Before Bravo made reality stars out of people who don’t actually live in reality, the ladies featured on our shows had to pay the bills. Some of them were still on their first faces and first marriages. Quite a few of them were dipping their toes in the world of acting. The women on Real Housewives of Atlanta all come from various entertainment backgrounds and had pretty close encounters with fame.
Kandi Burruss is probably the most successful businesswoman currently on the show. Back in the 90’s Kandi’s group Xscape was a thing, and there was a time when nothing but TLC songs Kandi wrote played on the local radio station. Obviously Cynthia Bailey was one of the first mainstream Black models and opened the door during a time when women of color were not highlighted on magazine covers. And then we have Kenya Moore. Back in the stone ages 1993, Kenya won the Miss America USA title and managed to receive some onset accolades from a VERY famous diva. Spoiler alert, Kenya was terrified of her.
