Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Porsha Williams apparently was caught by surprise when Bravo announced yesterday that she was not going to be a full-time cast member of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."
Instead, she as reduced to "recurring" status, meaning the producers were not obligated to include her in every episode. She said she was "blindsided" and found the moment "bittersweet."
The good news for her is she is still employed - with syndicated show "Dish Nation" as part of Rickey Smiley's crew. The show is seen locally at 7 p.m. on the Fox affiliate WAGA-TV and ratings have been strong.
Williams was originally pegged as a short-time substitute after Smiley let go long-time show cast member Ebony Steele. But Smiley and the "Dish Nation" crew liked what they saw and gave her the TV gig over the summer.
Oddly, Smiley decided to give the radio job to someone else: Claudia Jordan, the model and radio/TV host, who had been living in New York. She expected to get the "Dish Nation" job, too, and was crestfallen when that didn't happen.
But ironically, Jordan was also friends with Kenya Moore and hooked up with "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," effectively taking Porsha's job away from her there. Jordan is now a full-time member of "Real Housewives," which returns for a seventh season November 9.
If anyone is happy about this move, it has to be Moore, who was attacked by Williams during the "Real Housewives" reunion taping this past spring after they hurled insults at each other. At the time, she demanded Williams be taken off the show, which did not happen.
So every morning, Jordan finishes up her radio job in downtown Atlanta with Rickey Smiley at around 10 a.m. A few minutes later, Williams comes in to tape "Dish Nation." An insider tells me they do not interact with each other - at all.
Williams joined "Real Housewives" in 2012, portraying herself as the perfect housewife to former football player Kordell Stewart. Despite being the grand-daughter of civil rights legend Hosea Williams (which she tried to leverage that first year), she came off as a total ditz.
Then her marriage fell apart and Stewart filed for divorce last year. She claimed to be blindsided then as well. This past season, her storyline was focused on her divorce and trying to move forward in her life.
This year, she is focused on dating, recording music and adjusting to being a pop culture gossip maven on Smiley's show. In other words, she has far more going for her than Sheree Whitfield when she was let go from the show two seasons ago.
After a long season of filming, and giving my all, I was blindsided by the announcement from the network that I was demoted from 'Housewife Status,' but would remain on the show in a 'Friend' capacity. Unfortunately, I can only be PORSHA, and portraying anything else would not be genuine nor honest.
This moment is bittersweet, but God has been so amazing to me, and I think this is the perfect time for me to spread my wings and finally focus on all of my upcoming projects. In addition to having my recurring role on RHOA, I will be able to focus my attention on my career as an entertainment correspondent on Dish Nation on the Fox Network, recording my album, building my businesses, and taking baby steps to nurture my relationship with my new love!!!
In a press release, "Dish Nation" noted Williams' new boyfriend to be LeSean McCoy, a Philadelphia Eagles running back. Yes, another football player. She can't help herself, can she?
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