Lara Sophia 
Andy Cohen opens up about Porsha Williams returning to RHOA for season 16. Plus, Andy says fans are going to love what Bravo has in the works.
During Wednesday’s episode of SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live, host Andy Cohen reacted to Porsha Williams’ return to the Real Housewives of Atlanta.
The Watch What Happens Live host gushed that he was “so excited” about Porsha’s return to the fold for season 16.
He explained that Porsha has had “such an incredible journey” on RHOA and that he’s excited for fans to see the “new life” she’s created with her husband, Simon Guobadia, whom she married in 2022, and her daughter PJ.
Andy also noted that there’s “wonderful casting” happening for season 16 of RHOA while encouraging Bravo fans not to believe every rumor they hear.
On top of that, Andy admitted that he’s “feeling very positive about the new season of Atlanta.”
Check out Andy’s statement below!
“You know, yesterday the news broke that Porsha Guobadia is coming back to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” I’m so excited about this. Y’all know that Porsha has had such an incredible journey on “The Housewives of Atlanta,” and when she left the show, it was great because she left. She was about to be married and start a new life and she’s got PJ and she’s got her man, and so it was cool that she left, took some time for herself. She’s done so much. She’s accomplished so much. She comes back to us a more evolved Porsha, but yet the Porsha that we all love. She’s so funny. She’s such a bright light and I’m just thrilled that she’s back,” Andy gushed.
He then revealed that when Porsha left RHOA, he begged her to agree that it was just a pause. Andy details the “dance” Bravo did to get Porsha back for season 16.
“I remember speaking to Porsha when she left the show, and I was like, can we please say this is a pause? Can you just say it for me so I can feel better? She was like, “Okay,” and she was kind of humoring me, and I was like, “Okay, well, I hope this is a pause.” I wasn’t totally sure. I remember speaking to her several months ago at the gym, and it’s been a dance. I’m so glad that she came back, and she’s got a bright future on Bravo, and you’re gonna be seeing a lot more of her on all the NBCU networks, so welcome back, Porsha.”
As for season 16 as a whole, Andy says fans are really going to enjoy what Bravo has been cooking up with casting.
“I said last week on the show that we’ve got wonderful casting. We’ve got some amazing new gals, and I’m feeling very positive about the new season of Atlanta, so just stand by, and you will hear more. I will say there’s a lot of rumors out there that are not true about what’s to come, and you’ll hear more when there’s something to be said, but we’re so excited, and we’ve kind of been doing a dance.”
On Tuesday, Porsha Williams announced her return to The Real Housewives of Atlanta for season 16.
“Who said that Porsha Williams [is] coming back to ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’? That’s false,” the Bravoleb said in a cheeky social media video.
“But Porsha Guobadia?” she continued, referencing her new married name, “is in the building! See ya!”
The fan-favorite starred on RHOA for nine seasons before announcing her exit from the franchise in September 2021. She joined the RHOA cast during season 6 in 2013.
The Atlanta Housewives franchise has been on hiatus since concluding its 15th season in September 2023.
For months, rumors have been swirling about Bravo’s plans to reboot the franchise à la the Real Housewives of New York. But it seems instead of giving RHOA a complete overhaul, Bravo is simply revamping the series.
Part of that revamp includes the exit of Kandi Burruss, who has starred on RHOA for 14 consecutive seasons. Kandi announced her exit on February 4 at the 2024 Grammys.
“I decided I’m not coming back this year,” she told Variety. “It’s been 14 seasons, and they allowed us to sit around for a little too long, but during that time I had started working on a lot of other things, and I got some nice big projects coming soon, so I’m super excited about those things.”
Season 15 of RHOA starred Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Shereé Whitfield, Drew Sidora, Sanya Richards-Ross and Marlo Hampton.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is expected to return for season 16 in 2024.
