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‘People Get Caught Up In the Reads’: Phaedra Parks Says ‘Bottled-Up Anger’ and ‘Aggression’ Led to Her Iconic 2014 ‘Sperm Bank’ Read Toward Kenya Moore

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Former “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” sensation Phaedra Parks is back with a fresh start and a new career.

In her “RHOA” days, Phaedra was known for her snappy yet witty one-liners and occasional spats with her co-stars. However, her time on the show was not without its share of drama and headlines, which led to her departure from the series after several seasons due to a jaw-dropping scandal with Kandi Burruss and her husband, Todd Tucker.

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Fans of the Bravo reality series praise Phaedra as one of the most sharp-witted stars of the “Housewives” franchise, with a knack for hitting people where it hurts in the most classy way. When asked how she comes up with her sassy-yet-classy reads, Phaedra told Atlanta Black Star it’s a mixture of God-given talent and skills she acquired as an attorney.

Phaedra Parks reflects on her iconic 2014 read toward her former "RHOA" star Kenya Moore.
Phaedra Parks reflects on her iconic 2014 read toward her former “RHOA” star Kenya Moore. (Photo: @phaedraparks/Instagram)

“I don’t think you come up with anything,” said Phaedra in an exclusive interview. “I’m a lawyer [and] litigator. My training is to speak and be able to respond to people with very little notice.”

She continued, “It’s interesting that people get caught up in the reads, but it’s just that you’re well-spoken or you’re not. You are a wordsmith, or you’re not. That is some people’s forté, and it’s not so much for others. I’ve always been quick-witted and quick on my feet, and being an attorney has honed in on that particular skill.”

One of Phaedra’s most iconic reads involves a dramatic back and forth with her former “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” co-star Kenya Moore in 2014. The incident occurred during the season-six reunion where Phaedra defended her now ex-husband, Apollo Nida, while accusing Kenya of “peddling through sperm banks” to find a father for her child.

“She’s sitting around, running around talking about my husband, the father of my children, and she spends her weekends peddling through sperm banks, looking through catalogs trying to find a donor,” Phaedra said during the reunion. “Honey, you don’t know if your baby daddy will be an ax murderer or a child molester because what you will know is that he needed $10 for a medium-size pizza, so he ejaculated in a cup so you could have a kid. Now, check that!”

Phaedra’s speech left viewers in awe, but according to the reality star, she had no idea her words would have life like this years later.

“In that moment, there was so much bottled-up anger and aggression because of so many things that had happened, and I hadn’t fully expressed myself so many times,” said Phaedra, about what caused her reaction to Kenya. “So, I think that was just a build-up of so many things that had happened between Kenya and I. People be like, ‘Oh, you rehearsed,’ and I’m like, ‘Girl, I had no time to rehearse because I didn’t know that she was gonna come for me.'”

Phaedra went on to say that she had forgotten all about her remarks after filming the reunion show, but after the episode aired months later, she received several phone calls from loved ones, including radio host and comedian Rickey Smiley.

“It became this big thing, and I had no idea. I had pretty much forgotten about it because, of course, it was filmed three or four months before,” the reality star told Atlanta Black Star.

She added that she now realizes how big of a deal her words were, though she didn’t realize the gravity at the time.

“It was obviously a big deal. But at the time, it was just the frustration of just a build-up of this very interestingly tumultuous relationship with Kenya. I never thought it’d be like, ‘Oh my God, this is such an iconic moment in television,’ ” she said.

Phaedra left “RHOA” in 2017 following drama over a false rumor about Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker allegedly planning to drug and take advantage of Porsha Williams.

Six years after her departure, she marks her return on season 10 of Bravo’s “Married to Medicine,” sporting a new title as a holistic healer, while also dating a physician.

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Curious to know more about Phaedra’s love life, her “RHOA” departure, and who her new bestie is on “M2M?” Check out our exclusive interview with Phaedra here:

The new season “Married to Medicine” premieres on Bravo on Nov. 5 @ 9:15 p.m. EST/PT, with streaming the next day on Peacock.

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