The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 16: Everything to Know

The Real Housewives of Atlanta is serving up big peach energy in 2025.

After an extended hiatus, Bravo’s reality show will enter a new era when its sweet season 16 premieres with a supersized episode on Sunday, March 9.

While viewers can count on watching familiar faces like Porsha Williams, Drew Sidora and returning star Phaedra Parks, new Housewives including Shamea Morton Mwangi, Brit Eady, Kelli Ferrell and Angela Oakley are expected to bring glitz, glamour and drama to Atlanta.

“I think people have been waiting a long time to see what we’ve done. We’ve got great new housewives,” Andy Cohen told Bravo’s The Daily Dish in December 2024. “We’ve got the return of Porsha. We’ve got the return of Phaedra. Shamea is a full Housewife. I mean, she’s someone that we’ve been seeing for years and years, but seeing her in this way is totally a breath of fresh air.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Season 16:

When Does ‘RHOA’ Season 16 Premiere?

On January 30, Bravo released the official trailer for RHOA season 16. At the time, the network also confirmed the season would kick off with a supersized episode on Sunday, March 9, at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.

Which ‘RHOA’ Cast Members Are Appearing in Season 16?

Fans of the show will immediately recognize Porsha and Drew, who have already been full-time Housewives for multiple seasons.

At the same time, viewers will quickly meet some new faces including Brit Eady, Kelli Ferrell and Angela Oakley, who is married to NBA legend Charles Oakley.

What Is Cynthia Bailey’s Role in ‘RHOA’ Season 16?

Although she was a full-time Housewife for RHOA in seasons 3 to 13, Cynthia was grateful to have the opportunity to be a “friend” of the cast for her season 16 return.

“As an official friend, I actually go on the trips and I’m actually with the ladies a lot more,” Cynthia shared with Us in November 2024. “I’m a little more in the mix this time. And for me, it’s the perfect situation for me because I miss the girls. I still am connected to so many of the ladies on the show, but my focus still is my acting career, which is going great by the way, but it’s so much fun to stay connected to the show and to the fans.”

What Is Phaedra Parks’ Role in Season 16

According to Bravo, Phaedra will join the ladies with “some extra sass and spice” later in the season, “but right on time to make her sweetest return.”

Cynthia previously teased that her longtime friend brings the heat in her highly anticipated return. “It’s been a long time coming,” she told Us. “Phaedra’s been away from the show for a while now, and I have to say she literally came in within, like, two and a half weeks left of filming and did something that’s never been done before the history of Housewives.”

What Happened to Kenya Moore in Season 16? 

Although Kenya appeared in the trailer for season 16 and was originally part of the cast, she abruptly exited the series due to an alleged explicit photo scandal.

“Thank you for all the support #teamtwirl,” Kenya wrote via Instagram in June 2024 after the incident. “My heart is full and my conscience is clean. So many false claims hiding behind anonymous sources. All this conversation and no facts being reported. If a claim or source was valid, would they need to hide?”

What Has the Cast Teased About ‘RHOA’ Season 16?

While many story lines have been kept secret during filming, Porsha previously teased that she will be discussing her divorce from Simon Guobadia in the new season.

“In my relationship with Simon, I felt like that if I had him by my side, we would conquer anything,” she explained during a confessional that aired at Bravo Fan Fest. “However, I started just realizing a lot of different things that turned out to be untruth.”

Based on the season trailer, Porsha will also find herself discussing another ex. When rumors start to swirl about Drew’s questionable partnership with Dennis McKinley, Porsha can’t help but ask some questions.