It’s been more than two years since Kandi Burruss announced her exit from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Since then, much has changed in her life, including adding to her Broadway resume and divorcing her longtime husband, Todd Tucker. Now she’s opening up about what led her to leave “RHOA.”
Burruss interview with RNB Philly in June 2026. In a clip from the full interview, the topic of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” arose, with Burruss noting that her name had been mentioned multiple times during the show’s current season. This then led the host to ask when she knew it was time to leave.
She replied, “That season that the whole dungeon, when they said that I was taking people to a dungeon.” The Grammy winner then stated that she was “over it then” but decided to remain on the show for a few seasons afterward.
For context, she was referring to season 9 of “RHOA,” in which Phaedra Parks allegedly made up a rumor about Burruss wanting to take advantage of Porsha Williams sexually. Initially, Williams mentioned the rumor to Burruss but didn’t reveal where she heard it until the show’s dramatic reunion.
Kandi Says She Considered Leaving For Multiple Seasons
The former “RHOA” star continued discussing her exit from the show during her interview with RNB Philly. Specifically, she stated that she spent the next few years after the season 9 incident wondering if she should leave.
Burruss shared, “Probably the last three years of me being on the show, I kept saying to Todd, like, ‘Do you think we need to leave now? What do you think?’”
She continued, “If you do something for so long, it’s almost like a crutch. You’re kind of like scared to walk away from the crutch. It’s like, ‘Should I leave? Should I not?’” After that, Burruss shared her “only fear”: that fans might not support her other endeavors if she left the show.
‘RHOA’ Fans Are Reacting
Following Burruss’ most recent comments about leaving “RHOA,” fans are weighing in, with many noting that she remained on the show for six seasons following the season 9 drama. For context, the “No Scrubs” writer left ahead of season 16 of the show.
One person said, “But she stayed for several more seasons.” Someone else stated, “But filmed six whole seasons after that…” In support of Burruss, a different fan wrote, “Kandi made the right decision, and her fan base has still remained loyal.”
Lastly, another “RHOA” watcher chimed in, writing, “I’m really proud of Kandi! I know it was hard, but it is for the best. Please don’t let Phaketra hook you up with a date again. Listen to your mom and aunties. At the end of the day, your mom and aunts have your best interests at heart.”
The Music Icon Previously Addressed Her Exit From The Show
Burruss announced her exit from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” in February 2024. Following her initial statement, she spoke to Variety about her reasoning. At the time, she, in part, blamed the show’s extended hiatus between seasons 15 and 16 as the reason.
She said, “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.”
The mom of three continued, “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?’”
Burruss went on to imply that her exit wasn’t a permanent decision. According to her, “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.”
Kandi Settled Her Divorce From Todd In March
Burruss announced her separation from Tucker in November 2025 after 11 years of marriage. Following that, the two remained mostly respectful of each other in public, as they continued to co-parent their two young kids.
According to PEOPLE, they then settled their divorce in March 2026. Previously, Burruss stated publicly that she’d decided to divorce Tucker in July 2025.
