Phaedra Parks' return to Real Housewives of Atlanta is CONFIRMED - amid drama with ex-husband Apollo Nida's arrest

Phaedra Parks at BravoCon 2023. Photo:Jenny Kim/Bravo via Getty
1 Season 16 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta will feature another familiar face: Phaedra Parks
2 The mother of two is coming back to the series after a six-season absence, reuniting with Porsha Williams, who is also returning.
3 Other stars in the cast include Drew Sidora, Shamea Morton Mwangi, Kelli Ferrell, Brittany Eady and Angela Oakley, as well as former peach-holder Cynthia Bailey, back now as a Friend.

Phaedra Parks has her peach back!

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star, 50, is officially returning to the franchise that made her a household name, as a full-time cast member for season 16.

"You called, I answered," Parks said on Instagram on Monday, July 29, announcing the news with a photoshoot of her holding a peach again.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Her arrival comes nearly a month after news broke that Kenya Moore would be exciting the series.

The former Miss USA had reportedly been canned from the show for allegedly unveiling explicit pictures of new cast member Brittany Eady while the Bravo cameras were rolling on Thursday, June 6 at the grand opening of her new Kenya Moore Hair Spa.

At the time, an insider told PEOPLE that Moore was retaliating after Eady allegedly threatened her costar using the word “gun." However, a second source close to production disputed that, saying, “At no time was Kenya ever threatened with a weapon, nor was there ever a weapon present during the course of production."

An investigation was said to be launched by Bravo to look into the incident. The results, sources told PEOPLE, are what led to Moore's exit.

“You are the best fans anyone could ever ask for, and I love you all so very much,” Moore wrote on Instagram on June 25, the same day cast members were told about her firing. “Always and forever.”

Kenya Moore at BravoCon 2023.Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images
Moore's departure left fans disappointed, as many were anticipating seeing her reunite with longtime frienemy Porsha Williams, who also came back this season after a long break. Instead, viewers will get to see Williams reunite with Parks, the "frack" to her "frick."

The two were last together on the Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen 15th anniversary special earlier this month, leading many to express their interest in seeing Parks go back to RHOA.

But Parks has long said she didn't want her peach again. "I've made it very clear, that's not what I want to do," she told Entertainment Tonight in a July 2022 interview. "No. I will be yachting. Let them continue to sail away on the Titanic, okay?"

"I don't want to pick up a peach," she added. "If I wanted a peach, I would have a peach pie."

Andy Cohen, Porsha Williams and Phaedra Parks on the 15th anniversary special of 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen'.Charles Sykes/Bravo via Gett
Parks first joined RHOA in season 3. She departed the series amid controversy in season 9, after a headline-making fallout with Kandi Burruss. The two former friends saw their bond fall apart when Parks admitted to spreading rumors that Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker allegedly planned to drug Williams and their mutual friend Shamea Morton Mwangi in order to take advantage of them sexually. (Burruss and Tucker have vehemently and consistently denied those claims).

In the wake of the drama, Parks — who shares sons Ayden, 14, and Dylan, 11, with ex-husband Apollo Nida — made appearances on a number of other television projects, including Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition. 

She returned to the Housewives universe on Peacock's Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Ex-Wives Club in June 2022, where she classified her exit from RHOA as "B.S." and insisted "there are two sides to every story." She did not explain anything further, nor did she ever apologize to Burruss.

Despite her lack of transparency on that issue, Parks' popularity on that Ultimate Girls Trip led to a triumphant return to Bravo, this time as a cast member on season 10 of Married to Medicine. She'll appear on season 11, too, which recently wrapped shooting and is expected to premiere sometime this year.

Phaedra Parks on 'The Traitors'.Euan Cherry/PEACOCK via Getty
The lawyer, mortician and television personality was a standout on season 2 of The Traitors. Her devious and delicious game play helped land the Peacock series — already a 2023 Emmy winner for outstanding casting — a 2024 Emmy nomination for outstanding reality competition program.

Bravo is likely hoping lightening strike twice. Parks is joining RHOA when the series is at a crucial time. After a lackluster few seasons, the network gave the show a major cast shakeup, firing Shereé Whitfield, Marlo Hampton and Sanya Richards-Ross.

All three joined as full-time Housewives together back in season 14, though Hampton has been a recurring Friend/guest for years while Whitfield was a founding cast member on RHOA when it premiered in 2008 and has appeared as Housewife on multiple seasons since.

Burruss also departed, though on her own accord, leaving after 14 consecutive years on the show in order to focus on other projects. "I put myself on pause," she told PEOPLE exclusively at the 2024 People's Choice Awards, hinting that she hopes to come back to the series one day. "They didn't have to put my on pause, I put myself on pause."

Drew Sidora, Marlo Hampton, Sheree Whitfield, Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore and Sanya Richards Ross in season 15 of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'.AB+DM/Bravo via Getty
With Burruss gone, and Moore now too, that leaves just Drew Sidora as the only returning cast member from season 15.

Joining her — and Williams and Parks — is Eady, restaurateur and Food Network alum Kelli Ferrell, and Angela Oakley, wife of NBA great Charles Oakley.

Morton Mwangi, who has appeared on the show in a guest and friend role dating back to season 5, has been upgraded to a full-time Housewife.

In a Friend role will be a familiar face to the franchise: supermodel Cynthia Bailey, who was a Housewife from season 3-13, and led the initial cast of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip.

Season 16 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta does not have a premiere date yet. Previous seasons can be streamed on Peacock.gSeason 16 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta will feature another familiar face: Phaedra Parks