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Cynthia Bailey is sharing her reaction to the new cast of the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ while speaking on her “official” role and the show’s recent departures.
Bailey sat down for an interview with Page Six, which was published on Tuesday, May 21. During her appearance, Bailey explained that “new blood” is needed to return ‘RHOA’ to its number one spot on TV.
“I feel like the show has been just OK for the past couple of years. No shade, but it just has. And it has not thrived the way ‘Atlanta’ has always thrived,” she said. “We were No. 1 for so long. And to watch it not be No. 1 was really hard, even sitting on the sidelines… So I think some new blood was needed, and from what I can tell, these ladies seem like they really have it going on, and I’m so excited to meet them.”
As The Shade Room previously reported, Bailey is set to return to the show in a “friend of” capacity.
“I’ve always been open to the idea of popping in and out as a friend. I did it last season. My fans loved it, I loved it,” she explained. “…So when it came up again this season, I was like, ‘You know what? I’ll just do what I did last season. I’ll just pop in when I’m in Atlanta.'”
According to Bailey, she’ll be appearing as a “full-time friend” in a “more official capacity” this time around. Despite her return, she doesn’t anticipate doing any “heavy lifting.”
“Listen, [let me] be very clear. I am the only official friend this season,” she explained. “I will definitely help this show move along, but the peach-holders will definitely be doing all the heavy lifting. They will be doing the heavy lifting. That is above my pay grade!”
During the conversation, the 57-year-old explained that she’s “excited to see” Shamea Morton join the ranks.
“Let me just say, Shamea is a good time 100 percent. She has been around the group for years. So I’m excited to see her in a peach-holder capacity,” she explained. “She has such amazing story, everything that’s happening in her family, her daughter in particular.”
Furthermore, Bailey even credited Drew Sidora for “carrying” the show’s recent season.
“I feel like Drew has a lot of story and I felt like she carried a lot of last season, so I think it makes sense to bring her back,” Bailey added.
Moreover, the 57-year-old reacted to Kandi Burruss, Marlo Hampton, Sanya Richards-Ross, and Shereé Whitfield’s decisions to leave the series. Bailey appeared to be most disappointed by Whitfield’s exit.
“I think she definitely adds a certain level of, ‘Who gon’ check me, boo?’ to the show that nobody else brings,” Bailey explained. “Like, Shereé will get in there, and… she’s going to ask those hard questions for sure. So I think she definitely will be missed by her fans 100 percent.”
As The Shade Room previously reported, Kandi Burruss shared her reaction to the show’s new cast on May 17. At the time, Burruss explained that she wouldn’t “miss the stress” of being a part of the series.
“I’m not necessarily gonna miss that stress,” she explained. “They started filming this week. I was talking to one of them — I can’t say who it was — but she was like, ‘Girl, it’s just a lot.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know if I missed that part.’ I forgot about that first stress of getting the ball rolling when you’re meeting new people.”
Despite her relief, Burruss ultimately explained that she has “great memories” from her time on set.
