The Truth About Cynthia Bailey's Ex, Leon Robinson

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey married sports journalist Mike Hill in a lavish wedding on Oct. 10, 2020, the second marriage for both. On her wedding day, Cynthia told People, "Mike and I are elated that today has finally come! 10/10/20 is and always will be our perfect date. We are not perfect, but, are perfect for each other." Her RHOA costars Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, and former RHOA castmate Eva Marcille were all in attendance.

One person who could not attend the nuptials, however, was Cynthia's ex-fiancé, Leon Robinson, the father of her daughter Noelle. The two are still great friends as they are both very involved in co-parenting Noelle. On the day Cynthia wed Mike, Leon posted a very sweet video on Instagram to celebrate his ex's wedding. "Cynthia, you've been a supermodel, a super mom to our beautiful Noelle, and now, today, you start the first day of being a super wife to Mike Hill. I congratulate you both," Leon said. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there, but I'm filming out of the country. But I'm there in spirit and in love through our daughter Noelle. I wish you all the best. I'm really happy for you. Much love."

Seeing Leon so genuinely happy for Cynthia is truly a wonderful thing. Believe it or not, he knew Cynthia's new husband before Mike met Cynthia. Find out how Leon Robinson met Cynthia's Bailey's husband, Mike Hill, below.

Mike Hill, Cynthia Bailey's husband, met her ex-finacé, Leon Robinson, years before she met Mike. "I knew Leon before I knew Cynthia. It wasn't like I was breaking the bro code or anything like that," Mike told The Daily Dish. "I knew him in passing and we knew each other from each other's work obviously. He's a big sports fan and I obviously know who he is from his acting career. So we met and we was actually gonna do a show together, try to get a show together, which we're still gonna try and get together long before the whole thing."

Mike further explained that everyone gets along famously. "And even when I met Cynthia, I didn't even think about — this is Leon's baby mama. We just met and it just kinda happened that way. But, you know, he's been so supportive and so loving and caring. He'll reach out and when we were in New York, he wants to hang out with all of us." For Mike and Cynthia, it all comes down to their children, of which Mike has two from a previous marriage. Cynthia told The Daily Dish, "When your children are involved, then it's really not about us anymore," Cynthia said. "I don't want to marry Mike and there's like friction with Leon."

Along with being a great father, Cynthia Bailey's ex Leon Robinson is an accomplished actor and singer. Keep scrolling to find out how he got his big break.

Leon Robinson, born in New York City on Mar. 8, 1962, began his professional acting career in the early 1980s. His IMDb page lists over 80 acting credits with early roles in films such as the 1983 Tom Cruise movie All the Right Moves, 1984's The Flamingo Kid, and the 1988 gritty Sean Penn police drama, Colors. The role that upped his profile in Hollywood was for Madonna's 1989 controversial "Like a Prayer" music video in which he played a statue that came to life. 

Of the now-legendary role, Leon told Madonna Tribe that he initially turned down the part as he considered himself a serious actor. However, following a meeting with the music video's director Mary Lambert, he accepted. "I went to the meeting and from the moment I walked in everybody was buzzing and excited about me and they were all women so I was feeling very comfortable. Mary told me the concept of the video and right then I realized that they wanted an actor (despite the countless models they had seen before me)," Leon explained. "So, I said, 'Let me get this right, you want me to play a real-life person and a statue that comes to life. You want Madonna to adore me, kiss my feet, and then I kiss her?' Mary said, 'Yes' and I replied, 'Oh, I can do that!'" Continue reading to find how Leon Robinson's "Like a Prayer" role opened up doors for him in Hollywood.

Leon Robinson's exposure in Madonna's "Like a Prayer" video led to the actor's most significant roles. In 1991, he played J.T. in the film The Five Heartbeats, Derice Bannock in the 1993 film Cool Runnings, and Russell in 1995's Waiting to Exhale. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Leon played many famous musicians in various TV movies and mini-series, including David Ruffin in the 1998 mini-series The Temptations, Jackie Wilson in the TV movie Mr. Rock' n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story, and the title role in the 2000 Little Richard TV film. Leon also had recurring roles on TV shows such as Resurrection Blvd, Oz, and Diary of a Single Mom.

In 2005, Leon formed the Reggae/R&B band Leon and the Peoples. The group's second album, Love Is a Beautiful Thing, released in 2015, was the band's most successful. Featuring the single's, the title track, "Love Is a Beautiful Thing," and "Beautiful." On Oct. 14, 2020, the band released their single, "The World's Gonna Come Around."

Leon is one busy man, but there is nothing more important to him than his family. His and Cynthia Bailey's daughter Noelle came out as sexually fluid in late 2019. "I'm completely supportive of my daughter," Leon told Vlad TV. "Who she loves and who loves her, that's got to be her choice. I could never make that choice as a parent, nor could my parent make that choice about me." Amen to that.