Todd Tucker, the television producer and husband of Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss, has sent shockwaves through the entertainment world by filing a lawsuit against his mother-in-law, Mama Joyce, alleging she has “systematically defamed and publicly defamed him for over a decade.”
According to legal documents filed in a Fulton County, Georgia, court, Todd claims that Mama Joyce’s repeated, harsh statements — on television, at press events, and on social media — have created a “false, toxic image” of him, leading to the loss of at least four major production deals and a personal investment worth nearly $1.2 million.
A source close to the family says, “Todd has had enough. He has always put up with Kandi, but the emotional and financial toll has been too much.” The lawsuit lists more than 20 instances where Mama Joyce publicly called Todd a “gold digger,” a “parasite,” and even implied that he married Kandi for money—statements that were aired on Bravo and circulated widely on social media platforms.
The lawsuit also details a series of emails from business partners and investors in which they backed out of projects with Todd, citing “public image issues” and “the risk of lingering negative PR due to unaddressed family disputes.”
Notably, a portion of the lawsuit is directed at Bravo, implying that the network “encouraged family drama to drive ratings” without regard for the long-term consequences for the individuals involved. However, Todd has not yet formally sued Bravo, instead focusing all of his legal efforts on Mama Joyce.
Kandi Burruss was “completely shocked” by the news, and is “trying to stay in the middle and not get caught up in it,” an insider told Us Weekly, though she’s inevitably drawn into the line between her husband and mother. “She loves her mom, she loves her husband — but now both sides are at a point where they can’t compromise,” a close friend of Kandi’s told Us Weekly.
Mama Joyce has yet to respond, but in a recent Instagram story she posted the cryptic message: “Truth will never fear the light — and falsehood will only thrive in the dark.”
Todd’s lawyers are seeking financial damages and a “restraining order” from Mama Joyce from mentioning him in any negative context in public. The lawsuit has not only rocked the RHOA community, but has also thrown the Burruss family into unprecedented turmoil — with the drama now entering the courtroom.
