Fans of The Real Housewives of Atlanta were stunned when longtime peach holder Porsha Williams announced her departure after eight seasons on the show. The former real homemaker turned media personality and entrepreneur said in her statement that it was a decision she contemplated many times before. But the announcement came amid a time where the public wasn’t necessarily in favor of the Atlanta beauty.
At the time of her departure, Williams was newly engaged to her co-star’s estranged husband. In fact, Williams had spent years on the show cultivation of her image. She was a former NFL wife who was allegedly blindsided by a divorce and left nearly penniless only to rebuild her life and image as an independent woman. Now, it was threatened.
But contrary to popular belief, Williams didn’t leave because of the gossip. She left because she said it was time for people to see the real her, outside of the camera.
Porsha Williams details her ‘RHOA’ exit
In an exclusive interview with Variety, Williams spoke of the journey to come to her final decision to leave the show that had been her comfort blanket for nearly a decade. It’s not a decision that came impulsively for the former Dish Nation co-host.
“I knew that I wanted to semi-retire at 40,” Williams says. “After I had my daughter — listen — I just knew she was my world. That’s it. I just want as much time with her as possible. And with me in the past dealing with mental health, I knew that I needed to be as healthy mentally as I could be. No drama, etc. Just in a happy peaceful place for my baby girl.”
She’s now working to produce a few shows that she says she “can’t necessarily speak on” yet. But she’s excited to “live some life off-camera” for both “myself and my daughter.”
She says she left the show amicably, which is not common. She noted: “It’s truly been a journey that I would never, ever regret.” And, she’s not discounting a return, adding, “I would never say never,” she says. “You just don’t know.”