The Real Reason Phaedra Parks Got Divorced

Phaedra Parks' rocky relationship with Apollo Nida was very well documented on the earlier seasons of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." The ins and outs of the couple's up-and-down romance were all captured by the reality TV cameras, and it's safe say that it was very much a rollercoaster. 

But their romance actually started several years before the "RHOA" cameras started rolling in 2008. This was a case of being chased down on the highway and followed back home (hey, it happens ... apparently), as Phaedra revealed to DailyMailTV in 2019 — a decade after they married — that she first met her now ex-husband in 1995 while she was on the road. Literally. "He saw me, flagged me down, we met, and he followed me home and walked up to my doorstep and said, 'Hey, I want you to be my girlfriend.' And so that's how we got together," Phaedra shared of their meet-cute. "Apollo was extremely nice, always very generous, just a really good guy."

The two went on to welcome two sons together, Ayden in 2010 and Dylan in 2013. But unfortunately for the attorney-turned-reality TV star, she didn't exactly stick with the first impression that Apollo is a "good guy." The couple officially divorced in 2016, and well, let's just say there were a few pretty solid reasons for these two joining the long list of "Real Housewives" stars ending up in Splitsville. This is the real reason Phaedra Parks got divorced.

One of the most obvious reasons for Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida's divorce was his well-documented brush with the law. Back in 2014, this "Real Housewives" husband received an eight-year sentence behind bars after being charged with both bank fraud and identity theft (via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The lead up to and aftermath of the sentencing was featured on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," with a Season 7 episode showing the two getting into a heated argument after Apollo learned how long he'd be behind bars.

Phaedra herself has equated the breakup to Apollo's legal dramas and his lies about what was really going on. As she flat out admitted to DailyMailTV in 2019, "I was done. From the moment I discovered that he had done all this stuff, I was finished with that relationship. To do something this crazy when there's no rhyme or reason to do it, he was financially set, he did not think about me or his sons. It was very selfish."

Only adding fuel to that fire? The difficulty of contacting Apollo during his prison stint. Phaedra explained to Us Weekly in 2017 that there was a time when he couldn't make calls or have visitors because he was in solitary confinement. Phaedra has also claimed that she was kept in the dark about his crimes, admitting on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2014, "I didn't have any idea that any of this was going on until he called me and said, 'Hey, I've been arrested.'"

Phaedra Parks actually forgave Apollo Nida for his initial legal issues, as he was actually convicted years before his eight-year prison stint we already know about, as well as having a rap sheet from the 1990s. Apollo was sentenced for his part in a car theft scheme in 2004 and, that time, spent six years behind bars (via Starcasm). He and Phaedra initially split then, but reconnected upon his release.

"I was the first person he went to [after leaving prison]. ... He wanted to take me to lunch. I was out of the country and he brought me some flowers. And so that's how we started dating again," she recalled to DailyMailTV in 2019. "I thought he was changed, I honestly did, he seemed like he had matured a lot." She added what sold her on getting back together was he seemed more serious about "settling down and having a family" and she felt they "had a true connection."

Unfortunately, that didn't work out too well. Speaking on the "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" episode titled "Housewife Interrupted," Phaedra doubled down and admitted to a divorce attorney that she "married him because [she] thought he was a changed man" (via E!). The Bravo star added, "Some people do change their lives and make a difference and I thought he was that person but obviously he wasn't." Phaedra also confessed how she felt Apollo did start to change, but mused, "Maybe he was conning me the whole time."

In a twist worthy of a "Real Housewives" OG couple, Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida actually ended up having to get divorced twice. Yes, a double divorce.

What happened here was, back in March 2017 (three years after she initially filed), a judge essentially reversed their divorce judgement after finding things they didn't like in the papers, per TMZ. Namely, it was claimed that Phaedra, a lawyer, had allegedly "intentionally misspell[ed] the parties names," as well as the fact Apollo suggested he'd continue to attend divorce hearings — despite being in prison. In a statement issued to Us Weekly, Phaedra's rep said in reference to Apollo finding love again (more to come on that), "It's very confusing why a man who is engaged and enjoys frequent visits with his fiancée would work so aggressively to avoid ending his marriage." They added that Phaedra was "reviewing her options with her attorney to determine the most efficient path toward ending this marriage."

Phaedra had previously claimed in November 2016 during an appearance on TMZ's "Raq Rants" that she was officially divorced. She was also asked at the time if she thought there was a chance of a reconciliation after Apollo left the clink, to which she admitted, "I never say never, but in this case, I don't think that would be possible." The reality star added that they'd "always be friends" and would "always have a relationship" for the sake of their children, but she couldn't see them getting back together.

In between Phaedra Parks' initial divorce filing and things being reversed by a judge, Apollo Nida actually found love again. In a move that we're guessing was unlikely to have made Phaedra reconsider her decision to split with her husband, Apollo got engaged while in prison. TMZ claimed in November 2016 that Apollo had popped the question to a mystery woman he'd started seeing two years earlier.

It seems he has a type, too: "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" stars. The woman in question was Sherien Almufti, who actually revealed her identity on Season 9 of "RHOA" in 2017, when she attended the opening of Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker's restaurant on Apollo's behalf. Now that's good TV.

Though Phaedra didn't attend the party — avoiding what could have been one of the most awkward run-ins in "Real Housewives" history — Kandi and Todd put Sherien in the hot seat to find out if her relationship with Apollo had any kind of overlap with his marriage. "Wifey wasn't around, so I was there more than she was. I mean, he's been away for two years. She's only been there twice. I go often — it's only 40 minutes away from me," she coyly responded (via People).

Seriously, how could we touch on Apollo Nida's infidelity rumors without throwing it back to that infamous flirtation between him and fellow "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kenya Moore? Eyebrows were raised in 2014 when Apollo, who was still married to Phaedra Parks at the time, seemingly acted pretty inappropriately with Kenya after he claimed the two had exchanged text messages.

In the Season 6 episode "Flirting with Disaster," Kenya told Apollo during a cast trip to Mexico, "Where is all this coming from? We both know that the stuff you were throwing out there, that it didn't happen" (via Rolling Out). He responded, "No. You put yourself into that situation, I could have slept with you if I wanted to," before later admitting he lied about their textation. That same trip, Cynthia Bailey's now ex-husband, Peter Thomas, accused Apollo of lusting after Kenya in a bikini. Though Apollo initially claimed he "was looking at the horizon," per Radar, he then admitted he did sneak a peek, but noted, "I don't mean no harm."

For her part, Kenya later confessed she regretted her interactions with him, saying on "Watch What Happens Live" in January 2021, "I could have just distanced myself from Apollo altogether, not been so chummy, chummy. Especially when it bothered his wife." Regarding the other allegations of infidelity that have swirled around Apollo (paging Sherien Almufti), Phaedra simply told DailyMailTV in 2019 that she didn't know if he'd been unfaithful.

It wasn't just Apollo Nida who was slapped with some infidelity allegations during his marriage to Phaedra Parks. The Atlanta Housewife herself also had her fair share of rumors that she might have stepped out during her marriage (who could possibly forget the infamous "Mr. Chocolate"!?).

Kandi Burruss appeared to suggest that Phaedra may have allegedly had another man in her life during Season 9 of "RHOA." With Porsha Williams asking her to clarify this in the "Bosom Buddies" episode, Kandi claimed that Phaedra was supposedly "talking to other people before Apollo went to jail." Meanwhile, People reported that Apollo also alleged how he'd found evidence that Phaedra had been talking to someone called "Mr. Chocolate" in the episode called "Hello Mr. Chocolate." It was later suggested the man in question was Gizelle Bryant's ex-husband, Jamal Bryant, though Gizelle claimed during a September 2019 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live" that Jamal had denied the claims and she found the whole thing to be "funny."

As for what Phaedra had to say about the allegations? She denied any kind of affair on multiple occasions, including addressing the rumors on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2014: "I think it's totally absurd to think that I cheated. They're saying I had an affair with a man from Africa named Chocolate. Now everybody knows that I do love a Snickers bar every once in a while, but it's definitely not a man from Africa that I've ever had an affair with."

Both before and after the cracks in Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida's marriage began to show, he was accused of being a bit of a hot head. One such incident happened in September 2014, when Apollo went to the home he shared with Phaedra on the day he was supposed to turn himself into prison. But this unfortunately wasn't a calm visit. All captured by "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" cameras, the Season 7 episode "Hello Mr. Chocolate" saw Apollo confront Phaedra about those pesky cheating rumors.

Apollo called out Phaedra after she changed the locks on the home, asking her (via People), "Who would do some lowdown s*** like this?" before asking if she was going to call the police on him. Phaedra ended up calling a friend to try to calm her estranged husband down, admitting, "I'm not sure what he's capable of at this moment because he has nothing to lose." A source dished on the incident to Radar shortly after it happened, claiming that Phaedra was left "terrified" and "shaken up."

Phaedra also spoke about Apollo's seemingly eccentric behavior during the "RHOA" episode "Housewife Interrupted," sharing that being married to Apollo "was just madness all the time" (via E!). She added, "It was madness every day. It was never a peaceful night sleep. It was nonstop. For the first time in years, I have peace."

Another factor that may have played a part in Apollo Nida and Phaedra Parks' divorce was the former's decision to publicly call out his wife on multiple occasions. Tension between Apollo and Phaedra seemed obvious before her divorce filing, with Apollo publicly slamming Phaedra in both interviews and on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." 

One of the most public dramas came when Apollo lashed out at Phaedra for not coming to his court hearing, as he publicly shamed her during a July 2014 radio interview. Apollo said he doubted he and Phaedra would stay together during the appearance on Atlanta B100, adding (via People), "I mean, my wife didn't even f***ing show up for my sentencing, so I'm still kind of salty about that." He also admitted that, before the divorce papers were officially filed, he felt "sad and disappointed" to let down his family as he too came from a home where his parents did not stay married.

Apollo also opened up about the state of his marriage to Radar that same month, where he hinted things that weren't great between the couple, but suggested they were "working to make it better." He also added that he would likely be spending the Fourth of July, his final one for several years before heading behind bars, without Phaedra, revealing that she had actually taken a trip to Mexico without him to celebrate "American Idol" alum Fantasia Barrino's birthday.

Phaedra Parks didn't exactly make much of a secret of the fact that she wasn't necessarily in a very love-up place with her husband, Apollo Nida, toward the end of their marriage. Several scenes filmed for "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" showed Phaedra acting pretty cold towards her man, as the Season 7 episode "Nice To Metria" seemed to really show the cracks in their romance (via People).

The Bravo star didn't exactly appear thrilled to see her husband turn up to surprise her at an event, and she didn't give the warmest response when he went in for a kiss. "You're not going to kiss me?" he asked as she gave him a platonic kiss, which he called "an ugly kiss." Phaedra then seemed as though she didn't want to speak to her husband, to which he told her, "I came in peace. Let me know because I can switch my mode real quick. I'm still your husband, don't forget." Apollo then tried to go in for a hug, which was not reciprocated, before asking, "You don't miss me? I asked if you loved me earlier? You don't comment on that. I love you. Even if you don't love me."

The twosome's co-star, Cynthia Bailey, later opened up about the encounter in her Bravo blog, admitting, "Phaedra has always carried herself as a loving and supportive wife. It was awkward to see her so uncomfortable."

A pretty common reason for contention in many relationships is money, and it seems like financial obligations may have played a big part in Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida's split, as he was "immediately" ordered to pay a whopping $2 million in restitution as part of his sentencing in 2014 (via Radar). According to court documents obtained by the site, anything that was not paid when Apollo left prison would "be paid at the monthly rate of at least $250, plus 25% of gross monthly income in excess of $2,300" — meaning, had Phaedra stayed with Apollo during his prison stint, money would have likely been an issue for several years.

Phaedra herself admitted that finances played a key role in her marriage to Apollo and its downfall, but also confirmed that they did not have a joint bank account in her 2019 DailyMailTV interview. The fired "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star threw a little shade at her former husband, too, claiming that he "needed money to spend on that flashy life" and "was narcissistic." Phaedra added, "He broke the law to be flashy to impress people."