She's Back! Phaedra Parks Reveals She's Joining Season 16 of 'RHOA' After Kenya Moore's Departure
Phaedra Parks is officially back on TV, as she announced she'll return for Season 16 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta — after Kenya Moore's departure.
Parks took to Instagram on Monday, July 29, to officially announce the news. Alongside a stunning picture of herself on a tarmac standing on the steps of an airplane, Parks is seen holding a peach, the signature item each of The Real Housewives of Atlanta hold in their intro.
“You called,” Parks captioned the post. “I answered.”
She added a peach emoji and the hashtag #S16, confirming that she will indeed be returning to the franchise.
Parks joined the show during Season 3, but she ended up leaving after Season 9. During Season 9, Parks got into controversy when it was revealed she allegedly was involved in a plot to accuse Kandi Burruss and her husband, Todd Tucker, of trying to drug and sexually assault cast member Porsha Williams.
Regardless of that accusation, Parks remained a fan-favorite throughout the years, which is why they were disappointed when she left.
Since departing RHOA, Parks appeared on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club and was the undeniable star of the second season of The Traitors.
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Even though fans called for Parks to return to “save the show” before casting for this season was announced, she was not initially in the mix. After the situation with Moore, though, it clearly made sense to bring someone with Parks’ star power back, likely in the hopes of attracting more viewers, stirring the pot and adding some much-needed fresh drama to the show.
On June 25, TMZ confirmed that Moore would not be returning to the show after she was “sidelined indefinitely” for “unveiling sexually explicit posters” of new Housewife Brittany Eady. The report claimed Moore was not fired, but both her and Bravo decided for her to take a break; however, TMZ noted that Moore is considering “legal options” as she’s unhappy with how things went down.
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Season 16 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta is currently in production and with all of these updates, one thing is for sure — it's going to be a wild ride.