheet listing the pros and cons of going on RHOD. Pros: make new girlfriends, go to cool parties and travel on an all-expenses-paid vacation courtesy of Bravo TV. (The year before, they had gone to Thailand, one of my favorite countries.) Cons: damage my reputation, make a fool of myself on national television, and piss off my parents.
“What should I do?” I asked Daniel.
“This list is about even,” he replied. “At the end of the day, do you want to do it?”
“Part of me wants to, but part of me is scared. I don’t know.”
“If you don’t do it, you’ll always wonder what could have been.”
Daniel was right. I might never get this chance again, and if I didn’t take it, I’d regret not doing it. I’d always lived life so cautiously, doing what other people told me to do, what I thought (they thought) would bring me happiness. Here was an opportunity to do something that no one expected from me, that I was choosing for myself.
I called the producer the next day and told him I was in.
Excerpted from: Joy Prescriptions: How I Learned to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Connection by Tiffany Moon MD, copyright © 2025 Tiffany Moon. Used with permission of Legacy Lit, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.
Joy Prescriptions is on sale now, wherever books are sold.
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