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Happy Pride, Porsha! Although we\u2019ve known for some time that Ms. Williams is a member of the community, in the retrospective present of tonight\u2019s episode, Porsha officially comes out of the closet with a public statement about her dating life at Culture Con. Knowing her history on the show, the statement is less of a revelation and more of a confirmation \u2014 if you ask me, I consider her Bolo night hot mic utterance of \u201cOne of you bitches is eating me tonight!\u201d as sufficient clarification of her sexuality. But Porsha evolving from keeping her queerness behind closed doors (and in nightclubs, according to Kandi) to publicly dating a woman is appropriate for the 20th anniversary of the franchise.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m very proud of this storyline, not only for Porsha but the Housewives franchise as a whole; just because it\u2019s a \u201cduh\u201d moment for a lot of us \u2014 in my circle, if someone were to \u201ccome out,\u201d we\u2019d more likely be upset that we didn\u2019t create a space for that person to exist unapologetically than any grievance about their sexuality \u2014 doesn\u2019t mean the rest of the world is as accepting, so the representation is needed. It\u2019s great to see the Real Housewives reflect how much social norms and expectations have evolved over the last two decades (Heather Dubrow openly experimenting with psychedelics is another great example of this), especially for a city like Atlanta, where, as Phaedra so delicately put it, \u201ceveryone likes surf and turf.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the most part, Porsha\u2019s castmates are as unsurprised by the Culture Con announcement as we are, but they\u2019re still celebratory as Drew goofily serves a rainbow cake while hosting the Peaches for lunch at her house. The entire lunch is a ki; they joke about Ralph listening in from the basement and sending him messages in Morse code while praising Drew for her performance of the national anthem. At this point in the season, it\u2019s obvious these five women are the core cast who bring lightness, entertainment, personal story, and the right amount of shade for things to remain pleasurable (I\u2019m kind of obsessed with Cynthia and Phaedra shading each other in the confessionals. It\u2019s like seeing your favorite athletes come out of retirement). This isn\u2019t to say everything is perfect with the Peaches \u2014 we had compelling moments of conflict and emotion with the anniversary of Angela\u2019s mother\u2019s passing and Dennis returning Porsha\u2019s ring at the end of the episode \u2014 but it\u2019s a drastic difference from the Plums, who exude defensiveness and, at times, malaise. It\u2019s always something with them! Their energy is heavy and combative, so much so with Shamea that Cynthia tries to orchestrate a come-to-Jesus moment at Lake Bailey.<\/p>\n
Cynthia wants to get down to the bottom of Shamea\u2019s erratic behavior, and the scene plays out like an angsty teen getting sent to the principal\u2019s office. Cynthia goes down the list of people Shamea is clashing with and, as usual, all roads lead to Porsha. I agree with Porsha\u2019s joke in her confessional that she should invoice these ladies for being such a large part of their storylines. Shamea defends inviting Dennis to Gerald\u2019s birthday and says that if Simon were in the country, she\u2019d probably invite him as well. That statement alone proves the deep-seated hostility Shamea has toward Porsha because in what world is inviting Porsha\u2019s ex-husband and baby daddy an appropriate thing to do, regardless of where they stand as friends (and if it were \u201cfor the kids\u201d as Shamea argues, she should limit their interactions to playdates, not adult socialization).<\/p>\n
Like Cynthia notes, clearly the rift between Porsha and Shamea is bigger than the show, but from a viewer\u2019s perspective, only one party continues to throw daggers. Where Porsha would prefer to ignore Shamea\u2019s existence, Shamea keeps breadcrumbing her disdain for her ex bestie, this time telling Cynthia about the heated text exchange after the reunion. Shamea claims not to want to put their \u201cbusiness\u201d out there, yet she always divulges just enough to cast Porsha as the villain and herself as the victim. She says that not everyone has to be friends, but she still wants to have a good time as a group. Well, Shamea, maybe don\u2019t cozy up to Dennis if that\u2019s your goal.<\/p>\n
To make matters worse, K. Michelle reveals that Shamea is partly to blame for her unending paranoia about fitting in on Bravo (because we all know this is more about her coming from what\u2019s considered \u201clow-brow\u201d reality TV on VH1 and not her actual chemistry with the group). Pinky and K. Michelle chat over a boozy lunch where K. shares that she went clubbing with Shamea and the usually pious Mama Morton. According to K., Shamea\u2019s mom came ready to play with her \u201ctitties pushed up to her chin,\u201d but still brought the Holy Spirit as she held K.\u2019s hand in prayer for over an hour, reciting invocations of loyalty and trust. Shamea then emphasizes that none of her \u201cfriends\u201d (I\u2019m assuming this means fellow cast members) want her to be friends with K.<\/p>\n
Now, we definitely have to take anything K. says with a grain of salt \u2014 this is a woman who believed a one-off joke about stinky oysters was a strategic jab about her own vaginal odor \u2014 but it would make sense that the little birdie in her ear is someone on the cast. In the confessional, K. Michelle says that Shamea \u201ckeeps\u201d saying that \u201cno one in Atlanta\u201d wants to be her friend. Continuing to make these remarks to a naturally paranoid person will only alienate them further and actually does what Shamea accuses Porsha of doing: breeding suspicion and animosity between the two factions.<\/p>\n
As K. Michelle ponders Shamea\u2019s actions, Kelli continues the Plums\u2019 reputation as Debbie Downers. What else can this woman go through? Now, in addition to her tumultuous divorce and businesses hanging by a thread, Kelli\u2019s neighbor is allegedly \u201cstalking\u201d her, and now she must evacuate her home and move into Shamea\u2019s investment properties. Like, girl, are you good? She\u2019s beefing with Drew and Porsha, can\u2019t say her man\u2019s name out loud, can\u2019t film with her kids, she\u2019s filing for bankruptcy, getting dental work done, her dog hasn\u2019t had a dye touch-up in months, and, in her confessional, she\u2019s missing her pants and wearing a plain white tee that barely covers her coochie. It\u2019s so bad that Phaedra and her bob are providing Kelli legal assistance in the divorce pro bono, which seems like it\u2019s out of pity because we know Phaedra doesn\u2019t play about her money; just ask Shere\u00e9.<\/p>\n
Even in Shamea\u2019s attempts to be a good friend to Kelli, the malice that she has toward Porsha continues to simmer just below the surface. When Kelli arrives to move into Shamea\u2019s townhouse, the exchange is fraught with what feels like subliminal messages directed at Porsha. In fact, their entire relationship has an eerie, performative aura. Shamea announcing how great it is to \u201creciprocate\u201d Kelli\u2019s devotion felt like a direct shot at Porsha, as that was Shamea\u2019s main grievance in their relationship. In many ways, it reminds me of that girl we all know who goes through a nasty breakup, then hastily jumps into a new relationship that she\u2019s constantly either overselling or using as an example of all the ways her ex wronged her. If her ex never got her flowers, the new guy shows up with huge bouquets that she posts on all her socials with ominous captions about getting what she deserves. As I said before, all roads lead to Porsha.<\/p>\n
Understanding that, despite their attempts at reconciliation, the great divide between the Peaches and the Plums remains unwavering, Pinky does the Lord\u2019s work to bring the entire cast together for a night of innocent fun. Surprisingly, Pinky has become the MVP of the Plums, offering the most level-headed advice while still trying to bond with the Peaches (she also has a very thick skin, unlike Kelli and Shamea). She hosts an 80s-themed skate night, which is a refreshing change from the copious yee-haw events we\u2019ve been getting on Bravo (look, if Beyonc\u00e9 is moving on with Act III, I think we can too). The skate party is a perfect activity for everyone to come together. They shower Angela with condolences and gifts as the event falls on the anniversary of her mother\u2019s death and distract her with a drama-free time at the skating rink. Porsha declares the night a success as \u201cnobody had to talk about undercover scheming, scams, and all this stuff going on. We\u2019re just dancing; we\u2019re just having a good time.\u201d Finally! It\u2019s what we\u2019ve been waiting for!<\/p>\n
\u2022 I\u2019m not loving Shamea\u2019s reaction to Porsha\u2019s relationship in the press. In a recent interview<\/a>, when asked to say the first thing that comes to mind at the names of her castmates, Shamea chose to sarcastically say, \u201cHappy Pride,\u201d referring to Porsha. Porsha clapped back in the comments, saying, \u201cHappy Pride to you, too\u201d (is she waking up that season nine tea? I love that gif<\/a> of Phaedra\u2019s pantomime) before posting a collage<\/a> of pictures with Sway, accompanied by #WLW and, hilariously, #Swaysexual.<\/p>\n \u2022 While on the topic of WLW, I find it strange that Angela\u2019s younger kids don\u2019t know about Ahmauri\u2019s wife, instead thinking she\u2019s their sister\u2019s \u201cbest friend.\u201d I really hope there\u2019s an honest conversation on the horizon for their family. Right now, it\u2019s giving that one auntie and her \u201croommate\u201d at Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n \u2022 Dennis\u2019 confrontation with Porsha is so absurd that until Porsha broke the fourth wall, I thought the moment was staged. But her reaction to his petty return of her engagement ring validates my belief that Dennis was\/is the love of Porsha\u2019s life, and if he hadn\u2019t cheated and acted like an overall jackass, they would still be together today. But Dennis can\u2019t get his head out of his own ass to salvage and maintain even a healthy platonic relationship, so kudos to Porsha for moving on and becoming \u201cSwaysexual.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign up for the Housewives Institute Bulletin<\/p>\n Dame Brian Moylan breaks down all the gossip and drama, on- and off-screen, for dedicated students of the Reality Television Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n