Kenya Moore is officially stepping away from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” after 11 seasons. The 53-year-old reality TV star will not be returning for season 16 following her suspension by Bravo in early June. The suspension stemmed from alleged drama involving RHOA newcomer Brittany Eady. Despite previously expressing interest in returning and receiving support from her longtime castmates and friends, Moore has decided to part ways with the franchise.
A source close to the situation shared with ET, “Kenya is not returning to RHOA this season. She decided it was best for herself to leave after how she felt the incident was handled and how she was treated.” The news of Moore’s exit was first reported by TMZ.
Kenya Moore later addressed her decision to exit the series in a tweet, writing, “You are the best fans anyone could ever ask for. and I love you all so very much. Always and forever.” She also added “#TeamTwirlForever,” referencing her fanbase. While TMZ reports that Bravo is keeping the door open for a future return, a source with knowledge of the situation tells ET that this hasn’t been discussed.
It remains unclear how Kenya’s exit will be addressed on the show, if at all. “It’s still early into filming and they could just edit her out, like Lizzy Savetsky on New York,” a source mentioned. Savetsky was a cast member on the rebooted version of “The Real Housewives of New York” but left the show early on in filming. When the show premiered, she was completely left out of the edit.
Regardless of how her departure is handled, sources say Kenya is not interested in conversations at this time after her unceremonious suspension. “Kenya was suspended for allegedly depicting Brittany performing a sexual act at the grand opening of her Kenya Moore Hair Spa in Atlanta, from images allegedly found online,” one person shared with ET at the time. “The network is still reviewing the content Kenya displayed during filming.”
After the news of her suspension broke, Kenya took to Instagram Live, stating she had “a lot going on” and was doing her best to be a successful business owner and working mom. Kenya shares daughter Brooklyn, 5, with her ex, Marc Daly. “The way that people go out of their way to disparage your name or ruin your business, I’ll never understand it,” she said. “Leave me alone. I’m a single mom. I’m out here just like anybody else. I am not getting child support, I’m not getting anything. I’m taking care of my daughter on my own.” She requested that her fans “ride with me through this journey.”
Kenya also received support from cast members Drew Sidora and Porsha Williams during her Instagram Live session. Porsha wrote, “We love you!!” in the comments and praised Kenya as a “Queen.” Meanwhile, Shamea Morton and Angela Oakley revealed they were watching, and Drew praised Kenya’s hair.
Following the alleged event, Kenya took to social media to defend herself, posting, “I would never engage in revenge porn, I have never distributed private images or footage of anyone, nor solicited images owned by others to use to threaten or blackmail.” She maintained her innocence, adding, “I have always been vindicated.”
Brittany Eady, the Housewife on the other side of the drama, has similarly addressed the situation. She also denied the internet rumors that she threatened Kenya with a gun. “For the record, I’ve never once had possession of any weapons or threatened anyone ever.”
Kenya Moore joined RHOA in Season 5 and maintained her peach for six seasons before taking a break in Season 11. The entrepreneur returned as a full-time housewife in Season 12 and had maintained her peach up until now. RHOA is in the middle of a reboot season, and Moore, alongside Drew Sidora, were the only two returning housewives from Season 15. Bravo also enlisted Porsha Williams for the new season after a two-season break, with former RHOA star Cynthia Bailey joining the show as a guest star. New cast additions included Angela Oakley, Eady, and Kelli Ferrell.
After news that Moore was suspended, former RHOA star Kandi Burruss came to her defense. “I don’t like the fact that they suspended Kenya. I know a lot of people was like, ‘she shouldn’t have shown that,’ but this is housewives,” Burruss said during an interview on Streetz Morning Takeover. “How many times we done did something that you think somebody shouldn’t do? So who made the rules? Why do you all of a sudden got such an issue with somebody doing something crazy to somebody?”
As the rest of the cast continues filming season 16, which has yet to receive a release date, fans are left wondering how the show will address Kenya Moore’s departure and what the future holds for the beloved reality star.
Source: ET, TMZ, Deadline
