Kandi Burruss originally rose to fame as a member of the 90s R&B group Xscape, who released their first album in 1993. Kandi decided to branch out on her own as a solo artist in 2000 and released her album titled Hey Kandi, which hit #72 on the Billboard album charts. She joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in season 2 and has been on the show ever since. She quickly rose to fame on the show, becoming a fan favorite thanks to her impeccable side-eye ability and a personal storyline involving her overbearing family. Over the years, Kandi has become one of the most followed housewives on social media out of the reality show. She’s had some iconic meme-able moments, like her response to Phaedra Parks’s heinous allegations during the season 9 reunion.
Because of Kandi’s entertaining family, and her talent outside of the show, she’s had several spinoffs and specials, including The Kandi Factory, Kandi’s Ski Trip, Kandi & the Gang, two shows centered on her group Xscape, and a wedding special featuring her April 2014 nuptials to Todd Tucker. Now, after consistent rumors about rebooting the RHOA cast, Kandi has just shared that she has left the show after 15 years.
Despite being a fan favorite, some fans and co-stars have complained that Kandi’s storyline has grown stale, and she appears disinterested in what’s going on with the group. While her varying business ventures have been a central highlight over the years, many prefer the drama. Amid confirmation of a major cast shakeup, and delays in production for the 16th season, Kandi confirmed she has exited the series. While she’ll be missed, her time on the show is up, and her varying businesses thrive beyond the show. Some could argue the show was holding her back.
Kandi Burruss Was the Highest Paid Housewife on ‘RHOA’
Whispers of cast shakeups on RHOA had been occurring for a while. The 15th season premiered, and it was very apparent that the series had lost its luster. Regular viewers of the show became annoyed by the manufactured storylines and the lack of real drama. They were also aware that Kandi appeared bored with the show, using it to promote her businesses. NeNe Leakes called this detail out during an interview with Carlos King in August 2023. While NeNe may have said that Kandi is a good ensemble member of the cast, she also referred to her as “starless” and said that she is boring to watch. While fans pretty much agreed with NeNe, Kandi responded to NeNe.
Her response was: “One person cannot make a show. Some people get mad because we have had so many specials and stuff like that. But it’s because I’m by myself an ensemble cast…by myself.” She may have been confident when she said this, but season 15’s ratings told the truth of the matter. Many didn’t believe she had a compelling storyline, which was perplexing, especially when looking at how much she was getting paid per episode. Kandi reportedly earned a whopping $2.3 million dollars per episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Season 15 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta was pretty much doomed from the start. Ratings were slowly beginning to dip in season 14, and things got worse for Bravo in its 15th. The average number of viewers per episode dropped from roughly 950,000 viewers per episode in season 14 to roughly 750,000 viewers per episode.
Kandi Burruss’s Career Was Limited by ‘RHOA’
Kandi Burruss has been on The Real Housewives of Atlanta since its second season began in 2009. At the time, her career as a musician and songwriter was strong, having written many top-charting hits for singers like Ariana Grande, Ed Shereen, and Destiny’s Child. When she began her time as a peach holder, she had already earned a Grammy for writing TLC’s iconic song “No Scrubs,” as well as being nominated for another hit song, “Bills, Bills, Bills,” performed by Destiny’s Child. Joining the RHOA cast made her become a household name, though she was already extremely successful before her time on the show, beyond her time with Xscape.
Kandi knows how to pursue a business venture when she sees the opportunity, and after the show enhanced her success, that’s precisely what she did. Shortly after joining the cast, Kandi launched her own late-night web-series called Kandi Koated Nights, which focused on sex, love, and relationships. In 2014, Kandi wrote and starred in a stage musical calledA Mother’s Love, which she took on tour. She also played Big Mama Morton in the musical Chicago on Broadway in 2018. Both Kandi and her husband Todd have built a name for themselves on Broadway, producing recent productions, Thoughts of A Colored Man in 2021 and August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson in 2022. They own two restaurants in Atlanta – Blaze Steak and Seafood, and Old Lady Gang – both of which are named after family members. She continues writing music and performing. Kandi was able to accomplish all these things while sticking to the strict filming schedule required by RHOA, which is pretty astounding in and of itself. One can’t help but wonder what else she could have done had she left the series earlier on. Real Housewives of Atlanta may have catapulted her success, but it also hindered her in a way due to the rigorous filming schedule, and she’s admitted to having to turn down projects to continue filming.
Kandi’s Exit From ‘RHOA’ Makes Sense
Kandi Burruss’s contribution to the low ratings of season 15 is significant. She was not only grasping at straws to be interesting throughout the season; she was also noticeably absent at key events. She later explained that she was absent due to what was going on with her group, Xscape, who came back together on Peacock’s show SWV & Xscape: The Queens of R&B. She said the goings-on with that show, and the experience left her too busy to attend the events she missed in the 15th season. True RHOA fans are not new to cast members skipping out on important events. Kim Zolciak-Biermann became hated by viewers for hardly ever showing up to do her job on RHOA because she was prioritizing her own series, Don’t Be Tardy. Kandi’s similar missteps have not helped her in the hearts of the viewers.
Needless to say, midway through season 15, the rumor mill began to buzz when word was leaked that the show was going to be rebooted. Much like The Real Housewives of New York City, producers were beginning to see the importance of refreshing the long-running series in the franchise. There had been plenty of other times in which fans were speculating Kandi’s departure from the series. After season 13 ended, many speculated that Kandi was planning on leaving to pursue other projects. At the time, it was presumed that Kandi & the Gang would continue, making the rumor of her departure make sense. Prior to these rumors, Kandi mentioned during an interview that she was considering leaving the series in 2021 after finishing season 12. With so many instances of these rumors being false, Kandi’s announcement that she would not be returning was a surprise to everyone.
It’s highly possible that she decided to leave to focus on music and other entertainment projects. Leaving the show may provide her with more time to continue exploring her passions and expanding her empire. The biggest rumor, however, is that she is leaving because of a failure in contract negotiations. According to All Abou the Tea, Kandi was offered another contract by Bravo but turned it down because it did not offer the amount of money she wanted. Kandi shared that a delay in the production schedule also helped with her decide that it was time to step away from the series.
She said, “A friend of mine was like, ‘Why do you keep doing it?’ And I was like, ‘Well, I think because I’ve just been doing it so long, feels weird to think not to do it?’… So I was just like, ‘You know what? I’m going to take a break; I’m going to take a moment.’” And taking that moment makes sense not only career-wise but also in regards to her family life. Season 15 not only showed Kandi being busy, but it also showed the strain on her marriage to Todd Tucker. Todd has had his own battles within their marriage, thanks to his mother-in-law, Mama Joyce. Combining those issues with unbalanced work schedules leads to little bumps that could ultimately lead to their relationship going downhill. Quitting the show will provide Kandi the extra time she needs to focus on her marriage and family.
It’s always possible that Kandi could return to RHOA. After all, the producers did offer her a contract amid the cast restructuring. Kandi’s presence on the show has become weaker and weaker as of late. Now is the right time for her to take a step back, and who knows? She could return in the future with a whole new energy and a whole new storyline that will actually engage the viewers.
