[MUSIC] And I love being a mother. It's just the best job I've ever had. He's 15 months so he's walking and talking. He's trying to use a fork. Mm-hm. He's doing laundry. [LAUGH] He knows how to take the clothes and put them in the laundry [UNKNOWN]. Those you know shirt in there. He's doing perfect. It's been a, a joyous evening for me. I mean just seeing him grow daily and just seeing myself in him. And just you know, trying to instill. I mean he's like a mama's boy, you know? And I try to kinda get that out of him because he's always when I say something, he looks at his mama. He'll come here, you know? It's cool though. I, I can't wait until he gets a little older so we can start having some father son day. I think this season because I'm not pregnant you see a different me. Because of course, less hormones. I mean you get to see me evolve professionally because last season they really didn't show me as a lawyer, as an entrepreneur and a business woman. So this season you will see that and you'll see me doing what I do best work. I've maintained a very sensible diet throughout the pregnancy I've nursed the baby for nine months. And breastfeeding is such a wonderful bonding with your baby, but it also is great for burning calories. So, I mean, it was the best experience, but it helped me get back into shape. As soon as I was allowed to go to the gym, I worked out no less than three times a day, me and my son. We took a swim class together, and so he learned to swim as I exercised. And, you know, I, I've always maintained a very sensible diet. I try to eat in more than I eat out. I try to, you know, have a diet based on organic products and foods, and less preservatives. And I try to cook. Well, I don't try, I do cook. Yes, she cooks. Yes. I developed a big desire to be in the funeral home business, about, I guess five or six years ago, when a lot of my friends were, you know, unfortunately, you know, a few of them committed suicide. A few of them died of illnesses and a few were actually murdered, so. In the planning of their home going services it sparked an interest in me. It evolved where I wanted to know the whole science, you know, of the mortuary business. And so, our family is going to open a funeral home and my mom's involved, my brother's involved, his brother's involved, and it's gonna be a legacy that we can leave for our son. Today, we celebrate, our two year anniversary. So you know, that's a big step considering all the scrutiny. But you know, first and foremost, if you love somebody, and you already know their past. It's not new to us. So we just you know, we just continue to love and just stay strong. We, know, kinda block everybody else's opinion. That doesn't really affect us. So as long as you kinda you know, mind your own business. Stay in your own lane. Then we're gonna be good. You know. To be very honest that's why I was really interested in doing the show because it's very important to me as a black women to show people in our community that, you know, marriage is a good thing. You know, children in wedlock are a good thing and that we can have strong families, we can go to college, we can have what this American dream is reported to be. And I don't think we see enough of it. I think it's so many stereotypical portrayals of us on television that the media feeds into. And so many negative depictions of our black men. If our you know, culture is going to advance, not only do black women advance, but we have to reach back and pull our black men with us. I've traveled to Africa before my, I know the President and Vice President of Ghana. So I've been before so I knew that all the propaganda that you see about Africa wasn't exactly factual. But I really thought it was a great idea for me to take my friends so that, you know, we could visit the motherland and reconnect with our origins. You know, and it was a great experience. Of course there would be fights. There'll be tear jerking moments. There'll be a lot of drama. But, overall it was a wonderful experience and it was a life, it was a once in a lifetime experience, and I think it's gonna show our viewers a different side of us, but also a different side of Africa. That people don't associate with what they think Africa is. I'm Apollo. I'm Phaedra. And you're watching Essence TV.
The second part of The Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion picked up exactly where it left off with Kandi Burruss and Porsha Williams going back and forth about supporting “friends”.
“When we get together this is the dynamic I deal with,” Porsha said claiming that half of her cast mates bully her and think little of her personal growth. “When I’m trying to better myself, all you do is think that it’s something bad. When are you ever going to celebrate someone?”
The conversation shifted to Kenya Moore and Matt’s volatile relationship. The pair who began dating at the end of season eight, had a romance filled with arguments and public insults that eventually led to them breaking up. Kenya hasn’t talked to him in months.
“He sprayed her cameras black, that’s too much,” Kandi noted about her cast mate’s ex-boyfriend. To which Sheree Whitfield had to clarify what she meant during the season when she claimed Kenya provoked Matt’s violent behavior. “No way do I ever condone a man putting his hands on a woman. Whether she provoked him or not.”
Later in the episode, Sheree touches upon the emotional process of drudging up her relationship with ex-husband Bob Whitfield, who was physically and mentally abusive. “I portray myself as a strong woman who my daughters look up to, but I’m allowing someone to hurt me in a way that I would never want someone to hurt them.”
However, the real juice of part two was finally delving into Phaedra Parks’ divorce from Apollo Nida.
The couple married in 2009 and had two boys together. The veil of illegal activity always surrounded them due to Apollo’s criminal past, but the issues came to a head the past two seasons when he was convicted of mail, wire, and bank fraud. Consequently, the attorney decided to file for divorce upon him entering federal prison.
This season the entire cast wanted to know the status of their divorce that seemed ever-changing.
“I’m obviously divorced, but he has appealed it again,” she said, to which Andy asked about why he would do that when engaged to someone else. “I don’t know because I’ve already paid $100k to him. That was the settlement.”
When asked about Kandi’s Mama Joyce delving into her business on the show by talking to a divorce attorney, Phaedra said, “I thought it was deplorable. Why are you so concerned with my life? What have I done to you guys to make you continuously try to drag me? It’s ridiculous to me.”
Kandi agreed it was over-stepping but rebutted with, “Talking about you and getting somebody to actually sue you, is two totally different things!”
For those of us who still care, Phaedra did come with receipts proving the divorce has been finalized. Now, if Apollo chooses to keep the appeals coming, we can guarantee more issues for Phaedra, who truly seems over his mess.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion part three debuts Sunday, April 30 at 8/9c on Bravo.
