Kandi Burruss 'More Than Excited' To Leave 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta' In The Past

Kandi Burruss may have spent 14 seasons on Bravo's hit series "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," but now that she's gone, she couldn't be more grateful for the break.

During an interview with Sherri Shepherd on her talk show, the reality star and musician discussed how she felt walking away from the series to which she had dedicated so much of her life.

Throughout Burruss' 14 seasons on "RHOA," the reality star was highly regarded for her laid-back demeanor. However, she was known to pop off on her co-stars from time to time.

While discussing the upcoming season on the talk show "Sherri," Burruss shared her feelings about being away from the drama for once and also teased whether she could see herself returning in the future.

After Shepherd asked Burruss if she was looking forward to her break, the mother of three replied, "I'm more than excited."

Although Burruss plans to support the show when it premieres on March 9, 2025, the "No Scrubs" boasted about using her free time to pursue other interests, including traveling and taking on new work opportunities.

After a rough 15th season, the network paused "RHOA" to decide how it wanted to move forward with the series. However, during a red carpet event for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, Burruss revealed Bravo waited too long, which prompted her to walk away from the show for good.

"I decided I’m not coming back this year. It’s been 14 seasons, and they allowed us to sit around for a little too long," she said.

Later, the multi-hyphenate, who's starred on Broadway and several seasons of Showtime's "The Chi," said that during the downtime, she began working on other projects that she was "super excited about."

She also revealed that after years in front of the camera, she decided to leave the series in her rearview after having a challenging conversation with a friend.

“It’s just like, after you really have time to think, and a friend of mine was like, ‘Why do you keep doing it?’ And I was like, ‘Well, I think because I’ve just been doing it for so long, it feels weird to think not to do it?’ So I was just like, ‘You know what? I’m going to take a break; I’m going to take a moment… I’m not coming back this year,'" she said.

Regarding her possible return to the series, Burruss told Shepherd, "I don't really see it right now. But, you never know in the future."

Elsewhere during her interview, Burruss seemingly hinted that another reason she left the show was that she was hoping to attract bigger opportunities that aligned more with her career and ambitions.

The "Understanding" singer mentioned her final season on "RHOA," where some of her co-stars challenged her for not spending enough time with the group.

During some of the episodes, watchers would catch scenes of Burruss in New York City prepping for work on Broadway or in Illinois rehearsing scenes for her role in "The Chi."

According to Burruss, she couldn't be around the group as much during that time because she was focusing on making her dreams a reality.

"I have big dreams, y'all," she said. "Y'all know I want to win a Tony [Award]."

Despite her positive experience on Bravo and "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," the Grammy winner recently slammed the network during an Amazon Live event for their mistreatment of her best friend, Kenya Moore.

Moore, who joined the series during its fifth season, has been an integral part of the show. However, Bravo sidelined her during the production of season 16 after she allegedly displayed pictures of her castmate, Brit Eady, performing oral sex.

"I was pissed about that," Burruss said about Bravo's decision before blasting them again for not allowing Moore to have a cast photo.

"But I'm like, y'all couldn't even let her picture be a part of the show? The other friends of the show had pictures," she said.

Although Burruss won't be on the newest season of "RHOA," watchers will still notice a few familiar faces.

Porsha Williams, Phaedra Parks, and Cynthia Bailey are all returning to the show as full-time cast members and a "friend of the show," respectively.

Shamea Morton, who also appeared in a guest role during previous seasons, will join as a housewife alongside other newcomers, such as Brit Eady, Kelli Ferrell, and Angela Oakley.

Another Bravo veteran returning is Drew Sidora, whose last two seasons focused primarily on her unhealthy relationship with her husband, Ralph Pittman, and the relationship her son has with his father.

Andy Cohen commented on the new season in January 2025, saying he believed people would love what they've done with the show.

"I'm really excited about 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta.' I think people have been waiting a long time to see what we’ve done," he said. "We’ve got great new housewives."