We all know about the trainwreck that happened during episode five of Season 16 of Real Housewives of Atlanta. It was Kenya Moore‘s stormy swan song of sorts, her last appearance of the season, and based on some of her latest posts, possibly her last hurrah with the franchise as a whole.
After she was berated unexpectedly at dinner by newbie cast member Brit Eady in episode five, who’d seemingly picked a fight with Moore for behaviors she deemed disrespectful (assuming Eady was not married because she was only wearing an engagement ring when they met, and feeling as though Moore would dismissively overlook her greetings, à la, “Where my hug at!?”), we saw a different side of the RHOA vet. Known for her quick comebacks and sharp tongue, after exchanging a few words with Eady, Moore refrained from giving her any more attention (No pun intended!). She ignored the freshman cast member, who worked hard to get her riled up, claiming she had whips and pistols at her disposal. While they weren’t direct threats to Moore’s face, her comments could certainly be interpreted as a threat in an effort to intimidate.
People were outraged. They wondered why Eady would be given the opportunity to stay on the show, knowing Moore had been cut from filming soon after the encounter. She wasn’t the aggressor. Folks took to social media, exclaiming that she was the aggrieved party, and criticized the show and network for seemingly protecting Eady. The last week has been a lot of chatter on the matter. And while Moore stayed quiet at the tail end of that uncomfortable encounter and episode, it was because she was stewing. She heard Eady loud and clear and had big plans for her boisterous new cast mate, and we all got to see the result during Sunday night’s episode.
Despite Eady’s attempt to apologize to Moore after plenty of commentary from her cast mates, coming to the grand opening of the Kenya Moore Hair Spa bearing flowers, the vet ignored her. Once she finally left, Moore used what appeared to be a “Thank you for coming” speech to put Eady all the way on blast. She shared images of Eady before she had plastic surgery, risque images of her from video model work, and worst of all, as I’m sure you’ve heard, explicit imagery of Eady engaging in sexual acts. The latter choice, not only got her peach pulled, but it left her co-stars in disgust. That includes Cynthia Bailey, once Moore’s good friend (Bailey has said that Moore is currently not returning her messages and calls).
I could appreciate Bailey’s thoughts on the matter (more on that later). Shamea Morton’s comments got me thinking, though.
“I know it’s like it’s like tit for tat sometimes in this group,” she remarked in her confessional. “You go low, I go lower. But this? This is too much!”
Yes! It was distasteful. Yes! It was a disappointing way (and a gamble) to unveil a business she’d poured into her daughter’s college fund to bring to life. Yes! It was “awful,” as I saw a commenter note. But hasn’t doing “too much” been the name of the game for RHOA?
I used to watch the show for years, doing recaps of it for work, and instead of being excited to dig into the mess every Sunday night, I found myself increasingly exhausted by it. In addition to losing sleep on a Sunday night before a new work week, there’s something crazy about seeing women, who are accomplished in many ways and who should be in a time period in their lives where they don’t have time for the BS constantly dwelling in chaos. Like, the kind that would make you cringe if you were actually physically present for it at one the many venues and restaurants they duel at. “Too much” has been the norm for too long, whether folks were in each other’s personal space, flinging cast mates to the ground at reunions, brawling at a so-called pillow talk party, and of course, running with a damaging lie that a cast member secretly wanted to drug and sexually assault another. The consequences for such behavior? Not too much.
Porsha Williams’s attack on Moore got her demoted to a “friend of” the show for Season 7. And Phaedra Parks’s rumor churning about Kandi Burruss in Season 9, perhaps the most shocking Clue–inspired reunion moments, was the first time I’d seen any of the women on the show axed for their actions. But who are we kidding? Williams is now the grand diva cast member for Season 16; All it took was for Burruss to exit stage left following Season 15 for production to give Parks her peach back for this current season.
I say all that to say that while Moore’s behavior was highly disappointing, it’s the type of conduct that has been rewarded for so long on the series. It’s what made her a favorite, whether she was calling someone a “ho” with a megaphone or telling Kim Zolciak she was pimping her daughter for concert seats: “See who’s d–k she’ll suck for John Legend tickets, b—h.” It’s always been too much, and it’s one of the things that makes it hard to dive into the show every season for me. While the other franchises seem to thrive on surface, petty issues, the digs and the drama on the franchises led by Black women (RHOA and Potomac) can often feel super heavy. From physical fights to is-he-or-isn’t-he paternity test foolishness and now revenge porn, the storylines can get out of control.
Knowing Bravo’s track record, if Moore is game, who knows? She may be able to retrieve her peach in a few years. Perhaps she can make her way around different reality shows, possibly get the chance to try another Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, do a House of Villains or The Traitors appearance, and maybe it will slowly lead her back to the ATL. If the ratings could benefit from her presence a couple seasons from now, she may twirl back in with the wind.
But for the record, while the disturbing scene she created isn’t “too much” for this television series if production and Bravo would like to keep it real, I agree that it was too much and too far even for her. There are also laws and penalties for this behavior in a number of jurisdictions. I don’t know Moore personally, but I’ve interviewed her multiple times, and she’s a sweet person. Perhaps she reacted in the manner she did out of exhaustion with trying to turn over a new leaf only to be poked and then, as she felt, threatened. But as someone who has made history as Miss USA, who had a successful acting career long before she joined RHOA in 2012, who has proven herself to be a great mother and overcome a very public and rough divorce, and who has become a thriving entrepreneur in the ultra competitive hair industry, yes, it was too much. Her peach was always long secured. There was no need to go to such lengths to embarrass her cast mate. Her tongue has always been her best asset in coming back at those who send for her.
Cynthia Bailey said it best: “I know you, and I really hate that you let that end this way. I think you’re bigger than this, and I think you’re better than this.” That said, while short-lived, it was nice to see her have a chance to showcase vulnerability with co-star Kelli Ferrell, sharing the relatable worries of being a Black woman and a working mom attempting to open a new business. It was also nice to see her get along well with Porsha Williams after years of rollercoaster interactions. It was even nicer to see her just vibe with the ladies, with a little bit of shade ready in her back pocket. She seemed content. And now, all of that’s done, compromising her business opening and her job for pettiness she may have thought would be rewarded.
