"The Real Housewives of Atlanta"--The Stars of Bravo"s "RHOA
'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'--The Stars of Bravo's 'RHOA'
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is the third installment in Bravo's Real Housewives franchise. The show premiered on October 7, 2008, follows the privileged lives of seven wealthy women in Atlanta, Georgia and has become the highest rated reality series on Bravo.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is the first show in the franchise to feature a predominately African American cast.
Find out more about the current and former stars of Real Housewives of Atlanta--including NeNe Leakes, Kim Zolciak, Kandi Burruss and Cynthia Bailey--plus meet the new Housewives--in this album of photos and bios.
(And check out the Ten Most Memorable Moments on RHOA so far.)
NeNe Leakes of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
NeNe Leakes (born Linnethia Monique Johnson, December 13, 1967) lives in Duluth-- a wealthy suburb of Atlanta--with her sons Bryson and Brentt. Previously married to Gregg Leakes, a real estate investor and business consultant, the couple separated after 14 years and filed for divorce during The Real Housewives of Atlanta season three. The divorce was finalized after Season Four wrapped, but the two have continued to vacation together, leading some critics to suggest the break-up was manufactured for on-air drama.
Leakes has starred on The Real Housewives of Atlanta since it launched. She was also a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice Season Four (after arguments with castmate Star Jones, Leakes stormed off the show before making any money for her charity); has a recurring role on Glee, as Coach Roz and appears on The New Normal (which has not been renewed for a second season).
A domestic abuse survivor and advocate, Leakes authored the memoir, Never Make the Same Mistake Twice. On RHOA's first season, Leakes discovers that the man she's grown up thinking is her father wasn't.
Kim Zolciak of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
When Real Housewives of Atlanta launched, Kim Zolciak (born May 19, 1978) was a divorced mother with two daughters, Brielle (born February 25, 1997) and Ariana (born October 17, 2001). She had previously been married to Dan Toce from 2001 to 2003.
In March of 2010, Zolciak announced that she's bisexual and was romantically involved with DJ Tracy Young. A few months later, as shown on Season Three of RHOA, Zolciak met Atlanta Falcons football player Kroy Biermann and the two began a whirl-wind romance that led to their November 11, 2011 wedding (featured on the RHOA spinoff, Don't be Tardy for the Wedding) and two sons, Kroy Jagger Biermann, Jr.
(born May 30, 2011) and Kash Kade Biermann (born August 15, 2012).
On the first season of Real Housewives of Atlanta Zolciak, a professional wig designer by trade, announced her desire to become a singer, and met with a music producer despite not having any experience or training. When she first opened her mouth to sing, all that came out was a horrible sound. But, with the help of modern day miracles (Autotune perhaps?), over the next three years, Zolciak did go on to release two singles: "Tardy for the Party" (which reached number three on iTunes) and "Google Me."
Although Zolciak avoided the cast photo for The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season Five (because she was pregnant at the time), she reportedly remains a full-fledged Housewife. However, in September 2012, Perez Hilton announced that--following the success of Don't be Tardy for the Wedding--Bravo is giving Zolciak her own series and she will have a reduced role on future RHOA seasons.
Cynthia Bailey of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Cynthia Bailey is the mother of 12-year-old Noelle, her daughter from a past relationship with actor Leon Robinson. Bailey joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in Season Three and much of the drama revolved around her deepening relationship with fiancee Peter Thomas.
Far from supportive of her paramour--a cash-strapped restauranteur--the other Housewives (and Bailey's family) tried to prevent the two from getting married.
The drama peaked during the Season Three finale nuptials, when Bailey's mother and sister "lost" the marriage license, but failed to stop the wedding.
A beauty queen turned model/actress, Bailey has appeared on the cover of Essence, strutted the catwalks of Paris and Milan, appeared on The Cosby Show and Sandra Bernhardt's Without You I'm Nothing. Bailey also founded Atlanta's The Bailey Agency School of Fashion.
Kandi Burruss of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Kandi Burruss (born May 17, 1976) replaced DeShawn Snow, joining the Real Housewives of Atlanta cast in Season Two. A single mother, Burruss has a daughter, Riley Spencer (born August 22, 2002) with her ex-boyfriend Russell "Block" Spencer of Block Entertainment.
A former member of the Platinum-selling R&B group Xscape, Burruss has written songs for numerous artists including Pink, 'N Sync, Mariah Carey, Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston; and she won a Grammy for her work on TLC's "No Scrubs."
Burruss has released two solo albums, 2000's Hey Kandi and Kandi Koated, released in December of 2010.
Burruss also runs a clothing boutique, TAGS; creates intimate products for her Bedroom Kandi line; produces the popular web show, Kandi Koated Nights and (as of 2012) has her own reality competition on Bravo--The Kandi Factory--in which Burruss transforms struggling musicians into stars in less than a week.
Engaged to Ashley "A.J." Jewell in Season Two of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Burruss was devastated when Jewell died suddenly in October 2009, from a head-injury he received in a fight at his club, Body Tap.
Sheree Whitfield of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' (Seasons 1-4)
Sheree Whitfield is the ex-wife of former NFL player Bob Whitfield and they have three children: Kairo, Kaleigh, Tierra. The couple wed in 2000, separated in 2003 and finalized their divorce in 2007. Claiming that her husband has not been meeting his child support obligations, Whitfield has filed suit against him with help from her lawyer friend, fellow Housewife Phaedra Parks.
The first two seasons of RHOA depicted Whitfield's attempt to break into the fashion industry by launching her own line, She by Shereé.
As the big fashion show launch, planned for the season finale, arrived it was clear that none of the designs would be ready. Yet Whitfield went forward with the show, without a single garment in her lineup, putting on a show that Twas, in the words of stylist Dwight Eubanks, simply “dreadful.”
The following season, Whitfield seemed to get things together and managed to put on a fashion show during the Season Two finale. Although she eventually debuted She by Shereé at New York Fashion Week, Whitfield said she hadn't been able to rally the right team for the venture, and put her fashion line on hold.
In April 2012, Whitfield announced she would not return for Season Five of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, as she had relocated to build a new house for her family. Since then, however, she has amended her statement, saying she will continue to have a recurring role on the show.
Phaedra Parks of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Phaedra Parks married Apollo Nida, who works in asset recovery, in November, 2009 and they had a son Ayden Adonis Nida in May, 2010. She joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in Season Three.
While pregnant, on the show, Parks threw an over-the-top baby show featuring ballerinas, ushers and even a choreographed dance by the mommy-to-be.
Parks is an entertainment lawyer and the managing partner for The Parks Group.
She has served as legal analyst for NBC and Fox News, and has appeared on shows like Entertainment Tonight, Celebrity Justice, and Extra.
Before they were married, Nida spent time in prison for receiving stolen goods and racketeering. In May 2012, Parks sued VIBE Publishing for $30 Million over a book that claims she participated in criminal activities.
Kenya Moore of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Kenya Moore (born January 24, 1971) joined The Real Housewives of Atlanta in the fifth season.
A former Miss USA, Moore has appeared on numerous TV shows (including Girlfriends and The Parent 'Hood) and in dozens of films like Trois, Brothers in Arms and The Confidant and is now a film and TV producer as CEO of Moore Vision Media.
Bravo promises that Moore "never passes up an opportunity to speak her mind," and says Moore is "ready to start a family with her Mr.
Right."
Porsha Williams-Stewart of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Porsha Williams-Stewart also joined the cast of RHOA for Season Five. She is the granddaughter of the Civil Rights leader and philanthropist, Rev. Hosea Williams. Williams-Stewart recently married former Chicago Bears quarterback Kordell Stewart and became step-mom to his son, Syre.
In addition to her role at the new Kordell & Porsha Stewart Foundation for Cancer Research, Williams-Stewart has, according to Bravo, a "budding music career" (like fellow Housewife Kim Zolciak?) and "various business ventures." She also enjoys reading, yoga and dips in the pool (so expect her to appear in skimpy bikinis and yoga outfits).
DeShawn Snow of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Lisa Wu Hartwell starred on RHOA Seasons One and Two. At the time, she was married to NFL player Ed Hartwell and they had a son, Ed, Jr. (born 2007) together. Hartwell was previously married to R&B singer Keith Sweat (1992-2002), with whom she has two sons, Jordan (born 1995) and Justin (born 1998).
A real estate mogul who suffered when the bottom fell out of the housing market, Hartwell also launched the Wu Girls jewelry line, Hart 2 Hart Baby clothes and the clothing line Closet Freak (not to be confused with the Cee Lo Green song or TheClosetFreak.com).
Hartwell made several guest appearances during Real Housewives of Atlanta's third season. She and Ed Hartwell had borrowed $2.9 million in 2007 to buy their Duluth home, but they defaulted on their mortgage two years later, and the house was sold in foreclosure. The couple was divorced in October, 2011.
DeShawn Snow starred on the first season of RHOA. At the time, she was married to Eric Snow, a retired NFL player, with whom she has three boys.
Snow ran her own non-profit organization, The DeShawn Snow Foundation, dedicated to improving teen girls' self-esteem; and served on the boards of three additional charities.
DeShawn wasn't invited to return for the second Season of RHOA because (she maintains) producers told her she was "too human for a circus show" and didn't come with enough drama.
Bravo executives should have held on a little longer, as the Snow family generated a great deal of drama in 2010, when Eric filed for divorce and left DeShawn for another woman (Marisela Alvarado), who was pregnant with his love-child.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is the third installment in Bravo's Real Housewives franchise. The show premiered on October 7, 2008, follows the privileged lives of seven wealthy women in Atlanta, Georgia and has become the highest rated reality series on Bravo.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is the first show in the franchise to feature a predominately African American cast.
Find out more about the current and former stars of Real Housewives of Atlanta--including NeNe Leakes, Kim Zolciak, Kandi Burruss and Cynthia Bailey--plus meet the new Housewives--in this album of photos and bios.
(And check out the Ten Most Memorable Moments on RHOA so far.)
NeNe Leakes of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
NeNe Leakes (born Linnethia Monique Johnson, December 13, 1967) lives in Duluth-- a wealthy suburb of Atlanta--with her sons Bryson and Brentt. Previously married to Gregg Leakes, a real estate investor and business consultant, the couple separated after 14 years and filed for divorce during The Real Housewives of Atlanta season three. The divorce was finalized after Season Four wrapped, but the two have continued to vacation together, leading some critics to suggest the break-up was manufactured for on-air drama.
Leakes has starred on The Real Housewives of Atlanta since it launched. She was also a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice Season Four (after arguments with castmate Star Jones, Leakes stormed off the show before making any money for her charity); has a recurring role on Glee, as Coach Roz and appears on The New Normal (which has not been renewed for a second season).
A domestic abuse survivor and advocate, Leakes authored the memoir, Never Make the Same Mistake Twice. On RHOA's first season, Leakes discovers that the man she's grown up thinking is her father wasn't.
Kim Zolciak of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
When Real Housewives of Atlanta launched, Kim Zolciak (born May 19, 1978) was a divorced mother with two daughters, Brielle (born February 25, 1997) and Ariana (born October 17, 2001). She had previously been married to Dan Toce from 2001 to 2003.
In March of 2010, Zolciak announced that she's bisexual and was romantically involved with DJ Tracy Young. A few months later, as shown on Season Three of RHOA, Zolciak met Atlanta Falcons football player Kroy Biermann and the two began a whirl-wind romance that led to their November 11, 2011 wedding (featured on the RHOA spinoff, Don't be Tardy for the Wedding) and two sons, Kroy Jagger Biermann, Jr.
(born May 30, 2011) and Kash Kade Biermann (born August 15, 2012).
On the first season of Real Housewives of Atlanta Zolciak, a professional wig designer by trade, announced her desire to become a singer, and met with a music producer despite not having any experience or training. When she first opened her mouth to sing, all that came out was a horrible sound. But, with the help of modern day miracles (Autotune perhaps?), over the next three years, Zolciak did go on to release two singles: "Tardy for the Party" (which reached number three on iTunes) and "Google Me."
Although Zolciak avoided the cast photo for The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season Five (because she was pregnant at the time), she reportedly remains a full-fledged Housewife. However, in September 2012, Perez Hilton announced that--following the success of Don't be Tardy for the Wedding--Bravo is giving Zolciak her own series and she will have a reduced role on future RHOA seasons.
Cynthia Bailey of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Cynthia Bailey is the mother of 12-year-old Noelle, her daughter from a past relationship with actor Leon Robinson. Bailey joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in Season Three and much of the drama revolved around her deepening relationship with fiancee Peter Thomas.
Far from supportive of her paramour--a cash-strapped restauranteur--the other Housewives (and Bailey's family) tried to prevent the two from getting married.
The drama peaked during the Season Three finale nuptials, when Bailey's mother and sister "lost" the marriage license, but failed to stop the wedding.
A beauty queen turned model/actress, Bailey has appeared on the cover of Essence, strutted the catwalks of Paris and Milan, appeared on The Cosby Show and Sandra Bernhardt's Without You I'm Nothing. Bailey also founded Atlanta's The Bailey Agency School of Fashion.
Kandi Burruss of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Kandi Burruss (born May 17, 1976) replaced DeShawn Snow, joining the Real Housewives of Atlanta cast in Season Two. A single mother, Burruss has a daughter, Riley Spencer (born August 22, 2002) with her ex-boyfriend Russell "Block" Spencer of Block Entertainment.
A former member of the Platinum-selling R&B group Xscape, Burruss has written songs for numerous artists including Pink, 'N Sync, Mariah Carey, Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston; and she won a Grammy for her work on TLC's "No Scrubs."
Burruss has released two solo albums, 2000's Hey Kandi and Kandi Koated, released in December of 2010.
Burruss also runs a clothing boutique, TAGS; creates intimate products for her Bedroom Kandi line; produces the popular web show, Kandi Koated Nights and (as of 2012) has her own reality competition on Bravo--The Kandi Factory--in which Burruss transforms struggling musicians into stars in less than a week.
Engaged to Ashley "A.J." Jewell in Season Two of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Burruss was devastated when Jewell died suddenly in October 2009, from a head-injury he received in a fight at his club, Body Tap.
Sheree Whitfield of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' (Seasons 1-4)
Sheree Whitfield is the ex-wife of former NFL player Bob Whitfield and they have three children: Kairo, Kaleigh, Tierra. The couple wed in 2000, separated in 2003 and finalized their divorce in 2007. Claiming that her husband has not been meeting his child support obligations, Whitfield has filed suit against him with help from her lawyer friend, fellow Housewife Phaedra Parks.
The first two seasons of RHOA depicted Whitfield's attempt to break into the fashion industry by launching her own line, She by Shereé.
As the big fashion show launch, planned for the season finale, arrived it was clear that none of the designs would be ready. Yet Whitfield went forward with the show, without a single garment in her lineup, putting on a show that Twas, in the words of stylist Dwight Eubanks, simply “dreadful.”
The following season, Whitfield seemed to get things together and managed to put on a fashion show during the Season Two finale. Although she eventually debuted She by Shereé at New York Fashion Week, Whitfield said she hadn't been able to rally the right team for the venture, and put her fashion line on hold.
In April 2012, Whitfield announced she would not return for Season Five of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, as she had relocated to build a new house for her family. Since then, however, she has amended her statement, saying she will continue to have a recurring role on the show.
Phaedra Parks of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Phaedra Parks married Apollo Nida, who works in asset recovery, in November, 2009 and they had a son Ayden Adonis Nida in May, 2010. She joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in Season Three.
While pregnant, on the show, Parks threw an over-the-top baby show featuring ballerinas, ushers and even a choreographed dance by the mommy-to-be.
Parks is an entertainment lawyer and the managing partner for The Parks Group.
She has served as legal analyst for NBC and Fox News, and has appeared on shows like Entertainment Tonight, Celebrity Justice, and Extra.
Before they were married, Nida spent time in prison for receiving stolen goods and racketeering. In May 2012, Parks sued VIBE Publishing for $30 Million over a book that claims she participated in criminal activities.
Kenya Moore of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Kenya Moore (born January 24, 1971) joined The Real Housewives of Atlanta in the fifth season.
A former Miss USA, Moore has appeared on numerous TV shows (including Girlfriends and The Parent 'Hood) and in dozens of films like Trois, Brothers in Arms and The Confidant and is now a film and TV producer as CEO of Moore Vision Media.
Bravo promises that Moore "never passes up an opportunity to speak her mind," and says Moore is "ready to start a family with her Mr.
Right."
Porsha Williams-Stewart of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Porsha Williams-Stewart also joined the cast of RHOA for Season Five. She is the granddaughter of the Civil Rights leader and philanthropist, Rev. Hosea Williams. Williams-Stewart recently married former Chicago Bears quarterback Kordell Stewart and became step-mom to his son, Syre.
In addition to her role at the new Kordell & Porsha Stewart Foundation for Cancer Research, Williams-Stewart has, according to Bravo, a "budding music career" (like fellow Housewife Kim Zolciak?) and "various business ventures." She also enjoys reading, yoga and dips in the pool (so expect her to appear in skimpy bikinis and yoga outfits).
DeShawn Snow of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'
Lisa Wu Hartwell starred on RHOA Seasons One and Two. At the time, she was married to NFL player Ed Hartwell and they had a son, Ed, Jr. (born 2007) together. Hartwell was previously married to R&B singer Keith Sweat (1992-2002), with whom she has two sons, Jordan (born 1995) and Justin (born 1998).
A real estate mogul who suffered when the bottom fell out of the housing market, Hartwell also launched the Wu Girls jewelry line, Hart 2 Hart Baby clothes and the clothing line Closet Freak (not to be confused with the Cee Lo Green song or TheClosetFreak.com).
Hartwell made several guest appearances during Real Housewives of Atlanta's third season. She and Ed Hartwell had borrowed $2.9 million in 2007 to buy their Duluth home, but they defaulted on their mortgage two years later, and the house was sold in foreclosure. The couple was divorced in October, 2011.
DeShawn Snow starred on the first season of RHOA. At the time, she was married to Eric Snow, a retired NFL player, with whom she has three boys.
Snow ran her own non-profit organization, The DeShawn Snow Foundation, dedicated to improving teen girls' self-esteem; and served on the boards of three additional charities.
DeShawn wasn't invited to return for the second Season of RHOA because (she maintains) producers told her she was "too human for a circus show" and didn't come with enough drama.
Bravo executives should have held on a little longer, as the Snow family generated a great deal of drama in 2010, when Eric filed for divorce and left DeShawn for another woman (Marisela Alvarado), who was pregnant with his love-child.
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