Summary

Phaedra Parks returns to The Real Housewives of Atlanta with drama, endorsements, and a new boyfriend at her side.

Phaedra discusses her legal background helping with endorsement deals and not seeing marriage in her future.

Phaedra’s return to RHOA could position her as the new OG, challenging Porsha Williams’ position on the show.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta fans have been holding their breath for Phaedra Parks’ highly anticipated return to Peachtree, and the wait is finally over. After bailing out on the Married to Medicine Season 11 reunion and publicly voicing her excitement about returning to RHOA, Phaedra is prepared to celebrate her grand return to the show. In the usual Phaedra Parks fashion, her return comes with all the pomp and circumstance viewers are expecting.
Adding Phaedra to the RHOA cast as cast is dealing with the backlash of Porsha Williams and Shamea Morton’s friendship fallout and Kenya Moore being banished after taking the beef with newbie Brit Eady to an unforgivable low. The only one riding high this season is Angela Oakley because of the fans’ embrace of her timely and candid shade. Collider talked with Phaedra about her return to RHOA and her new endorsement deal with Cheez-It Snap’d.
Phaedra Can Do Double Duty as Talent and Legal in Her Endorsement Deals

She’s forever an attorney first

Image via Disney

“In my world, a snapback is more than a comeback—it’s a lifestyle,” Phaedra explains to Collider, “Teaming up with Cheez-It Snap’d to create this over-the-top bag? It’s giving drama, it’s giving delicious, it’s giving diva. Whether you’re snacking or stepping out, remember: a cheeky accessory and a crispy chip go hand-in-hand like a queen and her crown!” Beyond the brand offering a great oxymoron for Phaedra’s personality, she says she’s utilized Cheez-Its when preparing lunches for her two sons.
Getting major endorsement deals is nothing new to the lawyer turned reality star turned exercise instructor turned funeral director. Phaedra has always had multiple ways of getting her coins, and she’s never hidden her ambition. “Being a lawyer could’ve given me an advantage in some ways because I am doing the same things and looking for the same things that I’ve done for my clients, so it could give me an advantage when working with brands,” she admits.
Watching Phaedra parade her latest commercial partner in her storyline is just one of the many things fans are excited to see this season. She teases being able to show off her new boyfriend, whom she met through Married to Medicine star Lateasha “Sweet Tea” Lunceford. Phaedra met her beau, Cheick Kone, at a May-December speed dating event Sweet Tea threw to introduce singles of varying ages. While Phaedra recently turned 51, Cheick is in his early 30s, but she says the two are still going strong and having a great time. Although she enjoys having a handsome man on her arm, Phaedra says she can’t imagine getting married again. “No, I don’t see that in my future,” she says honestly. “I see others doing that, and it’s fine for them, but I don’t see myself marrying again.”
Phaedra Had No Problem Dumping ‘Married to Medicine’ in Favor of ‘RHOA’

The funeral homeowner says peaches are the best.

Image via Bravo

After feeling out of place with the women in Married to Medicine, Phaedra says she is happy to be back in the RHOA fold. “Porsha and I have always had a good time, and, of course, Shamea’s been there for years. The only one I haven’t really had a chance to get to know that well is Angela,” Phaedra says when questioned about the current RHOA cast.
“She seems nice, but I just didn’t have the opportunity to get to know her that well, but Kelli is great. She’s a tiny little thing with these big old boobs. She is a lot of fun. You gotta love her,” she laughs. When asked to pick a favorite newbie, Phaedra surprisingly revealed that she is closest to Brit Eady out of all the women this season. “I guess I would have to say Brit, because you’ll see her later this season, Brit and I become roommates for a while. So I definitely spent the most time with her, so that’s why I’d say she is my favorite newbie.
Phaedra Could Be the New OG in Charge on ‘RHOA’

She’s back with a vengeance, but not in the way viewers expect.

Image via Bravo

Phaedra seemed reticent to discuss Brit’s blow-up with her former co-star Kenya Moore, but it’s clear her allegiance lies with the hot-tempered Brit if she had to choose a side in the melee. Phaedra’s fabulous personality is guaranteed to shake up season 16 of RHOA in a major way. Her close relationship with Porsha could possibly be threatened by her equally close relationship with Shamea. Because Shamea has leveled up from friend of the show to focal point of the show, it could mean Phaedra’s loyalty could lie with her instead of her former bestie.
With Kenya gone, Phaedra moves into an OG position, challenging Porsha’s position as the head OG on the show. Porsha has made an enemy of Angela by threatening to sleep with her husband, and her relationships with Brit and Kelli are as flimsy as her defense of being engaged to Simone while he was still married to his former wife Phalyn. Besides her disagreements with the newbies, Porsha’s relationship with Shamea took a final turn in last week’s episode when Shamea mentioned the dispute between their mothers.
Kenya’s absence and Porsha’s reckless mouth have created an opportunity for Phaedra to return as the OG with the most relevance to RHOA. Six years after being fired from RHOA for an incident with Kandi Burruss, Phaedra is poised not only to return, but to return as the potential HBIC of the show, Cheez-its in tow.
Watch the full interview above and on our YouTube channel. The Real Housewives of Atlanta is available to stream on Peacock.