Loading ...
Marlo Hampton wants you to know there is more to her than designer labels! Atlanta’s most contested and derided housewife is speaking out about who she really is, and defending herself to the critics.
To start out, Marlo says she never cared that her then-boyfriend Charles Grant allegedly dated co-star (and now friend) NeNe Leakes, and she came on the show with an open-mind. “The girls wanted it to be something major,” she insists. But she does care about how she is portrayed on the Real Housewives of Atlanta!
She is also happy she was able to participate in the trip to South Africa, despite the unsavory taste it left in most viewer’s mouths. Marlo calls the trip to Africa “a life experience,” save for the argument she had with Sheree Whitfield. “I hate that that happened,” she muses to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I would not have cared about her inviting me to the party, because I know that Sheree doesn’t really care for me too much, whatever. But, after we sat on the boat and we’re all like ‘Hey, we’re going to bond, at least when we see each other we’re going to speak, we’re going to be cordial,’ I’m like, OK, we’re starting off on a new foot, we’re connecting,” Marlo explains.
“So as soon as we get back to the room, you call Cynthia [Bailey] over and invite Cynthia and not me, really? Sheree, seriously? Where we just left 30 minutes ago saying ‘Oh, we’re going to try to get along,’ so that really just shocked me. And then we started the argument, I guess the part that blew me was when she was like, ‘Oh don’t go there, you’re dating an 80-year-old white man.’ I just lost it.”
She does regret using the word “faggot” during the course of her rage. “I feel absolutely awful,” she admits. “When I said the ‘f-word,’ this wasn’t on camera, but I was crying, I was so pissed off and frustrated.”
Marlo says her sister is gay, along with her assistant and she is deeply involved in the community. “I called home to Daniel, my assistant who’s gay. I just told him about the whole thing about Sheree, I mean, I just felt awful, I mean, I was upset like that whole night.”
And she wants you to know using the word isn’t as bad as one might think! “But the only thing about it, when I talked to Lawrence [Washington] about it, he told me a ‘faggot’ was a gay messy male. And I did know that guy was being messy, but he’s like ‘Marlo, you cannot say that, though, you’re not gay. It’s like a man calling you the B-word.’”
“I did apologize, my friends love me and they know I was just talking, and I’m just trying to build that relationship back with the gay community, because, I mean that was awful, I really feel bad about that.”
As for how she earns the money to pay for all that Lu-wee VooTAWN, Marlo insists she used to work and she’s really good at investing! “ I mean, from work, and I did own and found the Red Carpet Boutique at Perimeter Mall in Atlanta for three years, which I just closed when I started taping with Bravo.”
“Of course, I have been spoiled by my boyfriends,” she adds. “The main part is that I invested my money.”
“I wasn’t crazy, I didn’t have to spend on everything. My home is paid for, my vehicles are paid for… I came from nothing to where I never want to go back to being a foster child, being homeless, or being in the projects, and just struggling, and not knowing where my next meal was going to come from. I don’t want to go back to that.”
Marlo admits she was “puzzled” by Kandi Burruss asking her about the source of her income. She believs Kandi is so concerned about her cash flow because she’s jealous! “It’s jealousy and envy, that’s what it was. I mean, it’s got to be jealousy and envy, something, Lord — women with low self-esteem only,” she insists.
“The gay men love me, men love me, and strong-minded women love me, who have high self-esteem. Only the low self-esteem women have a problem with me, and it’s like, ‘Why? What is your problem?’ Just because I love fashion, my story is different from yours, my occupation is different from yours, what is the problem?”
And speaking of boyfriends who take care of you, Marlo insists she actually likes Kim Zolciak and wasn’t trying to “jab” her with all the Big Poppa talk during Cynthia’s modeling school opening. “When I originally met Kim, she was so nice and sweet and talking to me, but I wasn’t trying to pull a jab. It came off like one though, but I really wasn’t.”
“I said I had a Big Poppa,” Marlo clarifies. “I feel like, it wasn’t even about you Kim. And she has a past herself, and her comments about me have been inappropriate, but it is what it is. But it wasn’t targeted towards her. But her comments about me are inappropriate, that’s what’s crazy.”
Finally, Sheree is speaking out about why she decided to tell Kim about Kandi and Cynthia’s comments in Africa! And she is defending her decision to spill the beans, claiming it was all about loyalty! “I believe in friendship, I believe in loyalty. If you say something, you need to own it.”
Sheree admits that she initially misspoke about who made the comment. “I stand corrected: Cynthia did make the initial comment about Kim, but Kandi immediately agreed with her.”
“Only that wasn’t shown. No one watching at home realized that Kandi had agreed with Cynthia. Hopefully, they’ll air the entire conversation during the reunion.”
As for Kandi’s accusations that Sheree threw her under the bus, Sheree dismisses that as ridiculous. ” I told Kim about the incident while Kandi was standing right there next to me — so I wasn’t throwing anyone under the bus. I just strongly believe that if you say something behind someone’s back, you should be able to say it to their face.”
Sheree tells Wetpaint she was more angry that Kandi agreed with Cynthia’s comment – particularly since Cynthia isn’t close with any of the ladies involved. “Cynthia and Kim aren’t close. There’s no loyalty there — they’re not friends,” Sheree reveals. “But Kandi is supposed to be Kim’s friend — and I thought it was strange that she was agreeing with Cynthia on a sentiment that was basically insulting Kim and implying she could possibly be racist.”
The decision to call Kim was made by the producers, according to Sheree, but she decided to tell Kim what was discussed in the jeep. “After the jeep ride, the producers asked us to call Kim, so we did,” she claims she didn’t mention Cynthia’s involvement in the conversation because she and Kim “aren’t close,” but Kandi and Kim are ‘close friends.’” After Tardy For The Party? I beg to differ!
“Kim was thankful that I mentioned it,” Sheree explains. “She knows I’m not messy person. Most real friends would appreciate that.” As for her relationship with Kandi, the two are good now, but things were tense for a while.
The conversation continues next episode when Kim confronts Kandi and a blow-out fight happens!
THOUGHTS ON MARLO’S INTERVIEW? DO YOU BELIEVE SHE WORKED HARD AND SAVED HER MONEY? DO YOU BELIEVE SHEREE TOLD KIM ABOUT KANDI’S COMMENTS OUT OF LOYALTY? WAS SHEREE IN THE WRONG TO DO SO?
The major PROBLEM on the show is KANDI and her jealous, messy, insecure self. You would think after years and years of being in the entertainment industry she would be further along in her career, but she isn’t – she is on a reality show. I don’t care how many songs she’s written, it does not change the fact that she is NOT the superstar she wanted to be so reality show it is. Further, look at the WAY she has CHOSEN to depict herself – strippers at parties where her mother is present where she takes no issue and sees nothing wrong, a sex toy line and a internet show about…yes, sex. LOW CLASS and trashy.
Say what you want, but NeNe took her 15 minutes and has gotten her hustle going – in RESPECTABLE ways – something else Kandi, Phaedra, Sheree and Kim are all mad about. They try to mask it by saying NeNe has changed and controls, etc., but the real issue is their frustration about her small successes and her and Marlo becoming friendly just added to their frustration. None of them are saints, but I LOVE how NeNe was dogged by them in the beginning and has now completely passed them ALL in terms of popularity and success from this reality show “vehicle”. And I LOVE that her and Marlo are friendly. Marlo may have slipped up with the “f” word, but she’s STICKING IT TO those JEALOUS chicks every chance she gets and I love every single minute of it. All her talk about etiquette, etc…it was all to PISS the “smalls” off. And it worked.
Sheree is too DUMB to figure out a real plan to take care of herself and her children other than going after Bob and his pathetic self. Just looking at him in that wrinkled shirt, sticking his tongue out was telling enough about Sheree and her level of intellect and choices. I won’t even discuss Kim and her trashiness…it all speaks for itself and that’s why she squirms whenever it’s brought up in front of Kroy, who obviously is very naïve and when his little 500K salary is finished, let’s hope he has a plan (because in the infamous words of DeShawn (remember her) – that NFL money isn’t guaranteed) so IF he doesn’t have a plan, she will be long gone.
@95 Atlanta Finest. Kandi might not be jeleous, but she is very nosey. Kandi did not ask an appropriate question – “How you get your money game up.” Kandi should of asked Marlo, what she did for a living. Kandi assumed Marlo was getting her money from men (Charles?). It really wasn’t any of Kandi’s business. Kandi has never asked Kim, where she gets her money. She obviously does not work, other than RHOA. Kim wears all designer clothes. There are lot of normal people who where designer clothes that don’t have a million dollars in the bank. What a person spends their money on, is their business! I honestly think that Kandi may be a little jealous because she has to work hard for her money and Marlo and others like her are given money with little or no sacrifice. This is why Kandi is so upset with Kim and “Tardy for the Party.” Kandi was truely burned by that deal!
Kroy seems like such a nice innocent guy. I so hope that Kim does not milk him from any money he may have. An NFL career is short and he deserves so much better than her. Since they do have a child I hope she is really in love with him and won’t spend all of his money.
@101 I judge,
I couldn’t agree with you more!
These comments are so interesting. I would like to start with the comment “If you don’t like the show change the channel”, well I bought my $800 Flat Screen TV with my own money I earned from my legitimate occupation that takes out taxes every 2 weeks. LOL. I pay my electric bill with my own money and I pay my own cable bill with my own money, so if I don’t like something that is on my TV that I paid with my own money I will not change the channel unless I want to. (See, when you pay your own bills you don’t answer to anyone.) If I don’t like want I see on my TV I am going to blast you out. And if that hurts your feeling then “GET OFF MY TV” telling all of you ratchet personal business. These subhuman’s get on TV bragging about all the horrific things they have done in the recent past, then want people to bow down and praise them like they are some god. Then if you respectfully disagree with their lifestyle they get their paid flunkies/bloggers to come after you on the blogs. Phlease I don’t know one woman who has a nice job or career that would be jealous of a woman “HAS NO OTHER CHOICE” but to give sexually pressure to get her bills paid and nice clothing,(so pathetic) let alone a highly respected person in her craft that is a multi-millionaire.
I’ve visited RealityTea many times but this is my first comment…
I live in Atlanta and know Perimeter Mall like the back of my hand. I don’t ever recall seeing a Red Carpet Boutique. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It just means it probably wasn’t in a main area and was stuck in the corner somewhere…where no one visits because – well, let’s be honest, you never really visit those stores in the back of the mall, around the corners and down the stairs.
@Elle loo welcome
Kinda like LaToya Luckett’s boutique in the Galleria in Houston huh, in the dead section of the mall lol
Kandi may be a little nosy and her question may have been inappropriate to ask in front of everyone, but i doubt she’s jealous of Marlo. And that Tardy For The Party money she didn’t get from Kim was small change. Kandi doesn’t need to really work hard. She already did. She can live off of her royalties alone. She’s worth around 35 million dollars. That may not be a whole lot, but it’s way more than any of these other women have. She’s just now upgrading from the house she bought CASH in her late teens. She obviously doesn’t feel the need to be flashy. She has multiple business ventures because she wants to maintain what she already has and possibly amass more wealth. As a writer and producer, she gets paid before the artist and record label, then also gets paid her royalties after the record sales. Why would she be jealous of someone who has no other way to make money than to screw? And Marlo doesn’t even have much money, just expensive stuff.
@101 NeNe’s claim to fame is a reality show. You can’t possibly compare that to Kandi’s body of work or even Paedra’s Law degree and multiple accolades. I’m glad NeNe is trying to do the most with the 15 minutes she was given though. She’s 12 years older than Kandi and Kandi has accomplished way more. Everyone on the reality doesn’t need to be in order to make money. And what’s so wrong with Kandi wanting to make sex toys? There’s actually plenty of room in that market for another sex toy line created for women by a woman. That’s actually very smart of Kandi. So her friend’s had a stripper for her at her birthday party. So what? She didn’t hire him. Phaedra did. What’s her mom doing trying to party with these young chicks anyway? Nobody else’s mom was there. Like Kandi said, she’s been around strippers before. Everyone isn’t a prude or afraid to discuss sex and sexuality in the open. What’s trashy is sleeping with men for money as your occupation and only way of making any money. What’s classless is constantly talking about your designer clothes, shoes, and purses. People who really have money and are used to having money don’t behave like that. Her constant label-whoring is pathetic. You’re right about Kim and Sheree though. They are too sad.
42, just because it’s on the internet doesn’t make it true. Kandi wishes she were worth that much.
Sheree has good points but it’s not necessarily her place to teach Kandi a lesson about loyalty and friendship by repeating what she said (or agreed to). She isn’t her mother. Now, if she wants to confront Kandi one on one and express her feelings on her opinion that Kandi wasn’t being loyal to Kim, that’s different. So, long story short, Sheree is right but it wasn’t her place to do what she did.
PS-for folks judging other’s grammar, check your own! Learning when to use “a” vs “an” would be a good start!
Also, I don’t know why when someone accuses someone of being jealous, the first thing people bring up is money. If someone has more money than the next, then most of us think there’s no way they’d be jealous of someone with less….. FALSE. Next, we bring up looks. If someone is better looking than the next, then there’s no wat they’d be jealous……FALSE. The causes of jealously are infinite!
People don’t like Marlo…people like the smalls…but a small is the one who brought Marlo on the show…a small called marlo a socialite, a small called marlo and grant a POWER COUPLE…the smalls were all UP marlo’s butt when she was introduced on the show. But it backfired when marlo and nene became friends. Two women were hoped to be pitted against each other not only by the smalls but by BRAVO ITSELF but it backfired because Marlo and Nene decided to take the mature adult route and discuss the issues ….The only other time this is seen on RHOA is recently with the double date between Apphaedra and Peteythia (I MADE THAT UP)…(heck even after the double date Phaedra still refers to cynthia as a booty licker in Africa which is two faced and childish)….Now Nene and Marlo are friends and everyone is mad….They just can’t win…had they fought and hated each other like evrybody wanted them to in the begining they would have been called classless and juvenile for fighting over a man and all sorts of other names…they take the high road and become friends and they STILL are called a bunch of names…whatever I applaud Nene and Marlo for talking it out and becoming friends instead of letting people use a man to put them against each other….
Everybody says Nene is always trying to start drama…the smalls tried first and Nene reversed it back on them…TIGHT!!!!!!!!
I have grown to tolerate Marlo, and in Kandi’s defense, I don’t think she’s jealous of Marlo nro do I think the point behind her question to Marlo was inappropriate. To me, “how did you get your money game up” sounds like the “ghetto/hood” version of “what do you do for a living,” but anyway, I don’t know that I’m being oversensitive. I was just very bothered when Marlo (or anyone) chooses to use the “f-word.” Let me say that as a proud out gay man it’s disturbing to say the least. I would never describe myself as that nor would I call anyone else that. It’s disgusting. That being said, I believe Marlo is truly apologetic for her behavior, so I won’t hold it against her any longer, but that Lawrence, if that’s what he said, then, he should be ashamed.
*nor
Brandon, no disrespect intended but is the taboo usage of the F word recent? I can recall hearing that word thrown around all the time in the 80s and 90s and no one giving it a second thought. Similar to how some blacks now take offense to being called black but before there was no problem.
Hey, Bryan, wow, if folks are checking grammar then I’m screwed because you know that I have typing like garbage on RT for many a year. LOL So alllow me to apologize now because my typing sucks.
Now that I got that disclaimer out of the way. I think Marlo is a hood, and there’s also a story floating that she skipped town a few years back with the bread of her now incarcerated ex. While Kandi might be messy, I don’t think she’s jealous, of what, of who and why. Sheree justs wants to be important, bless her and Nene is just a gigantic ball of tacky. She was not so fashionable or fabulous in Season 1. Kim is married and that’s that. If Marlo gets a pass with her 7 supermodel mugshot portfolio then Kim should be allowed to slide with Big Poppa? I like Phaedra and Cynthia just needs an intervention. Her addiction of Nene is starting to worry me.
@116 – i have no idea. i’m only 22. oh, and i’m also black, and i have no problem with other people saying that, but different strokes for different folks.
No one is jealous of Nene and Marlos friendship. People don’t like them because they are BOTH Annoying has hail!!! Nene is more tolerable because at least she is funny and I appreciate her making her mark in business and entertainment by being busy in marketing her brand and not “dating for dollars”, like her new BFF. Marlo at this time in her life has no redeemable qualities.
@116, update yourself. Black people generally have no problem being called black. Terms like “African-American,” which we know are used for purposes of political correctness, have the capacity to be more troublesome because they don’t account for variety of places Black Americans come from, e.g., Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, etc.
And yes, I’m black, and I have no issue with being referred to as “black.”
Viewers perceive these folks based on their own paradigm…plain and simple. I see it how I see it – for me, Kandi, Phaedra, Sheree and Kim are all jealous of NeNe’s “shine” from this show. Sure her “net worth” may not be on the level of Kandi’s – but two things: I’m not into counting other people’s money and more importantly, that’s not the point. The point is they do NOT like the success NeNe IS having as a result of this show because they never expected it to happen. They stupidly categorized her. People do it all the time and that’s a big mistake. Sheree and Kim are particularly pissed because they along with NeNe are the last of the three original cast members. TRASHY Kim is a snooze fest and she needs to figure out her next plan to be “relevant” because after this “wedding special” is done what’s next? Sheree does not have the aptitude to come up with a real plan of action for her future and that’s why in the infamous words of Marlo that I LOVE – “everyone talks about how she returns things at Neiman Marcus.” – LOL LOL LOL I love it. That’s what she gets. Too busy trying to FAKE IT and POSE. Kim and Sheree better hope they get more interesting because they are BOTH about to be in the “file 13 bin” with Lisa and Deshawn. They all signed up for this “reality tv” so any scrutiny they get is what they get, so I have ZERO sympathy. Further, that same “small” clique want to say that Cynthia follows NeNe when the REAL issue is she refuses to agree with their BS and follow THEM. She has her OWN opinion about it all, not to mention she’s stunning, which grates their nerves (especially Phaedra). Cynthia, btw, is the classiest and I love how she handles herself. Again this is all MY perception and opinion – MY paradigm. It is what it is. (I can’t believe I’m posting on these blogs!!!!!)
@I judge you when you use poor grammar (freakin long name~lolol)…I AGREE WITH YOU A QUADRILLION PERCENT!!!!!!!!
@number 1 – it’s the truth!! These messy reality shows reveal A LOT about people in general!!! LOL LOL
I would like to respectfully disagree with comment 122. The only person I believe would be jealous of Nene would be Sheree.
A. Sheree is the only one on the show that does not have and thing great going own regarding her personal or professional. All the women on the show has something good going in their lives, including dare I say Marlo.
B. Kandi said before she came on the show the Nene was her favorite cast member. BTW Nene use to be everyone favorite housewife. But when Nene raged out at her regarding being dropped from the song that was the end.
C. Phaedra has something that will last longer than an entertainment career which is her legal and mortuary business. In these professionals your success in not dependant on Hollyweird or the fickle public.
D. Kim has a great husband but is too stupid to see that her relationship will Kroy will end if his football career ends. So Kim is pretty happy right now.
Yes, Nene has some shine right now, but I doubt it will last a decade.
Does anybody know if that Kroy and Kim special had low ratings??? I don’t hear anybody talking about it or anything posted about it…It must’ve have been whack!!!
122, I agree with your first paragraph. I don’t know about Kim. she diesn’t seem like the jealous hearted type but I do believe the others are jealous of Nene’s celebrity or whatever you want to call it. Whether you like her or not, she is the face of the Atlanta franchise and I might even go out on a limb and say the entire Housewives franchise as a whole. That’s plenty for folks to be jealous of right there!
Marlo didn’t say she worked hard and saved her money–she said she worked hard and invested it. Whatever she did/does is working for her. I don’t believe Sheree spoke to Kim out of loyalty. There were many other topics of conversation regarding the trip that she could have spoken to Kim about so I think she was wrong. It just started an unnecessary mess.
I agree with MahoganyB and I believe you’re one of my good friends, who also has a law degree? Maybe I’m wrong but you hit it spot on with Marlo and Nene. You don’t have to label drop all day long.. When you have money and are used to it you don’t have to talk about it. Marlo and Nene had better be saving for a rainy day when they’re gonna need those red bottoms to trade to pay some bills.
All these women are coverts from ghetto fabulous to new money and therefore don’t know how to act in public and have no class whatsoever.
Kandi is messy. Sheree is a two-faced gold-digging bird. Cynthia speaks out of turn. Kim is a whore constantly on the come up. Nene is a boss. Marlo (gender in question) is a troubled soul who needs labels to feel good on the inside.
I also don’t believe Marlo accidentally dropped the faggot word. Marlo said what was on his/her mind and is now trying to back track from the comment because she/he needs to keep those weavologists and stylists around. If they leave, Marlo will look a hot mess.
Oh and I agree with Cynthia that Kim would not have gone to that African oprhanage and held any of those children. They would be too black , too poor, and too dirty for her to deal with. She is an undercover racist and that’s why she stold that money from Kandi. She will steal that house from her interior designer/landlord too, just watch.
Well all i got to say since i am a regular viewer of the show and a woman, wife, mother, friend? My fav is phaedra? She has great sense of humor, financially competent, great mother, wife and friend? I give kim her props for keeping it togethe?. Sheree is decent but has poor financial management skills? NeNe i cringe at the sambo looking foolery at which she acts? Marlo’s a hot, ghetto, not use to anything, dirty tricking whore?
Oh and cynthia? Wow? Uncle ben must got that good-good cause missypoo he running all your finances into the ground.
Sounds like hate .. Nene marlo both giving up the goods for gifts and cash kim has found someone to complete her sharee needs to geta life and man phedra life is on point lets get to kandi her money is longer then all the housewifes and she keeps making more with everything she is doing tags,sextoys even her own kandi coated show
And a very smart person will tell the one with the most never bost about what they have the one that is not used to anything has to let everyone know