Porsha Williams is throwing in the towel on her marriage to Simon Guobadia. The reality television darling filed for divorce on Feb. 22, three days shy of marking 15 months of marriage.
Her petition is “unrelated to recent allegations involving Simon’s past” and that the union’s demise was due to an “ongoing matter,” a source tells People. The Nigerian-born businessman is currently in the midst of a stalled citizenship battle. Despite living in the U.S. for 42 years, Simon could possibly face deportation following a series of failed attempts at naturalization due to his criminal history of committing fraud and overstaying visitor visas.
News of his immigration controversy spilled out into the media in mid-February, just one month after U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones dismissed a complaint asking the court to vacate an October 2022 citizenship application denial. The following month, Porsha and Simon tied the knot with two ceremonies: a lavish Nigerian wedding on Nov. 25 and a traditional American church wedding on November 26, 2022.
The short-lived relationship is Porsha’s second marriage, her first being to former NFL player Kordell Stewart. When the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum was introduced to the franchise during season 5 in 2012, the newlyweds seemed to be living in bliss, but her emergence as the life of the party on the show would ultimately lead to friction in the relationship that ended in divorce after two years.
The Naked Hair CEO and founder is making her “RHOA” return for the upcoming season 16. “I’m looking forward to being back on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ and showing the world my new world!” she said in a released statement earlier this month. At the time, her current marital turmoil and Simon’s legal matters were not publicized.
So, how do Porsha’s exes measure up to each other? Take a look below:
Porsha’s Money Matters — from Near Destitute to Thriving Business Owner
Ex-Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart met Porsha Williams in 2009, and they were married by May 2011. When they began dating, the Atlanta native was an entrepreneur and involved in philanthropy — her grandfather is the civil rights activist Hosea Williams. “I had my own businesses, and I gave that up to become 100 percent wife,” she told People in 2013.
Following their separation, Porsha admitted she was forced to move in with her mother and rebuild her independence. When their divorce was settled, a prenuptial agreement prevented her from pocketing alimony, any of Stewart’s NFL retirement, a cash settlement, rights to their homes or car collection, and no health insurance.
Unlike her life a decade ago, she now has her own wealth and has developed a business acumen that is not contingent upon Simon’s involvement in her life. Simon, who is the CEO of Simcol Petroleum LLC, which provides fuel supply in the southeast region, has an estimated net worth of $40 million. Porsha has a reported net worth of $5 million, a stark contrast to her and Stewart’s shared worth of an estimated $16 million.
Porsha’s Divorce Announcements
Porsha claimed she learned that her first marriage was over with the rest of the world in 2013 on the X platform formerly known as Twitter. But prior to the bombshell being on the ‘RHOA,” viewers witnessed as Stewart was criticized for attempting to control his wife, locking her out of the house when she missed curfew, and requiring her to seek his permission before participating in cast activities.
“When you’re married, you definitely feel like you have the ability to communicate with your mate enough for them to come in and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to get a divorce.’ But that didn’t happen,” Williams told People a month after being blindsided by his filing. “I found out about [the divorce filing] on Twitter, which was surprising. I’m still in total shock.”
This time around, it seems she is taking control of the reins by filing the petition. Though she has yet to issue an official statement on the matter, posts with Simon remain present on both her and Simon’s Instagram accounts. Her last time publicly acknowledging him was to write, “My ride or die ( And yes he thought he was gone die today),” on a video of their trip to Dubai. She used the hashtag “be his peace” and tagged her husband on Feb. 18.
The businessman shared a similar post, writing, “Living our lives, unapologetically. “Livingourbestlife #blacklove #bestfriendsforever.” He also showered her with dozens of roses and a large, plush, red teddy bear for Valentine’s Day, where he boasted, “All Mine! My Love.”
Porsha’s Exes Have Both Been Connected to Scandals
As news of Stewart and Porsha’s divorce began to circulate, so did old rumors about the former pro athlete’s sexuality. Dating back to 1998, when he was still in the NFL, whispers of him being caught in a park while allowing a man to perform an intimate act on him were commonplace. The hearsay, which Stewart reduced to reckless barbershop talk, included a report of him being arrested over the incident.
He addressed the speculation in an essay for The Player’s Tribune in 2021. He alleged that a Pittsburgh officer was behind the false tale but that he did not pursue legal action. He, again, spoke on the matter that same year when he appeared on “The Tamron Hall Show.” “I’m a straight man, always have been a straight man,” he told the host.
Porsha snatched that man from boring falyn and got a spin off with Simon & Dennis, an nbc production deal and a fat check for returning to rhoa with an immigration scandal and a divorce storyline locked and loaded. A Duchess of deception pic.twitter.com/kKT6sTHV9e https://t.co/5bKSWTbmp1
— Cool Girl (@Tea_witdre) February 23, 2024
Stewart also addressed being pulled into a meeting to discuss the rumors by then-team owner Dan Mooney. He denied that questions that the rumors played any role in his failed marriage to Porsha. “That never was the impact at all,” he said. “That was true love at the time. But once you start to get on the show and things are being insinuated from the conversation about beards and me being controlling, it becomes a whirlwind of things.”
Previously, internet personality Andrew Caldwell claimed that Stewart was his secret lover in 2015. Caldwell was sued for libel and defamation of character in a $4.5 million suit. In 2017, Stewart won a default judgment of $3 million.
Immigration matters aside, Porsha’s current husband has also been pulled into the spotlight for the demise of his marriage to Falynn Guobadia. “RHOA” fans were introduced to him and his ex as friends of the show during season 13. The exes wed in June 2019 and announced their split in March 2021.
Simon filed for divorce from Falynn in January 2021, citing that their union was irretrievably broken, but he dismissed the petition a week later. He filed for a second time on Feb. 19 and asked that their prenuptial agreement be upheld. In April, they issued similar public statements, each asking for privacy as they navigated the life change and expressing mutual love and respect for each other.
In early May, Porsha confirmed that she was romantically involved with Simon. In an Instagram post, she wrote, “Our relationship began a month ago — yes we are crazy in love. … For all of you that need facts, I get the optics but Simon filed for divorce from a previous marriage in January. I had nothing to do with their divorce filing. That’s between the two of them,” she wrote.
Their engagement was announced soon after. Amid the backlash over their controversial pairing, Porsha left “RHOA” in September, though she would claim it had nothing to do with her relationship.
Porsha Became Stepmom to Both of Her Exes’ Kids
Stewart had one child, a son named Syre, when he and Porsha became an item. She has spoken in past episodes about her fertility struggles during the short marriage, even revealing she suffered a miscarriage. Despite wanting a child of her own, she maintained a presence as a full-time stepmother to Syre.
Kordell Stewart and his son Syre Stewart. pic.twitter.com/afDGjLGUe6
— Beau Berman (@BeauReports) November 9, 2019
Simon has five children of his own Ximena, 10, Benjamin, 11, Christian, 12, Nicole, 24, and Quentin, 26. Last March, Porsha told People that her daughter, Pilar, was enamored with having older siblings.
PORSHA WILLIAMS CELEBRATES AS SIMON GUOBADIA’S KIDS GRADUATE https://t.co/Q2FcXBmaim pic.twitter.com/E8gxzysVjY
— BCK (@officialbck) May 26, 2022
“She loves her brothers and sisters, which is so beautiful. I mean, she was an only child, to boom. She’s got two sisters and three brothers overnight. And they’re so patient and loving with her,” Porsha said. When asked if more children were in the cards, the entrepreneur did not shoot down the idea. “I want one too. So we’ll keep praying and we’ll see what God’s going to do.”
Porsha on Keeping Her Last Name
Ahead of her and Stewart’s divorce being finalized, Porsha was adamant about keeping her marital last name. “I’m going to keep Stewart. It’s not his name — it’s my name. … I’m a whole other woman now, and I’m going to own that name,” she said on “The Wendy Williams Show.” However, when all was said and done, she seemed to have a change of heart.
“Porsha previously stated she was keeping Kordell’s last name, which made Kordell very concerned about the damage it could cause,” the retired athletes’ attorney, Shiel Edlin, told Rolling Out. “She reconsidered and decided to restore her maiden name, Williams. Kordell now believes he can restore the Stewart name and brand, for which it has been known through many generations, one of character, integrity, honesty and truthfulness,” he added.
Though it is unclear if she will take a similar stance this time around, she did introduce herself as Porsha Guobadia when announcing her ’RHOA’ return. However, her fortune has been built using her maiden name.
Porsha’s Reality Television and Business Empire Before Ever Saying “I Do”
To her credit, Porsha has used the “RHOA” platform to launch multiple businesses and capitalized off of being a household name to pull in other television gigs. Her successful endeavors include the 2021 release of her book “The Pursuit of Porsha: How I Grew Into My Power and Purpose,” her Pampered by Porsha collection of bed sheets, and GoNaked Hair company.
In 2021, she also snagged her own “RHOA” spinoff, “Porsha’s Family Matters,” following in the footsteps of castmate Kandi Burruss. The show lasted a season.
And when she and her then-fiancé Dennis McKinley were expecting their first child together, a daughter named Pilar Jhena’, born in 2019, she secured the “Porsha’s Having a Baby” special on the Bravo network, too. Her résumé also includes appearing on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” serving as a Dish Nation co-host from 2013 through 2021, appearing on season four of “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” and starring on Fox’s 2023 reality competition program “Stars on Mars.”
While the ‘RHOA’ star promised viewers a look into her “new world,” it is unclear if Porsha intended for cameras to also capture the end of her marriage. With no details about her storyline, fans can only speculate that her divorce will play out just as publicly as her romance with Simon did.
