“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum Kandi Burruss has stepped into a new chapter with her acting and producing projects!
“Extra’s” Mona Kosar Abdi spoke with Kandi about her decision to walk away from “RHOA” after 14 seasons.
She said, “For the last couple of years, couple of seasons, [husband Todd Tucker] and I, you know, we would go back and forth like, you know, 'Is this our time? Is this our time?' But this particular season was my contract year, so basically I was able to make the choice for myself instead of them just picking up my option. So, he and I just really kind of sat and was like, ‘Okay, what do we want to do?'"
She added, “I know I really wanted to do more acting and there are, like, a lot of big things I wanted to do. At the top of the year, so before I even told them my decision, I already knew that my group [Xscape] had the offer to do the tour for the summer... So, that was already on the table. I know that 'Othello' was coming together for me to be able to be a producer on that. So, there were a few things I had that I was like, 'Okay, I know I wanna do all these things, but do I want to just say goodbye and walk away from ‘Housewives’ at this time or what am I doing?' I was like, ‘You know what? You want to act.' Like, why am I playing with myself?”
Kandi added, “Everybody else leaves and comes back, so let me go and take my chance and, you know, I can see them another time in a later life."
But after leaving “RHOA,” will Kandi miss it?
She answered, “I’m still friends with a lot of the girls, you know what I mean? I was just trick-or-treating with Kenya [Moore] the other day so, you know, I feel like I’m always gonna be in their lives and they’re always going to be in my life in some sort of way. And even like some of the new people that are a part of the cast, Shamea and I, we're like this [crosses fingers], you know? So, I’m still gonna be there to support them, you know, and I still talk to Andy [Cohen]. I’m still, like, heavily involved in that circle.”
She went on, “I'm just not gonna be on film, how about that? That’s just not my intention to go back as a cast member. But when you say, ‘Would I miss it?’ I don’t know, but Cynthia [Bailey] said that I’m not gonna miss it until they start doing promos for the new season.”
Now, Burruss is doing more acting with a recurring role on Hulu’s “Reasonable Doubt,” which she got after a chance meeting with the show’s creator, Raamla Mohamed, on a flight.
Kandi and Raamla ended up exchanging numbers and meeting up for dinner. During their dinner, Kandi opened up about the parts she was interested in.
She shared, “A week later, they reached out and was like, ‘Oh, yeah, they want you come in for this,’ and I was like, ‘What?’ I couldn’t believe it.”
Kerry Washington is an executive producer on the series and has directed, but Kandi didn't get to work with her. She said, “I heard that she’s there often… She wasn’t there when I was there, unfortunately, but she’s definitely an actress that I love and look up to.”
Kandi is also a producer on the upcoming Broadway revival of “Othello” starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Burress commented, “We have so many people that we just announced as part of the cast as well who are just amazing. But this is my fourth Broadway production, and I’ve really been at this point in my career, I guess, really owning this position as a producer in Broadway.”
She shared, “Rehearsals actually start in January and I cannot wait, okay? Because I’m super excited to meet Jake. I haven't met him yet... John David Washington, he was one of our stars in ‘The Piano Lesson’ when we did it, so I had a great opportunity to be around Denzel, you know, multiple times… Now, it's like, to be able to work with him as the lead in 'Othello,' it's like, 'Wow,' you know what I mean? So, you know, I’m excited to see him at work doing his thing and to be able to just be a fly on the wall while they are being their amazing selves."
“Reasonable Doubt” is streaming on Hulu. “Othello” performances begin February 24, 2025.
