The Real Housewives of Atlanta are back, and if this season 16 premiere proved anything, it’s that the drama is already in full swing. After suffering a nearly 2 year hiatus, Atlanta is back with somewhat of a reboot.

Season 16 Episode 1 is titled, “Welcome Back Peaches” and since it took so long to return to the screen, Bravo has blessed fans with a SUPERSIZED premiere episode.

Porsha Williams and Drew Sidora return, but former friend of the show Shamea Morton-Mwangi has snagged a peach and returns flaunting her lavish lifestyle. Newbies Brit Eady, Kelli Ferrell and Angela Oakly round out the cast, while Cynthia Bailey appears as a “friend” this season.

[Sidebar: Kenya Moore was originally slated as a cast member but was unceremoniously booted after an alleged “revenge p0rn” incident.]

From shocking divorces to major betrayals and one housewife’s total takeover, Season 16 is coming in hot. Let’s break down the five biggest takeaways from the episode—because, trust, there was plenty to unpack.

Let’s get into this recap + watch full episode below…

Porsha’s Fall from Grace—And Her Street Corner Confessional

Porsha Williams makes her highly anticipated return to RHOA, but let’s just say it wasn’t exactly grand.
Instead of reintroducing herself in a lavish home or an over-the-top event, Porsha’s first scene takes place… on a street corner. Yes, literally. (Symbolic? Maybe.)

She opens up about her very short-lived marriage to Simon Guobadia, claiming they had financial struggles (which, girl…) and that their divorce turned out to be way messier than she expected.

She later visits divorce attorney Randy Kessler, where she drops some serious allegations—accusing Simon of hiding money, sending her cease & desist letters, and being caught up in multiple legal and financial scandals.

Bravo even rolls news headlines from The Neighborhood Talk and The Jasmine Brand about Simon’s citizenship issues and private jet lawsuits. (Yikes.)

But the real question is—did Porsha really marry for love? Because the math isn’t mathing.

Shamea Morton-Mwangi Is No Longer a Sidekick—She’s Running the Show!

For years, Shamea Morton-Mwangi has been known as Porsha’s bestie, but that dynamic has officially shifted. From the moment she steps onto the screen, it’s clear: this is SHAMEA’S season.  She’s in every major scene, connected to all the drama, and making it known that she’s the glue holding this group together.

She has the rich wife lifestyle, the on-camera presence, and the shade skills to keep things interesting. And let’s be real—the fact that Simon texted her to congratulate her on getting a peach? That wasn’t just a friendly message. That was messy. Especially since Shamea’s response—“Thanks, bro. It was supposed to be all of us.”—left Porsha visibly annoyed.

It’s giving RHOA’s next HBIC, and honestly? We’re here for it.

The question many have is… will Porsha Williams jealousy get the best of her as Shamea’s light shines?

Meet the New Girls: Kelly, Brit, and Angela

Kelly is serving boss vibes with her successful restaurant (named after her grandmother, aww), but her divorce story is giving survival and revenge glow-up. She revealed she left her marriage because it became unsafe, and now she’s building an empire “one waffle at a time” while spoiling her daughters with designer purses for every birthday year. Okay, rich mama! Kelly also directly calls out Porsha for “stealing that woman’s husband” (yikes), and when Porsha confronts her? She does not back down.

Brit? Oh, she wants us to know she’s that girl. She casually flexed about being in all the black men’s magazines back in the day and made sure everyone saw that massive engagement ring. But Angela? She had the most relatable moment of the night when her lace glue started melting at Shamea’s party. Girl, waterproof glue exists for a reason!

Angela is married to THE Charles Oakley and it seems he’s come to the show full of spunk.  He’s introduced to us during Shamea’s white party as his wife is suffering a crisis… Her lacefront is about to fall off in the Atlanta heat! I felt so bad for her!  Girl, waterproof glue is a must!  Her husband immediately tells her to go fix it, and… let’s just say the moment was awkward.

 

Shamea’s White Party Was Luxury Goals—But Porsha’s Entrance Was a Mess

Shamea didn’t just throw a party—she threw a production.

For her 42nd birthday, she made sure all the guests wore white while she stood out in a royal blue gown. Then, as the ladies were sipping cocktails and gossiping, her husband rolled out a $450K Rolls Royce Cullinan as a surprise gift. Casual!

But of course, just as Shamea was having her moment, Porsha arrived late—stealing attention and rubbing the ladies the wrong way. Even Shamea later admitted Porsha should have stepped to the left (not the emphasis on the “T”).

The tension only grew when Shamea and Porsha snuck off for a private chat, where Porsha apologized for something—though Shamea’s tone made it clear she wasn’t fully buying it. Is their friendship starting to crack? Looks like it.

Drew’s Divorce Drama and Dennis’s Silent Peach

Miss Drew is still stuck in divorce purgatory with Ralph, and her home situation is a mess. Kenya pays a visit, and it was giving unwanted guest vibes because Ralph was literally hiding in the basement.  And get this—Drew reveals she has to leave the house every 1st, 3rd, and 5th weekend.  What kind of arrangement is that?!

But the real gag? Drew revealed that Dennis (yes, Porsha’s Dennis) is producing her album. And when Kenya asked why Dennis never produced for Porsha, Drew claims she doesn’t know… but she does reveal that he told her got Porsha’s blessing to work with her. Is somebody lying, because later in the episode, Shamea told Porsha that people saw Drew and Dennis out together, and Porsha was stunned.  I don’t know… this all feels like a scheme Porsha, Drew and Dennis set up to come to us with the bullshhhhh because Bravo plays the behind the scenes footage (that I told yall about) from the season 15 reunion where Drew called Porsha to vent.

But again… I digress.

All this Dennis talk is clearly making him the 7th housewife this season.  As it’s clear that the talk of all the ladies is Drew’s connection to Porsha’s ex fiancee/baby daddy.

It all starts when Shamea casually drops that a friend saw Drew and Dennis out together at a club while having cocktails with newbies Kelli Ferrell and Brit Eady.

The real tea starts spilling when the ladies discuss Dennis’s dating history.  Kelli reveals that Dennis was in her DMs after she posted a swimsuit pic. (Sir, please!). While Brit shares that she Dennis took her out on a date back in the day—and he came baring gifts, a diamond necklace!

The episode actually ends with Shamea looking Drew dead in the face and asking: “Are you dating Dennis?” Cue the dramatic TO BE CONTINUED… (But do we really care? I don’t.)

Final Thoughts: Welcome to The Real Housewives of Shamea Morton

This episode made one thing clear—Porsha may have returned, but Shamea is running this season.

She’s involved in every storyline, she’s securing every camera angle, and somehow, every conversation seems to lead back to her. Meanwhile, Porsha is scrambling to control her narrative, Drew is one step away from a full-blown scandal, and the new girls? They’re still learning that this is Shamea’s world, and they’re just living in it.

If this is just the premiere, we cannot wait to see what happens next.

Rating: 4/5 Peaches—because SHAMEA is the real deal.  -1 peach for Nene Leakes absence.

What are your thoughts about The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s SWEET return?