Phaedra Parks Talks Returning to ‘RHOA’ and Her Mount Rushmore of Housewives (EXCLUSIVE)

Most fans of The Real Housewives of Atlanta never thought we'd see Phaedra Parks again. Well, at least not on the show anyway. (She likes to remind us that she has many jobs on and off reality TV.) RHOA fans particularly thought she was done with the franchise after she was fired from the show in 2017. But, in Season 16, Andy Cohen and Co. called her with an offer — and a peach — that she couldn't refuse.

Following a season of revenge porn allegations, friendship tension, and the return of fan favorites Porsha Williams and Cynthia Bailey, Phaedra was asked to reclaim her position as one of the show's stars. In an exclusive interview with Distractify to promote her Cheez-It Snap'd Back Bag, which features her classic RHOA read, "Now Check That!" the Southern Belle discussed her return to RHOA and her Mount Rushmore of Real Housewives stars.

While she remained an ATLien after her RHOA exit, Phaedra compared being back on the show to "just coming home" after college, noting that being around the ladies felt like "somewhat of a safe space." In addition to she and Porsha giving us more "Frick and Frack" shenanigans, she said her return, along with the new dynamic the show provided with its already established cast, brought fresh energy, which had been on hiatus to shake up the cast after it received poor reviews in Season 15.

"The new girls. I mean, they are fun," Phaedra told Distractify. "And I just think it's the revamp that was needed to bring it back, to its flagship position. So I'm super excited to be back, but I think people are going to love it."

The certified Reiki master's decision to return to RHOA came during her reality TV renaissance. After she was fired from the show for accusing Kandi Burruss and her husband, Todd Tucker, of attempting to drug and sexually assault Porsha, Phaedra briefly left Bravo and filmed shows like Marriage Boot Camp.

She returned to the network's streaming hub, Peacock, to film Season 2 of The Real Housewives' Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club. Phaedra's impressive run on the show led to her appearances on Season 10 of Married to Medicine and Season 2 of The Traitors.

However, she left Married to Medicine in Season 11 for RHOA, following Kandi announcing in February 2024 that she wouldn't be returning. Phaedra told us that while she thrived on other Bravo platforms, her return to RHOA and her trademark "Phaedra-isms" bring the nostalgia that fans desperately craved.

"Fans have obviously wanted me to come back for a while," she explained. "I think it brings back a lot of nostalgia, but at the same time, I'm fun, I'm happy. And Porsha's fun. We are definitely that dynamic duo. And so I think when the world is so crazy, you want to see two girlfriends with their friends in a sisterhood, having fun, you know, a little drama, but at the end of the day, love each other and do things that people fantasize about doing."

Phaedra's RHOA return aired on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Those who consider her one of the top Housewives stars were elated to see her back in action. Her comeback also came amid ongoing social media debates regarding the "Mount Rushmore" of the franchise. Phaedra gave us some of her picks.

"There are some super iconic housewives," Phaedra admitted. "I mean, OC Vicki Gunvalson, hands down, the Hilton sisters [Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton], they definitely come to mind. "I don't think Mount Rushmore is big enough to put all the iconic housewives, because there are quite a few of us. I think I'm in the number."

"But you know, you do have people who have just been standouts, you know, , it's a lot," she continued. "And now you've got the Salt Lake City ladies, and they are hilarious, and they're doing well. So I don't want to dim anyone's light and say, you know, there can only be a few of us, because it's room for everyone. Well, not everyone, because everybody's not good, but it is more."