Kandi Burruss And Phaedra Parks' RHOA Feud Explained

The great state of Georgia is home to peaches, warmer weather, and, of course, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." The show, which premiered in 2008, follows a group of women living in the "peach state," as they navigate through life, business ventures, and romantic quarrels. But in typical "Real Housewives" fashion, the Atlanta-based spinoff is filled with fights, drama, and everything in between.

When it comes to reality show feuds, few conflicts have ever been as intense as the one between cast members Kandi Burruss and Phaedra Parks. Burruss — a Grammy-winning songwriter and member of the group Xscape — joined the show in Season 2 and has been a staple since. While Parks joined the crew in 2010 but left in 2017 after her feud with Burruss came to a climax during the Season 9 reunion episode (via E News).

Details surrounding Burruss and Parks's feud are largely based on speculative evidence as both woman have made claims about the other. And while the two were previously friends, their messy falling out was apparently too explosive to forgive.

Kandi Burruss and Phaedra Parks became instant friends when Parks joined the cast for Season 3. At the time, the show included NeNe Leaks, Kim Zolciak, Shereé Whitfield, and Cynthia Bailey — who was also a new addition for the third season (via Entertainment Weekly).

Buruss and Parks's friendship began to strain during Season 8 of the show, when it was revealed that Buruss was storing motorcycles for Parks's now-ex-husband Apollo Nida ahead of his prison stint (via OK! Magazine). Parks later accused her former friend of being absent during her divorce from Nida, and the pair also argued over Parks's decision to take her kids to visit their imprisoned father, per Us Weekly. 

However, the friendship came to a climatic end after it was revealed Parks told Porsha Williams that Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker were planning to "drug her" (via YouTube) Things got even messier during the Season 9 reunion, when Parks admitted that she started the damaging rumor. "I repeated it because I heard it. Something was brought to me. I just repeated it. I repeated what someone told me," Parks said (via People). "I'm not saying I didn't say it. I'm saying I repeated it."


Following the reunion episode, Phaedra Parks was fired from "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Bravo executive Andy Cohen told E News in 2017, that "none of the other women wanted to have anything to do with her." And it appears that Kandi Burruss still maintains her feelings about her former cast-member nearly five years after the incident.

When asked during an appearance on TMZ's "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" if she would continue on "RHOA" if Parks returned, Burruss simply responded "no." Adding, "I just don't think she and I need to interact."

Parks, however, appears to be a bit more hopeful about the future of her friendship with the Xscape singer. During an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," she was asked if she would be open to a reconciliation, and her answer may be shocking to some. "You know what? We're both two very strong, powerful Black women. And as a mom, we're both moms, I teach my kids that they can resolve anything, and so I would never say never," Parks told Cohen (via Bravo). 

So, anything can happen — or not, according to Burruss.