Phaedra Parks’ return to The Real Housewives of Atlanta is happening very soon. The entrepreneur, lawyer, and mom of two has not yet made her return to RHOA Season 16 in the first four episodes. But, when she does make her first appearance of the season, it’s going to be major — get all the details down below.
Phaedra first announced that she would be returning to RHOA for Season 16 last summer after being a cast member on Married to Medicine Seasons 10 and 11. The mortician took to Instagram at the time, where she posted a series of photos of her holding a peach while standing on stairs, leading up to a private plane. “You called. I answered,” she wrote in the caption of the post.
In the months since then, Phaedra has teased whats to come from her big return and how fitting in with the Season 16 cast went for her. “It went absolutely awesome,” she told E! News in September 2024. “I felt like I was back home.”
Phaedra Parks dishes on upcoming “fun” moments with Porsha Williams
It certainly helped that Phaedra’s friend, Porsha Williams, joined the cast of RHOA Season 16 after appearing on RHOA from Seasons 5 to 13. This was major for Phaedra, who is very close to Porsha, and have lovingly referred to their friendship as “Frick and Frack.”
“When Frick and Frack is back, honey, it’s gonna be some fun,” she noted. “It’s definitely going to be very spicy, but it’s going to be some fun, too.”
She reiterated this in a conversation with Entertainment Tonight in March. “I love Porsha — Frick and Frack is back — so I’m super excited,” she noted. “The new ladies are absolutely amazing, so it’s gonna be fun. It’s going back to basics of what made us the flagship show, so we’re coming back. We’re coming back for the real peach.”
Phaedra was also glad that she could be on hand to shake things up. “I think bringing back some new energy, it’s gonna shake it up, but in a good way. In a positive way,” she told E! News.
When did Phaedra Parks leave RHOA?
Phaedra had previously appeared on RHOA as a full-time cast member between Season 3 through Season 9. RHOA viewers got a close up look at her life over the six seasons, watching as she gave birth to her sons, Dylan Nida and Ayden Nida, while she navigated her relationship to her now ex-husband, Apollo Nida.
Andy Cohen teases Phaedra Parks’ return to RHOA
Phaedra wasn’t the only person who was excited about her return to RHOA — Andy Cohen was super excited, too. In an interview with The Daily Dish in December, Andy explained why he was so excited about RHOA Season 16. “I think people have been waiting a long time to see what we’ve done. We’ve got great new housewives,” he explained. “We’ve got the return of Porsha, we’ve got the return of Phaedra. Shamea [Morton Mwangi] is a full housewife. I mean, she’s someone that we’ve been seeing for years and years, but seeing her in this way is totally a breath of fresh air.”
