Porsha Williams announced her exit from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” in 2021. Of course, she’s since returned to the show, but there’s been an ongoing narrative that she left to avoid speaking about her marriage to Simon Guobadia. Now, years later, the “RHOA” star is dispelling that rumor, saying she’d already planned to leave the show.
Porsha Williams Discusses Leaving ‘RHOA’
Williams appeared on Carlos King’s “Reality With The King” podcast on April 28. While on the show, the famed reality television producer mentioned that she’d not only left “RHOA” amid her marriage to Guobadia, but also given up other jobs, including hosting “Dish Nation.”
That led her to say, “For the record, I left ‘Housewives’ for that break when I was around 40.” She went on to say that she “had planned for that financially, mentally, everything.” From there, Williams noted that this was after she’d had her daughter and that she wanted to “experience real life in real time outside of the cameras.”
The “RHOA” star continued, “I knew I was going to give myself that time to step away. I had financially prepared for that,” before noting that the show pays a substantial amount, meaning she had to prepare to not have that income.
The ‘RHOA’ Star Says Simon Guobadia Supplemented Her Income
Williams continued this line of conversation, discussing meeting Guobadia after having already decided to leave “RHOA.” According to her, “Then I met Simon, and at that point I was working at Dish Nation, and I was traveling with him and all that.”
She then explained that Guobadia wanted her to be with him more often. Because of this, he decided to “supplement that income.” Williams went on, “So that’s how that happened. I did not leave ‘Housewives’ because I got married. It was planned.”
Regarding the persistent rumors about her departure, she said, “Yeah, I don’t understand that. I’ve dealt with worse questions on ‘Housewives,'” before noting that she wouldn’t have returned for season 16 if that had been the case.
Later, Williams claimed she let Bravo know she wasn’t returning before the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” season 13 reunion.
Fans Are Raving About Porsha Williams’ Carlos King Interview
King first teased that he’d be interviewing Williams with a clip from the hour-plus conversation on April 27. Because of this, the conversation between the two longtime friends was highly anticipated, and many are now reacting online.
One person on YouTube said, “Porsha has evolved egregiously throughout her time on RHOA.” Another “RHOA” fan wrote, “This is the most authentic, hilarious, and enjoyable video you have done, Carlos! Porsha has an indomitable spirit! She has triumphed over the hatred spewed at her by jealous haters, and she continues to and always will survive and succeed in her ambitions!”
Someone else said, “Whenever I see Porsha talking, I always feel like she should preach; she actually always has a word of encouragement.”
Lastly, a different fan stated, “This interview was so good. One of the reasons I’m a fan of Porsha is her ability to live in her truth. I love people who are authentically themselves and live life on their own terms, no matter how others may feel. Life is short, why spend it worrying about what others think when the majority of folks can’t figure their own lives out.”
Porsha Williams Recently Teased ‘RHOA’ Season 17
Season 17 of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” premiered in April 2026. Since then, fans have raved, saying that while not the glory days, it represents a return to form. Ahead of the show’s return, she spoke to US Weekly, teasing a “lighter” season compared to some of the past few.
According to Williams, “This was not a dark season. It probably could have gone there, but it just wasn’t. We all want to be friends, and we’re grown.” Regarding her mindset ahead of season 17, she revealed, “I just wanted a clean slate, and I wanted to have a good time. I wanted to be open to new friendships… and have this season feel like a breath of fresh air.”
It’s worth noting that Williams was going through her divorce from Guobadia amid filming for the new season. When asked who she leaned on from the cast, the mom of one said, “Phaedra [Parks ]and I have a very trusting friendship. So do Cynthia [Bailey] and I. I know she probably misses some of the OGs. I always look for her and Phaedra —we have our little camaraderie of doing this for so long.”
The Reality Star Is Happily Off The Market
Williams’ divorce from Guobadia was finalized in June 2025. Months later, the “RHOA” star revealed she was dating two people, a man and a woman. However, time passed, and she then confirmed her relationship with Patrice “Sway” McKinney.
She spoke about their relationship in her US Weekly interview, stating, “You just know when you know. I felt comfortable. I felt led more toward her and our relationship and what we were building.”
“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” airs on Bravo Sunday nights.
The Porsha Williams Reveals the Real Reason She Left ‘RHOA’ first appeared on The Blast