Marlo Hampton recently claimed that Porsha Williams was the reason she was not asked back for “Real Housewives of Atlanta” season 16. Now, days later, the Go Naked Hair founder is responding to her former “RHOA” co-star, saying she’s lucky she got the chance to speak her name. This comes as the show continues to deliver strong viewership in its 17th season.
Porsha Williams Addresses Having Marlo Fired From ‘RHOA’
Williams appeared on “The Breakfast Club” in April 2026 to promote “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” While on, one of the show’s cohosts, Lauren Larosa, mentioned Hampton’s recent comments regarding her “RHOA” firing.
In response, the 44-year-old said, “Oh, okay. Well, she loves talking about me, so I’m glad she got that opportunity to talk about me. She loves it.” After that, Williams claimed that Hampton gets a “thrill” from speaking about her in the press.
For context, Hampton appeared on “RHOA” as a full-time cast member for seasons 14 and 15, which were the duration of Williams’ hiatus from the show. She then returned for season 16, but Hampton didn’t.
The ‘RHOA’ Star Denies Dictating Who She Films With
Charlamagne tha God then asked Williams how she handles filming scenes with “people like that,” referring to Hampton. She responded, “You know, I’m a part of a cast, so you still have to do some scenes with people you might not want to do a scene with.”
However, Williams went on to say that she doesn’t have to be “overly engaged” with those she’s on bad terms with.
Regarding Hampton, the “RHOA” star went on to say, “I guess she’s doing her thing. She’s being interviewed. She’s not on my show. Again, she loves my name. She loves how it feels coming out of her mouth, so I’m glad she had that experience that day.”
What Marlo Hampton Said About Porsha Williams
Hampton appeared on Cam Newton’s “Funky Friday” podcast in April 2026. During the appearance, the NFL legend listed multiple “RHOA” stars and asked the 50-year-old if she was on good terms with them. Once he mentioned Williams, she said, “I don’t like her. She’s a hater, complicated.”
Regarding her status with the show, Hampton continued, “But anyway, that’s just complicated because she was very against me coming back two seasons ago. She was one of the main people against me coming back. And one thing I don’t play with, I would never try to stop someone from getting their check.”
When asked why she thinks Williams didn’t want her to return to “RHOA,” Hampton said, “I’m the one who will hold her accountable. I’m gonna ask the questions. She likes to run sh-t.” After that, she stated that Williams had failed to deliver what the network expected her to for season 16, noting that Williams was going through a divorce and couldn’t show her lavish home.
Fans Are Mixed On Porsha’s Response
Following Williams’ response to her former “RHOA” co-star, fans of the show are divided, with some noting that she didn’t fully deny Hampton’s claim. One person wrote on X, “Cute shade, but she didn’t deny it. Marlo gotta respond.”
Someone else said, “Judging by her response, she definitely had her hand in Marlo not being on.” However, a different X user stated, “Marlo played her cards wrong, and she’s upset about it. Porsha doesn’t owe her sh-t.”
A different “RHOA” defended Williams, writing, “This was the best way to respond to what Marlo said. Not give it the energy people would expect.”
Lastly, someone else speculated, “So she’s admitting she made Marlo not being there a condition of her returning because she didn’t want anyone holding her accountable.”
‘RHOA’ Is On A Ratings High
Gone are the days when new episodes of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” and other “Housewives” franchises drew in millions of viewers for a single broadcast. However, many of them are still performing well, with “RHOA” season 17 among the best in recent years.
According to Bravo Ratings on X, the second episode from the new season drew in 0.711 million viewers and a 0.15 share in the 18 to 49 demographic. Notably, this is a substantial increase from the premiere episode, which delivered 624,000 live viewers and a 0.12 share in the 18-49 demographic.
New episodes of “RHOA” air on Sunday nights right before Bravo’s newest show, “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.”
