“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” season 16 is seeing a major cast shakeup, with four main cast members exiting the series after season 15, and multiple fan-favorite stars making their return to the series.
While Porsha Williams is back to RHOA as a full-time Housewife for the new season, longtime star Cynthia Bailey was announced to also be making her comeback, though only as a Friend of the Housewives. Bailey and Williams both left the show after season 13, taking two seasons off before their respective returns, and now Bailey is opening up about her return in the May 23 episode of Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast.
Hear what Bailey had to say below.
Cynthia Bailey Says RHOA Was ‘Just Okay’ Since She Left
First and foremost, Bailey mentioned that even as she left RHOA full-time after season 13, she was always open to the idea of “popping in and out as a Friend,” and even made a few guest appearances on season 15, as she is still friends with some of her co-stars after the cameras stop rolling. For the upcoming season, Bailey noted that Bravo wanted her to take on more of an official role in the season as a Friend of the Housewives than she did in season 15. Although Bailey is focusing on her acting right now, she said she was able to work it out with the network and is excited to keep working on RHOA.
As for the new season, Bailey said she is excited to help herald the show back to its former glory.
“I feel like the show has been just okay for the past couple of years. No shade but it just has, it has not thrived the way that ‘Atlanta’ has always thrived. We were number one for so long, and to watch us not be number one was really hard, even sitting on the sidelines. It really, really was, so I think some new blood was needed, and from what I can tell these ladies seem like they really have it going on and I’m really excited to meet them,” Bailey shared.
During their official cast announcement, Bravo unveiled the names of three RHOA newcomers, Brittany Eady, Kelli Ferrell, and Angela Oakley. Meanwhile, longtime Friend of the Housewives and guest star Shamea Morton has earned her peach, becoming a full-time Housewife for the first time since first appearing on the show’s fifth season in 2012.
Cynthia Bailey Appeared on RHOBH Season
During her time off from RHOA, Bailey has spent a lot of time in Los Angeles, scoring acting roles including a recurring role in the hit Starz original series, “BMF”. While in LA, Bailey connected with her friend and “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Sutton Stracke, who invited her as a plus-one to Kyle Richards’ THC Dinner Party, which was filmed for season 13 of RHOBH, making Bailey one of few “Housewives” stars to cameo in another franchise.
“Sutton was definitely in the hot seat I can tell you that right now. You like totally went in there and basically threw a grenade on the table,” Bailey told the “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast in September 2023 of the dinner, which fans later saw evolve into a tableside argument between Stracke and Richards over Stracke’s assertion that Richards was not being vocal enough about the troubles in her marriage.
READ NEXT: Bravo Confirms RHOBH Season 14 Cast With 2 Official Additions
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