Strange Things About Kim Zolciak-Biermann And Kroy Biermann's Marriage

Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Kroy Biermann were going strong for years. Kim started her TV career on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" in 2008. Then unmarried, Kim had viewers intrigued throughout the early episodes of the Bravo hit thanks to her relationship with a mysterious sugar daddy known as "Big Papa." As reported by Life & Style, though he was thought to be married at the time (making way for NeNe Leakes' infamous "close your legs to married men" comment), Big Papa spoiled Kim with lavish gifts, including paying for her home and Range Rover. However, things didn't work out for the two, and fans got to see her romance with football player Kroy Biermann blossom on screen. 

Kim landed her own spinoff when she prepared to marry the athlete in 2011, with all the drama leading up to their wedding captured on "Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding," which transformed into "Don't Be Tardy." It's there where fans got an insight into the couple's personal life as they showed off their most private movements and expanded their family. Kim was already mom to daughter Brielle Biermann and Ariana Biermann, who Kroy adopted, and the couple welcomed sons Kroy "KJ" Jagger, Jr. and Kash, and twins Kaia and Kane into the world. But while they aired plenty of their private moments on the show, there are some other strange facts about the duo's marriage fans may not have known.

Kim Zolciak-Biermann-Biermann once made it very clear that the D-word was not even an option for her marriage to Kroy Biermann. Of course, most couples don't go into a marriage thinking it could end in divorce, but Kim's admission was made to Fox News as a rebuttal to whether or not she was worried she and her husband could fall victim to the apparent curse that's ended many a reality TV relationship over the years. So naturally, Kim framed her answer by comparing her marriage to network co-stars like "The Real Housewives of New Jersey's" Teresa Giudice, "The Real Housewives of New York City's" Bethenny Frankel, and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'" Camille Grammer, whose marriages all failed after finding fame with the franchise.

Kim said that she and Kroy won't be joining that list, admitting, "That's not an option in my house." She added that she would always put her marriage before the cameras, noting, "I would never allow a show to impact my marriage in any way. My marriage is definitely first." She also threw in her two cents regarding what happened to cause the demise of some of her fellow Bravo celebrities' marriages, admitting that "hype of TV and the publicity" may have been an issue, as she claimed it's "easier to get divorced" than address any relationship problems.

Considering their divorce announcement in the spring of 2023, this didn't age very well.

Kroy Biermann has a very close relationship with Kim Zolciak-Biermann-Biermann's daughters from previous relationships. Brielle Biermann and Ariana Biermann took on Kroy's last name when their mom married him, and they've made no secret of their platonic admiration for one another over the years — but that hasn't stopped their bond causing controversy.

In 2020, Brielle and Kroy's relationship made headlines after she posted two photos on Instagram for his birthday. The first showed Brielle sitting on Kroy's lap while he had his arm around her, and the second had the duo in the same pose with Kim behind them. Trolls had a lot to say, with some suggesting it was inappropriate for 23-year-old Brielle to sit on her stepdad's lap. She addressed the controversy in the comments (via Today), writing, "I had no where else to sit we were making jokes the whole time about him being Santa it was comedy." Kim also spoke out, telling Us Weekly she found the backlash disturbing, saying it came from ignorant, disrespectful people.

That wasn't the first time the two have raised eyebrows. Kroy once walked in on his stepdaughter in an intimate moment with a boyfriend, which Kim laughed off. Though Brielle was mortified, Kim told Too Fab, "Brielle's an adult. [Kroy] was unaware that she was around, so it was a sheer accident," adding that it was no big deal.

Any kind of age gap in a relationship can bring its challenges, and Kim Zolciak-Biermann made no secret of the fact that Kroy Biermann is a fair bit younger than she is. Kim is around eight years older than Kroy and hasn't held back from blasting him over their age gap. During a March 2019 episode of "Don't Be Tardy," things boiled over a little as Kim prepared to celebrate her 40th birthday. "Do you ever get mad at him for being 32?" Kim was asked of her husband during the episode, per Us Weekly, to which she jokingly slammed Kroy and suggested he should have married someone closer to his own age. "Why would you marry someone that's so much older than you? That's so stupid. You could have married some 22-year-old teeny bopper," she hit back. "I'm very vain. Everything's getting older. Like, at 60 my t**ties are gonna sag, but he'll pick 'em up for me," Kim also quipped during the episode.

The star also joked about how much older she is than her man on his 35th birthday. Kim shared a tribute to her husband on Instagram and joked in the caption, "Boy did I rob the cradle with you and I'm so glad I did! You amaze me daily somehow, someway .... everyday although it's annoying that you know everything literally."

It turns out physical attraction was a big draw for Kim Zolciak-Biermann when she first started dating Kroy Biermann. The stars made no secret of how physically attractive they found one another, but Kim revealed that there was a somewhat unexpected body part on the football star that first attracted her to him, because she'd never seen one that looked like that before. Yep. The booty.

Kim opened up about their first meeting (which was captured by "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" Season 3 cameras) during a 2013 interview with E!. She admitted she was super attracted to Kroy's butt, which is why she refers to him as "tighta**." "When I saw his butt, I have never in my life seen a butt like that, but again I didn't really think anything. I just thought, 'Wow he's got a really cute butt and a million-dollar smile.' I love big wide smiles."

The two met at a charity dance event, and Kim wasn't afraid to address his derrière the first time they spoke. Per Bravo, Kim told him as they shook hands for the first time, "Can I just be honest with you? I have never, in my whole life, seen an a** like that. We were all sitting at the table, I was like '10. 10.' I just had to tell you. Adorable." It was a bold move, but clearly the booty talk got Kroy's attention.

Though Kroy Biermann happily took on a loving father role to Kim Zolciak-Biermann's kids, adopting both Brielle Biermann and Ariana Biermann, it's probably lucky that the football star didn't have children of his own before he met the reality star. While that sounds like harsh speculation on our part, Kim unabashedly told E! in 2013, "I don't know if I could love anybody else's children as much as Kroy loves the girls. I just don't know if I have it in me." 

But Kroy isn't bothered. The former NFL star also opened up about why it was so important for him to adopt the girls and how marrying into an instant family changed his life. "In order to keep balance you have to have priorities. Our careers are our priorities, our kids, our health, our happiness," he shared. Kroy added that he "lived a pretty regimented life" before he met Kim, recalling that he'd "wake up, eat breakfast, go to work, come home... it was pretty normal." However, his priorities very much shifted when he became a dad. "Now, my house isn't going to be as clean as it was before, but it's not important. Those things are not important and it's all about prioritizing and understanding," he said.

Let's just say Kim Zolciak-Biermann was pretty proud of her husband, Kroy Biermann, and wanted the whole world to know it. Back in November 2018, that pride was put on display on social media — and fans certainly noticed. The former "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star was accused of manipulating Kroy's, erm, manhood, in a snap she posted of the twosome in skimpy swimwear by the pool with a beach behind them. The snap was shared to Kim's Instagram and showed Kim in a black two-piece while Kroy stood next to her with his arm around her waist. "Private beach baby! My favorite place on earth! Love your speedo Hunni bunni!!" she captioned the shot.

But fans noticed something appeared to be enhanced on Kim's "Hunni bunni." As reported by All About The Tea and Reality Blurb, a number of fans suggested Kim may have Photoshopped her husband's downstairs area to make it look a little bigger. Eagle-eyed Instagram users pointed to the couple's reflection in the pool which appeared to show Kroy's manhood wasn't quite as large as it appeared. Kim never confirmed nor denied if she edited the snap.

Remember when Kroy Biermann found himself on the wrong side of Kim Zolciak-Biermann's former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" co-star Kenya Moore? It all went down when she suggested men shouldn't be allowed in front of the cameras after he stepped in to defend his wife during an altercation. In May 2018, Moore admitted during a since removed episode of Bravo's "The Daily Dish" podcast (via Reality Tea) that, because of her interaction with Kroy, she wanted husbands banned from the show. The two had an infamous fight over tickets to see John Legend, which saw Kroy step in on behalf of his wife, a move Kenya called intimidating.

"I remember when she threw her phone at me and hit the table and broken glass went everywhere. All of a sudden I look up and Kroy is standing over me," she said. "He's a big guy. Obviously, his wife was upset. I'm like 'Is he coming after me?' I didn't know and that's not a good situation to be in as a cast member and you're looking up at this big, football player with an angry wife. So it wasn't fair to us. The men shouldn't be allowed on the set in that capacity." Kenya continued to scold the athlete, adding, "You can't show up when your wife is having a fight, jumping in the middle of it, or intimidating other cast mates that are women. It's just not a good situation."

If the rumors are to be believed, Kroy Biermann may not have been totally in a situation to start dating Kim Zolciak-Biermann when they first got together. Kroy was accused of cheating with Kim, as an ex-girlfriend claimed they were still very much together when his relationship with the reality star began. Kroy's former girlfriend, Elizabeth Seward, told In Touch — in an interview which has since been removed — that Kroy told her she was his girlfriend and admitted he wanted to make things work even though their relationship was long distance (via Starcasm). Elizabeth claimed it was only a few days later that she saw Kroy had attended Cynthia Bailey and Peter Thomas' wedding with Kim, after which she confronted him about their relationship. Seward said Kroy initially claimed he and Kim were "just friends" but eventually revealed they were dating. "I want Kim to know about it. The manipulation and the lies. Obviously our relationships overlapped. [I felt] completely betrayed," Seward told the outlet.

Kim appeared to address the allegations with a cryptic message on Twitter shortly after the rumors hit the headlines. "Another day another stupid story! Meanwhile my husband and I sit back and laugh!" she tweeted. Looks like Kim wasn't too worried about this one.

Though their relationship appeared to be strong, there was at least one other almost-breakup for Kroy Biermann and Kim Zolciak-Biermann as the former once tried to dump the latter. Yep, Kroy and Kim's life together almost never happened, and they even opened up about the awkward moment together on the eight-year anniversary of what could have been the end. The athlete was finding it difficult to deal with all the attention their relationship brought in the early days of their romance and he sent her a text message in 2010 suggesting it might be best for them to go their separate ways. Speaking on Kim's "House of Kim" podcast in 2018, Kroy explained he found everything to be very overwhelming and wasn't sure if he wanted all the attention.

Understandably, Kim wasn't happy. "I was like, 'Why? What's up?' 'It just is what it is.' I'll never forget that. 'It just is what it is.' And I was like, 'This a**h***! F**k him then! I don't need him!'" she recalled. Kim said Kroy wouldn't initially explain why he didn't want to be with her, and the two remained apart for around a day and a half. "I was able to feel my compass within 36 hours and be like, 'Whoa, hold on,'" he recalled of the moment he knew he'd made a mistake, at which point Kroy sent her flowers, and the two reunited.

Fans already know that Kroy Biermann isn't the biological father of Kim Zolciak-Biermann's two eldest daughters, but the reality star was actually once forced to speak out to prove she didn't step out on her husband. Back in 2018, Kim took to Instagram to confirm her son KJ, who is actually named after Kroy, is definitely Kroy's son after some fans seemed to question his paternity. It's not clear what sparked the rumors, though the star felt the need to hit back when she shared a photo of KJ and a young Kroy's face's close up and even borrowed a line from Maury to put a playful spin on things.

"You Are the Father!! (In my Maury voice)," Kim wrote in the caption of the upload, alongside a crying laughing emoji. "Daddy on the left [Kroy] on the right," the mom of six added, alongside an emoji with hearts for eyes. No, it's not exactly a DNA test, but was this ever anyone else's business anyway? 

Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Kroy Biermann never kept the details of their sex life under wraps. In a video message to celebrate Gucci Mane and Keyshia Ka'oir's marriage, Kim didn't hold back when revealing what she believed was the secret to her and Kroy's happy marriage — much to the embarrassment of daughter Brielle Biermann. "Sex, sex, and more sex," Kim said (via Champagne and Shade) was her best tip to keeping their marriage alive, while Brielle looked mortified. "That's a little vulgar, mom!" she said. But that didn't stop the reality star.

Kim also got TMI about her sex life E!'s Daily Pop in December 2020. The star shocked the hosts with her candor when asked to reveal the craziest place she's ever had sex. "I feel like it's all crazy because we're always kinda trying to hide," she replied, admitting that she and Kroy aren't afraid to be intimate "outside in view of, like, our neighbors on both sides."

The two aren't too worried about getting intimate in close quarters around their kids, either. A November 2020 episode of "Don't Be Tardy" saw them get close during a family RV vacation. Per Hollywood Life, Kim jokingly told Kroy they "have no love life," to which he hit back, "That's not what you said this morning ... At 4 a.m. in this parking lot." NFSW!

Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Kroy Biermann seem super family-oriented, so it strikes us as a bit odd that both Kim and Kroy are estranged from their own parents. Fans will surely remember the drama between Kim and her mother, Karen Zolciak, on "Don't Be Tardy For the Wedding," which culminated in Karen getting kicked out of the wedding party. And Kim's relationship with her parents has only gotten worse over the years. In 2017, when Kim's son Kash was bitten by the family dog, her father, Joe Zolciak, went public with his opinion of the incident, criticizing Kim and Kroy for keeping the pet. Kim hit back with a tweet slamming her parents. "I do know they will do anything for a dollar," she wrote.

Kroy's relationship with his parents is also strained at best, and it seems the reason can be traced back to Kroy's fateful 2011 wedding to Kim. Kroy admitted on a 2014 episode of "Don't Be Tardy" that his parents never approved of Kim, and it was specifically the fact that Kim had two children from a previous relationship that soured the elder Biermanns on her. If they'd had it their way, the two never would have married, as Kim recalled on "Heather MacDonald's Juicy Scoop" podcast: "They were in our driveway with a preacher praying against our wedding the day of" (via Us Weekly). Their disapproval was enough for Kroy to cut ties. In 2019, he told Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live," "They're great people you know. It's just, we don't jive." 

In May of 2023, Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Kroy Biermann shocked the world (or at least the Bravoverse) when it was confirmed that the couple was divorcing. According to TMZ, Kim was the first to file papers, calling the marriage "irretrievably broken with no hope of reconciliation." The split came seemingly out of nowhere, as in November 2022 the couple was happily sharing their secrets of their long marriage with E! News: "... lots of sex," Kim said, adding "I think one of the biggest secrets is also communication."

While not confirmed, Kim and Kroy's financial woes may have played a part in the split. Their sprawling Georgia home went into foreclosure in February 2023, and it was revealed they owe the IRS over $1 million in taxes. "RHONY" alum Bethenny Frankel weighed in with her unsolicited opinion on Kim and Kroy's reported money problems in a TikTok, saying, "You're writing checks you can't cash, and it's gross."

In the wake of the divorce filing, Kim and Kroy appeared to shade each other via social media. Kim shared a meme on an Instagram story which read, "Uber driver asked me, 'Do you have a man?' I said, 'I am a man'" (via Page Six). Kroy, whose Insta profile pic is still one of him and Kim, added to his bio, "My ring Meant a Thing, you can Google Me & see I wasn't Tardy for that Party," which, of course, references Kim's pop songs. But the really strange part? Amid all the drama, Kim and Kroy are reportedly still living together!