Porsha Williams Guobadia — who is now going by her married name — will return to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Bravo announced Tuesday, in the first cast announcement of what will be the show’s rebooted Season 16. Williams Guobadia, always a fan favorite, was on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” from Seasons 5-13, and, in a rare voluntary departure for the franchise, left the show in September 2021.
In an interview with PvNew a few months after that, she spoke of her then-upcoming marriage to Simon Guobadia, and said she wanted to spend as much time as she could with her young daughter, Pilar.
“I just want as much time with her as possible,” she said. “And with me in the past dealing with mental health, I knew that I needed to be as healthy mentally as I could be. No drama, etc. Just in a happy peaceful place for my baby girl.”
But she also left the door open. “I would never say never,” she said. “You just don’t know.”
After a challenging 15th season of what was once the most popular city in “The Real Housewives” multi-verse, Bravo has brought Williams Guobadia back into the fold, and appears to be rebuilding a rebooted “Atlanta” cast around her. She’s the first cast member to be announced for the upcoming season — which will begin production later this year — and won’t be a full reboot, but a mixture of new and returning cast.
On Feb. 4 on the Grammys red carpet, veteran cast member Kandi Burruss told PvNew‘s Marc Malkin that she wouldn’t be returning, telling him, “I’m going to take a break, I’m going to take a moment — I’m not coming back this year.”
Along with the news that Williams Guobadia will come back to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” NBCUniversal also announced that she will have an overall scripted talent deal with NBCU Entertainment: “Under the terms of the deal, Williams Guobadia will partner exclusively with NBCUniversal Entertainment for scripted project opportunities across the company’s broadcast and streaming properties,” the press release read.
“I’m incredibly thankful for the vision and faith NBCUniversal has put in me to be a larger part of their family,” said Williams Guobadia in the release. “I’m looking forward to being back on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ and showing the world my new world!”
“Porsha Williams Guobadia is a multi-hyphenate and we are fortunate to collaborate and tap into her creativity and passion through this partnership,” said Rachel Smith, executive vice president of unscripted content, lifestyle and documentaries, NBCUniversal Entertainment. “Our audience has supported and admired Porsha as she so authentically, hilariously and vulnerably shared her life over the years and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her back to the NBCU family.”
Williams Guobadia is repped by Karen Kinney, KK Entertainment & Media, Fox Rothschild LLP and United Talent Agency.
