In a shocking clip that has just appeared on social media and quickly spread among Real Housewives of Atlanta fans, Riley Burruss – Kandi Burruss’s stepdaughter – has unexpectedly broken her silence about the previously undisclosed tensions in her family. For the first time since becoming a teenager, Riley shared about a time when she was forced to live between the two strongest women in her life – her mother and grandmother – in a silent but fierce battle over Kandi’s marriage to Todd Tucker. According to Riley, Kandi’s relationship with Joyce “hit rock bottom” right before her wedding to Todd. She revealed that she overheard a tearful conversation where her grandmother threatened to withdraw all of her personal capital from Kandi’s entertainment company – which was in the process of expanding – if her daughter did not end her engagement to Todd. “She made it very clear that she was not going to spend money on ‘a man like that’ to come into the family,” Riley recounted in the interview. “I’ve never seen my mom so quiet. She just sat there and listened, and I was sitting in the next room, shaking.”
A source close to the RHOA production confirmed that part of the drama was filmed behind the scenes of season 6 but was cut from the broadcast because it was “too personal and sensitive.” However, those close to Kandi at the time confirmed that Joyce not only protested verbally but also took action by freezing a large investment that was planned for the first restaurant chain Kandi and Todd planned to open after their wedding.
The crisis lasted nearly half a year, leaving Kandi in a dilemma between her future husband and her mother. Meanwhile, Riley, still in her teens, witnessed tense, silent evenings, last-minute family vacations and phone calls that she described as “icy.”
In the post, Riley also revealed that her relationship with her stepfather Todd Tucker was also very strained. “I don’t hate Todd, but when everyone around me says he’s after my mom’s money, it’s hard not to think about it.” However, over time, Riley said that the two have found common ground, and now “things are calmer, but never completely normal.”
Kandi Burruss has yet to officially respond to her daughter’s comments, while Joyce remains silent in the media. However, a source close to the family said that the relationship between the three generations of Burruss women “has always been a smoldering volcano – peace is temporary, and tension is just not yet exploded.”
While fans are sharing Riley’s video and commenting on her bravery, the entertainment media is asking: is this just a personal confession, or is it the beginning of a new wave of digging into Atlanta’s most powerful family drama? With Bravo, anything is possible – especially if it’s a ratings hit.
