Kenya Moore has become one of the biggest reality television stars on the planet over the past decade. She bulldozed her way onto The Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s fifth season where her iconic status became cemented only a few episodes in.
The Bravolebrity has come a long way since she twirled and exclaimed that memorable line, “Gone With The Wind Fabulous.” She has managed to become a triple threat by starting her own haircare brand and excelling in other television and movie projects all while being a fabulous mommy to her 2-year-old daughter Brooklyn.
She took time out of her busy schedule to chat with Instinct Magazine exclusively where the gorgeous beauty talking about RHOA‘s new season, motherhood and more!
How different was shooting RHOA this past season because of the pandemic?
I remember we would show up at scenes and we get tested for COVID twice a week, but sometimes we would show up at scenes and then they would make us wear masks. And we would be like, “Okay, why are we wearing masks if we’ve all been tested?” It just would feel very random when we would have to wear a mask and when we wouldn’t. It would just be quite frustrating at times.
And then, of course, we had to get shut down a few times because some people tested positive for COVID. But overall, it didn’t happen too many times considering we shot six months and we’re at the end of it now. So, yeah. It was challenging for the most part doing a scene where you can’t really make any facial expressions and you can’t really see what people are saying or doing. And then half those h**s have so much Botox that you can’t even figure out what their facial expressions are doing anyways. So it’s like, “Okay, whatever.”
I know NeNe’s not involved this season which I’m sure you’re thrilled with. You’ve done this before though when she was barely apart of season nine. So was there a different energy without her there this time around?
Well, my last season with her wasn’t great. She was just a really obnoxious, nasty person who just threw rocks and then hid behind her hands and would just say all kinds of things about my family and me. She was just so bothered by me. And I had seen so many things that she had done off camera and I was like, “You know what? I’m good on you.” Because I can’t do the phony thing.
Honestly, I am too old and too grown to do the phony thing. And I feel like a lot of people depend on me to be the honest voice on this show and I say what people think. Of course, I get a lot of backlash for it, but I do call people to task when it comes to like, “Wait a minute. That’s not what it really is. Tell the truth.” It is what it is. So we’ve done the show without her before. The show will be fine without her. We had great ratings before. I think we’ll continue to have great ratings without her. And listen, you never win when you play dirty.
That’s a very good line to use in many situations in life. You’re one of the few, and I’m not just talking about with Atlanta, but I think with any of the Real Housewives franchises, that’s really delivered every season when it comes to having a really great and authentic storyline. What can we expect from you this coming season? Because the trailer alone looks insane.
Yeah. You know why, this is a weird season for me because of COVID, because I’m separated from my husband, because I’m a single mother right now, because I’m trying to run an empire. My haircare business is doing crazy numbers even through the pandemic. I lost my nanny. I can’t see my family. It’s just there were so many things going on.
I had a lot of health issues that people didn’t know about in the beginning of the season. So it was really tough for me to begin. But first of all, I thank you for saying that, because I think that I have never felt like I had to try to make a storyline, and I’ve never felt like I had to do any fakery from it. I think my life has often been a train wreck where you can’t look away. So this season is really just me coming into the realization that if I have to be strong and stand on my own, that’s who I’m going to be. And I have to do whatever I need to do to protect my daughter and to give her the best life that I never had. And so that’s where my mindset is. And anyone who gets in my way or anyone who brings bulls**t to me, I just crush them because I don’t have time for games.
I love how you brought up your daughter Brooklyn because I know she just turned two. I think you posted stuff on your social media, but what did you do for her on her big day?
We had an Old MacDonald Had a Farm themed party at a farm outside. I don’t know, maybe was 10 kids including her little boyfriend who is Eva Marcelle‘s son. We socially distanced. We had masks for everyone. Obviously we did temp checks and all that good stuff. But they just got to be outside and be kids. You know what I mean? And ride on horses and little ponies and pick up chickens and pet rabbits and stuff like that. And they just could not have had more fun. It was honestly the best time.
I know you’ve talked about this before but what advice would you give to women who are of a certain age that still want to have a kid if they’re in their 40s but they’re too afraid to do so, because you were able to make that happen?
If it’s something that you want, whether it’s a child or anything, I think you just have to put your heart into it and not ever give up. I worked with the Baby Quest Foundation and they grant gap funding to couples of all walks of life, gay, straight, lesbian, single moms, single dads, you name it. They don’t discriminate, which is why I wanted to be aligned with that particular foundation to begin with. But they help with assisted reproduction. And that could mean, “Hey, maybe you need a surrogate.” They can cost upwards of 100 grand. Who has that kind of money laying around?
IVF, that could be 10 grand to start per session. IUI, it’s just so costly. And to be able to live your dream of having a family should not be cost prohibitive. So that’s why I really like Baby Quest is because they make people’s dreams come true. And I think that that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to be an ambassador for them to let other people know that want families and are challenged or infertile, that there are other options than just to never give up, because there are places like Baby Quest out here that can help you.
I do want to ask before we go, are you going to do any more music? By the way, The “Gone with the Wind Fabulous” video with my friend, Shangela was fantastic.
Oh, I love Shangela. Oh my God. I love Shangela. She’s such a humble, humble, beautiful spirit. I do want to do something for next year, but I have another Housewife in mind that I want to do a duet with or a collaboration with. So if I can get her, I’ll definitely be doing some more music.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta returns tonight at 8pm EST on Bravo.