The Real Housewives of Atlanta is undergoing a transformative makeover after a poorly received Season 15. In addition to the shakeup and rumors of Porsha Williams and Phaedra Parks returning to the RHOA Season 16 cast, there was the copacetic announcement on February 4 that Kandi Burruss would not return for Season 16 of the Bravo reality TV show. Losing one of the few housewives with a lasting entertainment industry presence and demonstrable talent will be a critical hit for RHOA.
Some fans had speculated Kandi’s time on the iconic series would soon be over — her disinterest in attending group events in Season 15 was apparent, and poor ratings called her unusually large Bravo paychecks into question — but the confirmation she was leaving still sent shockwaves through social media. This was partly because Kandi was one of the few “OGs” still standing, having appeared for fourteen consecutive seasons. It was also because she was unlike any other cast member: Kandi was one of The Real Housewives’ few legitimate stars, with businesses that weren’t smoke and mirrors and a credible music career.
Kandi Burruss Was a Shining Star Before ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’
While Bravo rarely secures eye-widening talent, it has presumably always been a goal for The Real Housewives to employ the help of head turners to lure in new viewers. Kandi was one of the few women ever cast to bring an existing reputation to the table.
Before joining RHOA, her girl group Xscape had released a Platinum-certified album and was well-established in the ’90s R&B scene. If that wasn’t enough to set her apart from most of the social climbers on The Real Housewives (it was), she co-wrote “No Scrubs,” TLC’s biggest hit and a karaoke favorite across the globe. She had a foundation built well before Andy Cohen came knocking.
There’s a sickly thrill in seeing someone recognizable and in the twilight of their career sign up for catty melodrama, and Kandi arrived with credibility that was sorely needed before the likes of Nene Leakes or Kenya Moore achieved reality TV superstardom. Kandi is genuinely talented, and therefore never needed to conjure up a transparently fake business or ill-conceived club track to scrounge for legacy — Luann de Lesseps’ “Money Can’t Buy You Class” might be a banger, but it’s not on Kandi’s musical pedigree.
Kandi Burruss Rubs Shoulders With A-listers
Being a songwriter who works with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Boyz II Men, Destiny’s Child, and Pink, gets you into high places. Kandi is frequently invited to fancy industry parties, standing next to A-listers in VIP areas at concerts, and has been on more than a few stages to humbly accept awards.
Kandi broke the mold for housewives. Some of the biggest music artists in the world have her on speed dial because they know she’s a hitmaker. Interestingly, she’s secure enough in her status that she rarely bragged about her connections on RHOA. The show would call back to Xscape often, but Kandi, classy as she is, resisted bringing up her ‘Shape of You’ co-writer credit at every opportunity. If Sonja Morgan achieved these accolades, they’d be reached for with slurred words at a minimum of ten luncheons.
Kandi Burruss’ Businesses Actually Exist
Longtime fans of The Real Housewives know that, ironically, the business ventures paraded on the shows are not particularly real. We watched Shereé Whitfield’s apparel brand SHE by Shereé take more than a decade to come to fruition. Sonja claimed she had part ownership of a soccer team, and nearly every housewife has released some sort of collection. This is part of The Real Housewives‘ formula, so viewers suspend their disbelief. However, with Kandi, they didn’t need to.
While she might not be about to win Succession, Kandi’s businesses stand up to interrogation better than other housewives’ ventures do. They stuck around for more than one season, and you can physically confirm they exist. While many other cast members’ lines have disappeared into the ether, you can order Bedroom Kandi products to your heart’s content. Some fans might not want to, on account of the MLM-laden language on the website, but it’s possible to procure them.
Kandi Burruss Never Needed ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’
There are many reasons a person might join a reality TV show. Often, it’s to further their brands, capitalize on their heyday — like Denise Richards in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills — or publicize their businesses. Kandi played her part to perfection, hosting sex toy demonstrations, letting cameras inside her business headquarters, and utilizing restaurant launches as storylines in the show. However, it’s plausible none of her businesses were reliant on RHOA, and that meant she was never beholden to Bravo.
Some housewives are devastated when they’re released from their show, and there are many women within touching distance of The Real Housewives who would give anything to use it as a platform — just ask The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City‘s Monica Garcia. Kandi never had that air about her, there was no hint of desperation. The relationship between Kandi and RHOA was more symbiotic than what is typical. That gave her sway behind the scenes, in addition to the rumored largest paydays in The Real Housewives‘ history.
This created some problems: Kandi often seemed not to play by the housewives rulebook, by picking and choosing when she wanted to engage. Yet, her self-sufficiency was impressive in a reality TV landscape where talent is often holding the shorter end of the stick, displaying their worst moments on screen in the hope of a renewed contract because it’s their primary source of income.
While RHOA has numerous stand-out stars from across the seasons, Kandi was a jack of all trades with considerable staying power. She was unique because she spun multiple plates and wasn’t reliant on the show’s success. Her exit marks the end of an era: Kandi will likely be one of the first and last pre-established women to sign up for The Real Housewives.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.
