Apollo Nida, the former husband of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Phaedra Parks, is speaking out about his time on the drama-filled reality show.
Nida was introduced on the Bravo series back in 2010 as the Atlanta-based attorney’s younger husband who previously served time for what she described as a “white-collar crime.” The other ladies on the show would constantly gossip and raise questions about their union, as well as the timeline of Parks’ first pregnancy.
The former couple went onto welcome two sons before Nida was sentenced to eight years in federal prison in 2014. He pleads guilty to bank and wire fraud.
Parks filed for divorce — while he was in prison — though it was not finalized until 2017. He returned home in 2019, and afterward the 44-year-old slammed his ex-wife for not supporting him during and following his incarceration. He also claimed Parks would not allow him to spend time with their two sons.
Most of this was played out on “RHOA,” and although Nida doesn’t regret his time on the show, he does wish he did more to protect his “likeness and image.”
“I don’t regret it. What I do, I don’t know the word regret. I just wish I woulda been more refined in protecting my likeness and image a little more,” he said during a recent interview shared on The Neighborhood Talk’s Instagram.
The short clip also featured clips of Nida fighting and having physical altercations with his cast mates on the show.
“You don’t have to be puppetted. Of course you’re gonna see things, regardless, ’cause that’s the narrative of the show. There’s gonna be some bad, but overall, it didn’t have to be that bad,” he continued.
The father of two went on to celebrate his marriage with his current wife, Sherien Almufti. The two began dating during his incarceration and wed last October.
“She was there through thick and thin, and, you know, here it is. We’re blossoming, we’re shining on the other side,” he said.
Fans of the show flooded the post with memes and GIFs of Parks in the comment section. Most featured the self-proclaimed Southern Belle looking unbothered or rolling her eyes. One GIF shows Parks throwing her hands in the air, saying “Oh Lord Jesus, fix it.”
There were also a few of Porsha Williams, Nene Leakes, Kenya Moore, and Kandi Burruss. Some seemingly felt Nida was taking a jab at his ex-wife, noting his troubled past before he began dating Parks.
“He was already an ex-convict. He had a chance to do better and be better.”
“He always gave me controlling and abusive vibes every time he got angry.”
A few brought up the time Nida attacked Moore’s BFF Brandon at a lingerie party during season 6 of “RHOA.”
In the scene, Brandon jumped up to defend Moore after she got into a verbal altercation with another male. An entire room of people had to restrain Nida, who appeared eager to fight Brandon.
His dramatic exit from their family home before turning himself in during season 7 was also mentioned.
“Protecting his likeness? The same one that beat the sh** outta Brandon?” said one critic. “The same one following Phaedra with a power drill? Ohhhh, okay.”
Another added, “Phaedra tried to give him numerous business ventures so he could be portrayed in a good light on the show, but he didn’t want that.”
Nida appears much differently in another reality series, “Couples Retreat,” with Almufti, as they work on obstacles in their marriage. The show airs Tuesday nights on MTV at 9 p.m. ET.
