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Porsha Williams Guobadia, who now goes 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 16th season. Williams Guobadia, always a fan favorite, was on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” from seasons 5 to 13 and, in a rare voluntary departure from the franchise, she left the show in September 2021.
In an interview with Variety A few months later, she talked about her upcoming marriage to Simon Guobadia and said she wanted to spend as much time as she could with her little daughter, Pilar.
“I just want to spend as much time with her as possible,” he said. “And because I dealt with mental health in the past, I knew I needed to be as mentally healthy as possible. No drama etc. “Just a happy, calm place for my baby.”
But he 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” multiverse, Bravo has brought back Williams Guobadia and appears to be rebuilding a rebooted “Atlanta” cast around her. She is the first cast member announced for the upcoming season, which will go into production later this year, and won’t be a full reboot, but rather a mix of new and returning cast.
On the Feb. 4 Grammys red carpet, veteran cast member Kandi Burruss said. VarietyMarc Malkin told her she wasn’t coming back, saying, “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 return to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” NBCUniversal also announced that it will have an overall scripted talent deal with NBCU Entertainment: “Under the terms of the agreement, Williams Guobadia will partner exclusively with NBCUniversal. Entertainment for scripted project opportunities across the company’s broadcast and streaming properties,” the press release reads.
“I am incredibly grateful for the vision and faith NBCUniversal has put in me to be a bigger part of their family,” Williams Guobadia said in the statement. “I’m looking forward to coming back to ‘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 leverage 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 because she has shared her life so authentically, hilariously and vulnerablely over the years and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her back to the NBCU family.”
Williams Guobadia is represented by Karen Kinney, KK Entertainment & Media, Fox Rothschild LLP and United Talent Agency.