The self-proclaimed southern belle is back. Phaedra Parks made her debut on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Atlanta in the show’s third season. For seven years, America fell in love with Parks’ one-liners, extravagant parties, southern mannerisms, and her adorable sons Ayden and Dylan, aka The Prince and Mr. President.
Parks exited the series following the explosive Season 9 reunion special. Since then, she’s appeared on WE Tv’s Marriage Boot Camp. But her focus in recent years has been raising her boys, delving into social justice work, and now acting. But after it was announced that she’d be making her long-awaited return to the franchise for the second installment of the Housewives’ equivalent of All-Stars — The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip — it’s all anyone can talk about.
Phaedra Parks couldn't pass up the 'Housewives' mashup
Parks is equally excited to return to Bravo, but in a different way this time around. “This is something totally different from being on a regular installation of the show,” Parks tells Shadow and Act in a recent interview. “So, when Andy called me about, ‘Hey, we would love to see if you’d be interested in doing this,’ and he told me the Housewives that would be involved in it, it was a dream cast. It’s definitely the OG’s and people that I have watched and really have loved over the years.”
Parks will join Dorinda Medley and Eva Marcille, as well as a few other notable faces from other franchises. The current season airing on Peacock has Housewives from New York, New Jersey, Beverly Hill, and Parks’ former franchise Atlanta spending eight days in Turks and Caicos. For Parks’ cast, they’ll take a trip to one of Medley’s estates. She says things are sure to be spicy.
Though Parks’ fans yearn to see her return to RHOA, it’s not something that’s on her radar. She does however appreciate the love. “I think with any character on TV, people resonate with them because they see a little bit of themselves in that person,” she says when asked why fans continue to want to see more of her. “For me, as a woman, a woman of color, I’m a hard worker, I’ve stepped out and have done things that most people would probably not do and I’m always pushing myself to the limit. But also, I’m a mom and people say I’m funny.”
The 'Phine Body' workout star says acting is her new passion
Pushing herself to the limit is exactly what Parks is doing in the new phase of her career. The attorney-turned-mortician is now embarking on a career in acting. She landed her first role in the ALLBLK anthology series, Covenant.
The four-part anthology series chronicles tales of betrayal, love, revenge, and redemption. Parks plays Bernice Whitfield, the beloved wife of Conroy Whitfield— CEO and founder of Whitfield Corp, a multi-million-dollar real estate firm. Bernice is committed to her two sons, Aiden and Amir Whitfield, continuing the family legacy and taking over the company after her husband.
Parks says the role relates a lot to her own life. “Bernice is definitely a very strong woman, she understands love and loss, but she also is a great mom and she loves her kids and she wants to make sure that she secures that legacy,” Parks says. “So she is determined to make sure that what she needs to happen, will happen. That resonated with me. Of course, she’s truly a housewife and that’s never been me but as a woman, I can understand how you can get into a relationship and turn a blind eye to certain things because you want to make sure that you’re doing the right thing for your children.”
Parks says she wants to continue acting and is working with a coach. Check out the full interview below where Parks talks about motherhood, more Housewives stuff, and staying booked and busy with her law career and funeral business.
Covenant premiered on AMC Networks’ streamer ALLBLK on Oct. 14. Parks’ episode will air on Thursday, Nov. 18.
