26-05-2025
RHOA‘s Phaedra Parks Marks a New Era: ‘I'm Single, Satisfied & Successful'
Phaedra Parks throwing shade during the first few minutes of her return to The Real Housewives of Atlanta wasn't planned—it was instinct.
'I was just being myself,' Phaedra tells StyleCaster. 'And, you know, with Frick and Frack together, it's just fun,' she adds of reuniting with Porsha Williams on screen.
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In case you missed it, Porsha popped over to Phaedra's house for the grand reveal of the popular attorney's return. Within seconds, Phaedra poked fun at newbies Brit Eady, Angela Oakley, and Kelli Ferrell. She teased Brit for being, well, outside, and affectionately referred to Kelli as a garden gnome. As for Angela, Phaedra claimed she didn't even know she was married to Charles Oakley.
'I didn't know,' she tells StyleCaster, doubling down. 'I've known him for years, and I had no idea he was married. I've never met Angela Oakley a day in my life. It's the truth.'
A few days before Phaedra's return aired, Drew Sidora sat down with Carlos King and threw a little shade of her own, saying Phaedra didn't do much besides give the women 'faces.' Phaedra's response? 'Wolves bark at the moon, but when you're the moon, you keep shining.'
Things are also better between Phaedra and Shamea Morton. Longtime RHOA fans know the two were on rocky terms before Phaedra's Season 9 exit, largely due to allegations that Shamea and Kandi Burruss had been intimate—among other things. But according to Phaedra, they've since made amends, thanks in part to a mutual friend: Fiskani Kaira, owner of The Ivy Showroom, where Phaedra is a silent partner.
I don't have to worry about anyone else's opinions.
'[Shamea] and I have crossed paths a lot because she frequents the showroom, we've worked together, and she even got my boys tickets to see the Atlanta Hawks,' Phaedra says. 'Our relationship has evolved. People evolve. Plus, it's been so long since I was last on the show.'
While Phaedra and Shamea are on good terms now, Shamea and Porsha are not—at least, not like they used to be. The season explores the fallout of their friendship, which some fans say has been a long time coming.
According to Phaedra, though, it's all about giving grace. 'Friendships are hard, and Porsha is obviously having a very rough time in her life. Navigating divorce, and doing that publicly, it's rough,' she says. 'When people are having marital issues and going through things, they're not at their best. She's at a place where she's just trying to remain sane. You need friends to just understand and support you.'
Phaedra says she wants nothing more than to support Porsha, and gushes about their dynamic—one that was undeniably icy the last time we saw them together on Bravo.
I'm free to be who I am.
During the Season 9 reunion, Porsha alleged that Phaedra was the one who told her Kandi and Todd Burruss wanted to drug her. The rumor exploded, with all of the women in tears. Phaedra apologized, but her relationship with Kandi (who left following Season 16 after 14 years) has remained strained.
After a hiatus, Phaedra returned to Bravo via Married to Medicine Season 10, before making her way back to RHOA following a tense M2M departure.
'They really wanted me back,' she says, adding that it was actually Porsha who made the call and asked her to rejoin. 'I want to be somewhere where I can make an impact. Porsha and I have always remained close, and the fans wanted to see me again. All of the things matched up for me, so when things align, I act in accordance.'
Even though we're only one episode in, it already feels like Phaedra is back where she belongs. She seems noticeably happier than she was on Married to Medicine, which ended with her leaving the cast trip after her ex-husband Apollo Nida and his then-wife Sherien Copes showed up. She also skipped the M2M reunion.
'That's a different group of women,' she says of the doctors and doctors' wives. 'They're very different from the Housewives. The banter was very different. I mean, God bless. Housewives are just … very confident. I'll say that,' she adds with a smile.
Still, there's no bad blood between her and the M2M cast. Phaedra says she's still in touch with a few, namely Dr. Contessa Metcalfe, Lateasha 'Sweet Tea' Lunceford, and Toya Bush-Harris.
I want to be somewhere where I can make an impact.
As for what to expect from Phaedra this season of RHOA, one thing's already clear: she's in a new era. The church hats and black tea dresses are gone. When she opened the door to greet Porsha, she was wearing head-to-toe Gucci and rocking platinum hair. What sparked the transformation?
'Well, when you first saw me, I was married to a person who was very controlling,' Phaedra says. 'Now, I'm free to be who I am, and I don't have to consider my partner. I'm single, satisfied, and successful. I can do what I want, and I don't have to worry about anyone else's opinions.'
She says her fashion reflects her new mindset: 'Happy and free,' she adds. 'I'm just very happy.'
While she's embracing this new chapter, one thing remains her top priority: motherhood. 'My career obviously affects my children,' she says of sons Ayden and Dylan, whom she shares with Apollo. 'We always have roundtables at our home about what I will and won't do. My first priority is always being a mother and protecting my boys. I'm not ever going to put them in any position where they have to defend me.'
Surprisingly, it was her son Ayden who encouraged her to return. 'He remembers. Dylan, not so much, but Ayden definitely has vivid memories of being on television. So, if they're fine with it, I'm fine with it. That was pretty much the conversation before I accepted the job.'
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. on George Chinsee
Creative Director: Stephanie Cui
Hair: Alonzo Arnold
Makeup: Tomilola Babalola
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