Kandi Burruss Exits ‘Real Housewives Of Atlanta’ After 14 Seasons Amid Prolonged Hiatus

Kandi Burruss has confirmed she will not be returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta after 14 seasons on the show.

The Grammy Award winner announced her decision to leave the show as she arrived at the Grammys on Sunday night.

“I’ve been going back and forth and I think because they gave us such a long break, I had a lot of time to do other things and I’ve got some big announcements to make coming soon, so yeah,” she told ET on the red carpet. “I mean, I love the girls, they’re my friends, I’m still gonna see them and hang out with them. And Bravo is my family, I love them as well, but you know.”

Burruss currently holds the title of the longest-running housewife on Bravo, having joined the franchise in Season 2 in 2009. After Season 15 of the reality series last aired in September 2023, the show was given an extended hiatus following a ratings decline from the previous seasons. The pause was to regroup and think about where the franchise would lead to next with rumors of a major reboot like The Real Housewives of New York City Season 14 being a possibility.

A production start date for Season 16 has not been announced, but after Burruss’s exit, executive producer Andy Cohen weighed in.

“She was always very true to herself. She always wanted to be the best. She has been one of my favorite people to work with in my whole time — first as an exec at Bravo and then as an EP of the Housewives and just hosting Watch What Happens Live,” Cohen said on his SiriusXM show. “I love how competitive she is. I love how thoughtful and smart she is.”

Cohen later continued, “I appreciate her saying that, ‘I think this is just the time.’ And she knows the show is at a crossroads right now.

Cohen said that he knows “Bravo will be in business with [Burruss] for a long time. They’ve got other things in development. She is a talent that they’re not going to want to let go.” Additionally, Cohen said that he suggested to Burruss she could “drop back in, in a year or two.”

Listen to Cohen celebrate Burruss in the video below.