Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 16 Episode 18 Recap: Divorce Drama and a Missing Housewife

The last time we saw The Real Atlanta Housewives of Atlanta, the ladies were at the Charles Oakley Foundation gala in various states of disarray. Angela had just accused Phaedra of orchestrating a scheme. Shamea and Brit were exchanging insults. In short, things didn’t end on a high note. The messy season ended with more messiness.

During The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 16 Episode 18 “Reunion Part 1,” the cast reconvened for a sit-down with Andy Cohen. Well, at least most of them did. Dressed in yellow looks, inspired by their cast trip to Grenada, they’ve got one last chance to strike gold in Season 16.

What happened in The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 16 Episode 18?

It’s reunion time! In the first part of Season 16’s three-part reunion, the ladies took a moment to address Brit’s unexpected absence. Phaedra and Angela traded words over the Marcus/Junebug drama from the finale. Plus, Porsha opened up about her divorce, and we’re feeling thankful that this is the last we’ll have to hear about it. Keep on reading for our full reunion breakdown.

Where in the world is Brit Eady?

When the RHOA reunion was filmed earlier this year, Bravo quickly released the seating chart, which confirmed that Brit didn’t show up. Later that day, we learned she filed a lawsuit against Bravo, hoping to sue the network for $20 million over the NSFW poster board drama.

During the RHOA reunion, we learned that Brit’s absence wasn’t just a surprise to the fans. It was a surprise to everyone on the stage, including Andy. The camera made sure to zoom in on the empty seat on the couch for dramatic effect. Then, a couple of the ladies revealed their latest conversations with Brit.

“I spoke to her last night,” Porsha revealed. “She didn’t mention that she wasn’t coming.”

Drew added, “I had gotten a text from her a couple of weeks ago where she was basically filing a lawsuit against me, so I definitely wanted to get into that and talk about it, but I guess I’ll be hearing from her lawyers maybe?”

Supposedly, Brit wanted to sue Drew because a blog shared a theory that Drew supplied Kenya Moore with the NSFW pics of Brit for her poster. Similarly to Brit’s lawsuit with Bravo, there haven’t been any updates on whether things are moving forward in the court.

Kelli got grilled over her finances on the Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion

When RHOA first premiered, NeNe Leakes said in her tagline, “I don’t keep up with the Joneses, I am the Joneses.” Kelli did not get that memo, and she was very clearly trying to keep up with the Joneses in her freshman season of Housewives. She was talking about bodyguards, dog stylists, and Balmain shopping events on the show, but as Andy pointed out during the reunion, she was dealing with some major financial issues behind the scenes.

Specifically, Andy asked her about a $100,000 lawsuit over unpaid rent at her yet-to-open second location of Nana’s Chicken and Waffles. According to Kelli, she’s made some progress on paying back the debt, but she blamed the delay on her messy divorce. Supposedly, she’s spent $200,000 in attorneys’ fees.

“I think you should invest your money in the waffles and not the dog,” Andy told Kelli.

Meanwhile, we know that Kelli has recently been hit with another lawsuit. She’s been sued over an unpaid credit card bill. In a statement, her rep also blamed that bill on her divorce.

Closing the door on Simon

Season 16 was supposed to be Porsha’s big comeback season, but things got derailed by her divorce. That wound up lingering over her throughout the whole season, and Porsha took a few minutes to share some more insight into the drama. One big point she refuted was that she didn’t call ICE on Simon.

When asked about the prenup, Porsha explained that the marital home was the one thing she was trying to fight for. She also finally answered the years-old question about the timeline surrounding her relationship with Simon. Did she really steal a husband?

“I got introduced to him, right? And it happened, and the heat has been given,” Porsha explained. “Let me carry my heat. All parties have moved on. I got him, and I gave him back. Let’s leave it there.”

Drew and Porsha hugged it out on the Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion

One of the biggest storylines of Season 16 was the drama between Porsha and Drew. Porsha felt like Drew crossed a line by working with Dennis the Hot Dog King on her music. It was a beef that they dragged out all season long, but they quickly found a resolution during the first part of the reunion.

It seemed like Drew came prepared to relitigate the whole situation, but Porsha quickly took ownership of her part of the beef. Platonic or not, Porsha admitted that she felt “triggered” by Drew’s relationship with Dennis. She also confessed that her dinner with Shamea and Ralph was 100% rooted in pettiness.

In a surprising move, Porsha got up and gave Drew a hug. She genuinely apologized and called a truce. Let’s hope it sticks!

Angela pulled out the receipts

Two people who definitely aren’t calling a truce? Phaedra and Angela. At the end of this episode, they started wading back into the convoluted story about Phaedra sending minions after Angela.

Of course, we know that Phaedra has adamantly denied having any involvement in the situation. She continued defending herself at the reunion, but Angela whipped out a folder, ready to present more evidence.

Inside the folder, Angela had some pictures that seemed to confirm that the people involved in spreading the rumors about Charles were friends with Phaedra’s brother. They’re all from Athens, Georgia, but does it prove Angela’s point? Not really. They’re going to continue this conversation next week, so we’ll see if she has any stronger evidence in that folder.