Phaedra Parks Returning to ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’

Phaedra Parks has reclaimed her peach. The Bravo star is officially returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta for the upcoming 16th season after her exit in Season 9. Parks, 50, announced her return to the Housewives franchise that launched her into the spotlight on Monday, July 29, sharing a peachy photoshoot on Instagram.

"You called, I answered," Parks captioned photos of her exiting a private plane while holding a peach in her hand, referencing the opening credits of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The reality personality hashtagged "RHOA" and "S16" to make clear the timeline of her return. 

Parks' casting comes almost a month after RHOA star Kenya Moore was confirmed to be exiting the series. The longtime cast member was reportedly axed from the season after showing off pictures of new cast member Brittany Eady while Bravo cameras were rolling at the opening of the Kenya Moore Hair Spa. 

Moore took to X (formerly Twitter) to defend herself from revenge porn claims at the time, writing on June 8, "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." 

Following her firing, Moore wrote on Instagram, "Thank you for all the support #teamtwirl. My heart is full and my conscience is clear. So many false claims hiding behind anonymous sources. All this conversation and no facts being reported. If a claim or source was valid, would they need to hide?" 

(Photo:

Phaedra Parks and Kenya Moore on RHOA Season 6. 

- Wilford Harewood/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank)

She continued, "My life is blessed. My daughter and I will continue to thrive in a non toxic environment where we feel appreciated and most importantly, protected. Thank you God for covering us," concluding, "The rumors and narrative about me randomly showing nudes or revenge p is 1000% untrue. I have proof and will share soon."

Parks first joined RHOA in Season 3, exiting the series amid her controversial Season 9 fallout with Kandi Burruss. Parks has since gone on to become a main cast member of Married to Medicine, wrapping her second season on the Bravo show recently. The Atlanta resident also won over fans of The Traitors USA Season 2, becoming one of the most meme-d members of the cast earlier this year. 

Earlier this month, RHOA star Porsha Williams called for Parks to return to her original series, saying in an Instagram Live, "I need y'all to go and write Bravo and let them know that we want Phaedra to come and play. I tend to believe there's enough of Phaedra to go around. She's a Traitors star. She's rocking Married to Medicine. Why not come and get this bag over here, sis? Right?"