Kenya Moore is not returning to RHOA for Season 17, sources confirm exclusively with TV Deets.
Bravo is in the final stages of finalizing the cast for the new season—which is expected to begin filming at the end of August—and while Kenya won’t be present, we hear that most of the Season 16 cast will be featured in some capacity.
According to rock-solid Bravo insiders, deciding not to bring Kenya Moore back to the show has nothing to do with her performance during the season and more to do with the lawsuit filed by her on and off-screen nemesis, Brit Eady.
As Real Housewives of Atlanta fans are well aware, Kenya and Brit were feuding during filming for RHOA Season 16 and after Brit threatened Kenya with gun violence as Bravo cameras rolled, Kenya kicked things up a notch at her Kenya Moore Hair Spa opening, outing Brit’s alleged shady past.
In one of the most-watched episodes of the season, viewers were shocked when Kenya shared what was alleged to be sexually explicit pictures of Brit but as things developed in real-time, the story started to shift.
Due to fan backlash around the incident and a messy HR investigation, however, Kenya was sidelined.
Fast-forward to June 5—the day of the RHOA Season 16 reunion filming in Atlanta—when news broke that not only was Brit Eady skipping the reunion taping but she had filed a reported $20 million lawsuit against Bravo, NBC and production companies Truly Original and Endemol Shine North America.
In a statement confirming the lawsuit, the RHOA newbie accused the defendants of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false light, sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, according to USA Today.
It’s that very lawsuit that is preventing Kenya’s return to Bravo at the moment, sources confirm.
“A lot of people [here at Bravo] really like Kenya but the lawsuit is a complete mess,” a network insider tells TV Deets exclusively. “She won’t be on Season 17 but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s back once all of this is done.”
“I mean, take a look at the season,” the insider continued. “Kenya dominated a lot of the conversation and that does not go unnoticed. She is still in touch with the women but [executives] want to see how this lawsuit plays out before making any more big moves.”
With Kenya’s stunt causing such a conversation online and bringing more eyeballs to the show, it’s surprising that Bravo is deciding to leave her out of the next season but with Brit threatening legal action, it seems to have complicated things beyond resolution at the current moment.
Kenya confirmed she would not be back to the show on her YouTube Live on Saturday, July 26, also adding that the show is adding two new Housewives for Season 17.
“As of now, no. That could change, I keep hearing a lot of things but as of this moment, it’s a no,” she told an audience of over 2,000 people. “They do start in two weeks, so the cast is pretty much set.”
With Kenya and Brit out, that leaves Porsha Williams, Phaedra Parks, Drew Sidora, Shamea Morton Mwangi, Kelli Ferrell, Angela Oakley and friend of Cynthia Bailey but you’ll have to stay tuned to TV Deets in the coming weeks for the confirmed cast.
Season 17 will feature new faces, we hear—and the names have not been reported by any other outlets as of the publication of this article.
