Whether they’re friends, family or frenemies, the ladies of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” know how to pull it together for a photo shoot.
On Wednesday, April 27, fans went wild over new images and a trailer of cast members — Marlo Hampton, Drew Sidora, Sheree Whitfield, Kandi Buruss, Kenya Moore, and Sanya Richards-Ross — that circulated online. The women looked dazzling dressed in all white, compared with Bravo’s official promo shoot of the ladies dressed in silver, gold and and gray gowns. Although fans loved the signature peach theme in both, many noticed Bravo’s logo was missing in the new video.
In a series of tweets, journalist Anthony Dominic explained that the Georgia-based women “didn’t like” their original shoot.
“I think there’s some confusion that Bravo didn’t give the #RHOA ladies a photo. They did, see below,” he tweeted, sharing photos from both photo shoots side by side. “The ladies didn’t like it and wanted to do their own to have more for pr/marketing. They filmed their own promo as well. The ladies paid for their own, but that was their choice.”
The Neighborhood Talk captured a separate response where Dominic admitted “Bravo had no clue” about the reshoot. “A lot of people are asking me about the #RHOA promotion. It’s true that the women funded this themselves, Bravo had nothing to do with it. In fact, Bravo had no clue they were doing it,” he added, “The ladies felt they needed to take marketing/pr into their own hands for the upcoming season.”
In other tweets, Dominic cleared up why Marlo Hampton’s appearance was photoshopped in the promo video and pictures. “Marlo canceled last minute, that’s why she’s not in the video promo but was photoshopped into the photo,” he said. “The ladies felt other franchises, like #RHOBH get new promos/photos and theirs are refreshed every three to four years. And that’s why #RHOA stays top-tier!”
He continued, “The ladies of #RHOA also shot their OWN self-funded promo. It’s coming soon. You’ll still get the Bravo one that is old videos of the returning ladies and new videos for the new ladies. Again, took it into their own hands. I love these ladies!”
Fans in the comments enjoyed the “RHOA” women in the new promo video, but many were shocked to learn they paid for it themselves. Others felt Bravo should have treated the ladies better as cast members of the second spinoff in the ‘The Real Housewives’ franchise.
“I knew something was off when I seen that peach in the back…but they look good nonetheless.”
“Let’s give credit to the photographer @imerickrobinson because these look AMAZING!”
“Bravo is so disrespectful when it comes to the ‘RHOA girls.’ They are the blueprint. Run the promo money and put some respeck on their name!”
“They shouldn’t have to do that tho! I thought networks cared about stuff like this… you would’ve thought they would’ve wanted everything to look right.”
“Is it really a show at this point?? There’s no Nene, Phaedra, or Kim.. shid Cynthia gone too and ion even like ha. Like what’s the point of the show at this point.”
A few added to Dominic’s point that other franchises like “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” shoot new promos more frequently. Could they have bigger budgets?
One person said, “Y’all must not watch ‘Potomac.’ They definitely get the short end of the stick.” Another said, “Why the black show got to fund their own?”
If Dominic’s tweets are true, many believe the reasoning behind their “boss move” adds to allegations of Bravo’s discrimination and mistreatment by former “RHOA” member Nene Leakes.
One person said, “But NeNe’s crazy… Sis been telling y’all about that network.” Another said, “This actually goes to support Nene’s racial discrimination claim. The first majority Black then entirely Black franchise having disparate promo? Bravo, it’s not looking good for you.”
A third individual added, “Nene about to be vindicated. She literally complained about how other franchises get preferential treatment and how the Atlanta franchise gets bare bones. That 74-page lawsuit has legs, feet, and arms. It’s going to be very interesting to see how this all plays out.”
Nene Leakes made headlines last week after accusing Bravo and the production staff of “RHOA” of fostering a hostile and racist work environment. The lawsuit states that “NBC, Bravo, and True foster a corporate and workplace culture in which racially insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated; if not encouraged.” It also alleges the reality star reported years of racist remarks from former ‘RHOA’ Kim Zolciak-Biermann, who made other “racially offensive and stereotypical” comments about a cast member’s home.
