Phaedra Parks explains why she returned to ‘RHOA' after it ‘took a dip' — and teases an ‘explosive reunion'
Phaedra Parks spilled all the details about her upcoming return to 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta,' which debuts Sunday at 9 p.m. ET., in an exclusive interview with The Post.
'We've been talking about it for some time, but it needed to be the right moment for me and for my family,' the mom of two said of coming back to the Bravo show after a six-season hiatus.
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7 Cheez-It x Phaedra Parks.
Jayden Mack
'Porsha [Williams] basically called me as well, like, 'Hey, would you consider it?' And I love Porsha. Frick and Frack is always fun, always about friendship,' Parks explained. 'That really made me really think about it seriously.'
7 Phaedra Parks has a new partnership with Cheez-It Snap'd.
Jayden Mack
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'So it's been a wonderful return because it was like going home, like riding a bike,' she added, while promoting her collaboration with Cheez-It Snap'd to introduce the limited-edition Cheez-It Snap'd Back Bag. 'I just got back on and got right in the swing of things. And I just think it's gonna be a very amazing season.'
Parks, who makes her official return to the show on Sunday's episode, told The Post she wasn't nervous about joining the rest of the ladies so late into the season.
7 Phaedra Parks at the 'RHOA' Season 16 premiere party in Atlanta on March 7.
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'You know what, I'm pretty courageous,' she said. 'Living people ain't gonna scare me if the dead didn't scare me.'
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The mortician went on, 'It felt so good to be back where I started. It feels good to hopefully be a part of the resurgence of the 'Housewives' because, you know, they took a dip. So hopefully we can bring them back to stellar status. Obviously it's very nostalgic for people who have watched me have both of my sons on television to now see them as tweens.'
7 The 'RHOA' Season 16 cast: Brit Eady, Phaedra Parks, Angela Oakley, Porsha Williams, Shamea Morton Mwangi, Drew Sidora, Kelli Ferrell.
Gizelle Hernandez/James Bianchi/Bravo
7 Phaedra Parks on Bravo.
Bravo
The reality star said that the mix of veteran Housewives and newbies in the Season 16 cast makes for 'the best formula' for the show.
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'I think you have to revamp it just to refresh the brand. But at the same time, 'Housewives' has always been about nostalgia,' Parks noted. 'People tuning in to see people they grew up with and the Housewives that they love.'
7 Phaedra Parks on 'The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip' Season 2.
Zack DeZon/Peacock via Getty Images
'So yeah, I think when you are going to revamp it, you've got to mix the old with the new,' she added. 'You're coming back to see people that you are very familiar with, but you're getting a little splash of fresh people and ideas.'
While the Season 16 reunion hasn't filmed yet, Parks predicts the get-together will be 'explosive.'
'I think a lot of people are gonna be in the hot seat — including myself,' she said.
7 Phaedra Parks arrives at 'Watch What Happens Live' in NYC.
Christopher Peterson / SplashNews.com
'People love to try to put my feet to the fire. So, you know I'm ready. I stay ready so I don't have to get ready,' Parks stated. 'So yeah, let's do it.'
Now that she's back on 'RHOA,' Parks told The Post that she's 'definitely there for the long-haul.'
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'I am loyal to who's loyal to me. I love NBCUniversal, Peacock, and they've been great to me,' she said. 'And so I will definitely be great to them.'
'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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