Following the lowest-rated season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” in its 15-year history in 2023, Bravo decided to take its time with its 16th season, delaying the start of production and reconfiguring the cast with a blend of familiar and new faces.
The network has finally announced the return date of the show: March 9 on Bravo and available on Peacock the next day. The last episode of Season 15 aired in September of 2023, making this 18-month break between two seasons the longest since the show debuted in 2008.
Only one woman returned from last season: Drew Sidora, who is going through a divorce with Ralph Pittman, her husband since 2015. Among those who left included Kandi Burruss, Marlo Hampton and Shereé Whitfield.
Kenya Moore was supposed to come back but after shooting began last summer, she went after one of the newcomers, showing sexually explicit photos of her at a party. This led to Moore’s suspension, then her departure. The three-minute teaser released by Bravo Thursday reveals the network embracing the controversy and Moore declaring, “I’m twirling on my haters!”
In the meantime, Bravo brought back two familiar names from the show’s heyday: Phaedra Parks and Porsha Williams.
A popular cast member for seven seasons, Parks left in a cloud of controversy in 2017 after spreading unsavory rumors about now-departed Burruss. Parks has worked her way back into Bravo’s good graces the past couple of years. She spent two seasons on Bravo’s “Married to Medicine,” then participated in Peacock’s “The Traitors” and ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” Parks is expected to come back midseason, Bravo said.
Credit: BRAVO TV
Credit: BRAVO TV
Williams was only gone from “Real Housewives” for a single season after eight as a main cast member. Her return will feature her tumultuous divorce to her second husband and entrepreneur Simon Guobadia after just 15 months of marriage. Her ex-boyfriend Dennis McKinley is also producing fellow castmate Sidora’s latest album, fueling tension between the two women, a storyline that is featured in the “Housewives” Season 16 trailer recently released by Bravo.
Of the four new castmates, Shamea Morton Mwangi is the only one who has appeared on the show before in a limited way as a friend of Williams for several seasons. The other three fresh faces are insurance agency owner Brit Eady, recently divorced restaurateur Kelli Ferrell and Angela Oakley, who is married to former NBA player Charles Oakley.
“Real Housewives” alum Cynthia Bailey, who left the show in 2021 after 11 seasons, returns in a part-time capacity.
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