The Truth About Kenya Moore And Cynthia Bailey's Friendship

Despite having ups and downs over the years, Cynthia Bailey and Kenya Moore have always managed to move past their issues. However, after what went down on Season 1 of "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip," many have questioned just how unbreakable their friendship really is. 

As a refresher, tensions began brewing between Moore and Bailey while they filmed the franchise's first crossover series in Turks and Caicos. In an interview with The Jasmine Brand, Moore chalked it up to a misunderstanding. "She just felt like ... she had gotten into it with some of the other ladies ... and I wasn't, like, stepping up. But I'm like, 'No, when you watch it back, you will see I stepped up, plenty,'" said the former Miss USA. In the same conversation, Moore also mused that, while she believed their issues were far from insurmountable, there was a chance tensions could linger awhile. "Sometimes, people don't really get over things, and it just takes them more time," she acknowledged. As for Bailey, she's previously said on Access' "Housewives Nightcap" that she never saw the drama coming in the first place. "I did not anticipate that my friend that I was going with on the trip, you know, that we were gonna have some issues." 

Given that "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip" Season 1 aired late last year — and had been filmed in April — Bailey and Moore have had some time to decompress since the tension in Turks and Caicos. However, has that time helped heal their friendship?

Unfortunately, for those hoping Cynthia Bailey and Kenya Moore could patch things up and go right back to where they were pre-drama, their friendship is completely different now. 

Speaking to Distractify when "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip" premiered, Bailey revealed, "The dynamic of the friendship has definitely changed." Later on in the interview, she went a little deeper on that, explaining, "We're not as close as we used to be." In a "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" segment around the same time, Moore agreed with those sentiments. That said, she had an optimistic outlook. She even added that she was "really happy with where I think our friendship will go from here" (via Bravo). 

However, it seems that time hasn't healed all wounds. Several months after both interviews — and nearly a year since they'd filmed the show itself — Bailey made it clear that they were still not back to being the besties we knew and loved. This March, she shared in an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" that, "We are not like we were before the 'Girls Trip.'" Two months later, Moore seemed to feel the same way. "I don't even know what's ailing us," she said. 

Kenya Moore and Cynthia Bailey's friendship may not be exactly what it once was, but it definitely seems as though this relationship is on the road to recovery. 

It's worth noting that throughout their awkward are-they-or-aren't-they stage, both women had nothing but kind things to say about each other. Bailey, for one, told Distractify that even if their friendship evolved into something different, "The love is always going to be there." Similarly, Moore told The Jasmine Brand that Bailey was "a woman that I love, that I cherish." 

And it seems that approach paid off. Speaking to Page Six about Teresa Giudice's wedding, Bailey revealed that she and Moore reconnected during the festivities. "It was just really good to see her, reconnect, find out what's going on with her and update her on what's going on with me," she said. Bailey also told the outlet that Moore had been there for her when she learned of her mother's breast cancer diagnosis. "Like any great friend, Kenya shows up — especially when it's important." Bailey concluded her conversation with Page Six by confirming, "We're good again, for sure." 

To paraphrase Lizzo, this isn't the friendship it used to be... but it might be better.