Bravo has yet to renew the Real Housewives of Atlanta for a 16th season, but already we are one peach down with Kandi Burruss announcing she has quit the franchise. Since Season 2, Kandi has been a staple of the series as it highlighted her ever-changing life. The Grammy Award winner was talented beyond measure and often the voice of reason within the group.
No More Mama Joyce
Kandi and her mother are super close, especially after the loss of her brother in 1991. Kandi always tried to find a diplomatic solution, while Mama Joyce loved to make her opinions known and often came across as a tiny dictator. For years, fans have followed the ups and downs of Mama Joyce, but perhaps her biggest storyline has been her feud with her daughter’s husband, Todd Tucker.
Mama Joyce never felt Todd was good enough for her daughter as she once revealed in a confessional, “Kandi took a lemon and made lemonade.” Season 12 showed Mama Joyce considering putting Kandi’s daughter as her beneficiary to avoid leaving anything up to Todd. Kandi was always happy to share her family with cameras, even the crazy moments, and that will be missed. But God help you if you talk about Kandi’s mama because she never liked that.
I’ll Miss Kandi’s Independence
To me, Kandi is one of the only housewives who stands on her own two feet. Over the years, Kandi has become one the most successful Real Housewives in terms of money and has been notoriously independent of a man. She was a member of the girl group Xscape and became a successful songwriter. Today, she has branched out into multiple other ventures, which include owning a sex toy line and a restaurant. Kandi has taught one thing: even though she is small in stature, her empire is big in size.
Kandi Taught Us Life Lessons
Perhaps the greatest mantra Kandi has instilled within her fans is “Don’t start none, won’t be none.” Kandi proved over and over that she flies above the haters. One of the greatest things about Kandi as a Real Housewives star was when she became activated; you couldn’t exactly shut her down. The mother of three would sit back on the fence for as long as possible until she had no other option but to say her peace. A lot of the time, she would be yelling her opinion to the rest of the women who mistook her kindness for weakness, but it was safe to say she got her thoughts out.
Kandi Is a Fan Favorite
Whether you love her, hate her, or are somewhere in between, Kandi has been an important member of the cast. Even though she might not be as obvious as NeNe Leakes or Teresa Giudice when it comes to explosive storylines, she was always welcomed back with open arms, and that says a lot about any housewife. With Kandi exiting, I believe fans are going to start noticing just how impactful she was on the Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Kandi is great at steering arguments one way or the other, as most conversations seem to shift after she adds her two cents. Kandi is in a category of her own, and I’d wager that the audience gravitates more to her because she has sense. While she may not have always been at the top of the popularity shows, according to some, she did always bring something special to the role.
Kandi Got Bored
It turns out Bravo didn’t make up their minds quickly enough for Kandi, who revealed she quit the show because of a lack of casting efforts. The No Scrubs writer told Variety, “I’m not keeping up. I already said it, so I’ll tell you. I decided I’m not coming back this year. It’s been 14 seasons, and they allowed us to sit around for a little too long, but during that time, I had started working on a lot of other things, and I got some nice big projects coming soon, so I’m super excited about those things.”
Kandi went on to clarify, “But it’s not just that. It’s just like, after you really have time to think, and a friend of mine was like, ‘Why do you keep doing it?’ And I was like, ‘Well, I think because I’ve just been doing it for so long, it feels weird to think not to do it?’ So I was just like, ‘You know what? I’m going to take a break; I’m going to take a moment… I’m not coming back this year.'” The news hit hard, with Bravo now scrambling to lock in some big names. Word on the street is Porsha Williams and Kenya Moore will be asked back, but who knows?
TELL US: WHAT WILL YOU MISS MOST ABOUT KANDI BURRUSS ON THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA?
