'RHOA's Shamea Morton Mwangi Discusses the Difficulties of Being a “Friend Of”

Having been a part of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in some way, shape, or form since Season 5, Shamea Morton Mwangi is finally becoming a peach-holder. But life as a guest and "Friend of" had not always been the easiest. Speaking with former RHOA star Kandi Burruss on "Speak On It," Shamea divulged the difficulties of not being a full-time star on the hit Bravo series.

While spilling the sweet tea about her excitement of finally making it to the main roster, Shamea was pressed by her former costar about the struggles she faced being a lesser-tiered cast member. Shamea revealed, "That's the thing I want to clarify. People say, "You've been on the show before." No, not for real. Because, in the past, I've been a 'friend.' Which means sometimes I wasn't even mic-ed. Which means your voice don't really count that much as a friend." While her bombshell may not come as a shock, it's brought revelation into her desire for this long-awaited promotion.

Shamea Morton Shares the Hardship of Being a "Friend Of" on 'RHOA'

Shamea continued to divulge how, because the series doesn't follow their stories or lives if you're not full-time, being able to hold your own was one of the more difficulties of filming. She said, "So, you could read me for filth, and it looks like I just laid down and took it. When, in actuality, I gave it back to you. Maybe they didn't air it, or it wasn't on camera because I didn't realize you did it until I watched it like the rest of the fans." Kandi jumped in to remind viewers that in the "Friend of" capacity, you don't get confessionals, something that will change for Shamea this season. Shamea said, "I don't get to react to it. I'm just a friend and I hope they let me come to the next event, so I can get you back."

Now that Shamea will be a part of the full-time crew, Kandi was eager to learn about how she got the part through some "gotcha" journalism. As much as Kandi hoped to catch Shamea into ragging on Porsha Williams, Shamea would not budge. She did reveal that she was honest with her fellow Season 16 cast member about the potential of being a peach-holder and how Porsh was, in fact, excited to share the honor with her on the upcoming season. Shamea stated that now the two of them can kick it in a way that they were unable to when she was just a "Friend of."

Throughout their conversation together, viewers were given a bit more insight into their relationship and just exactly how they ended up sharing the same surrogate. But most of the latter part of their chat was Kandi, one of the longest-tenured cast members on any franchise, offering Shamea words of wisdom, including keeping responses concise and not having a Google alert on. We'll see if Shamea heeds her advice.