Cynthia Bailey Says She’s Not Leaving ‘The Real Housewives Of Atlanta’ Despite Firing Rumors

Cynthia Bailey will be returning for Season 13 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Following RHOA‘s explosive season this year, rumors have been swirling that Bailey would be handing over her peach. However, Hollywood Life reports there’s no truth to those rumors. Bailey, who has been on the show for 10 seasons, recently addressed the matter to The Shade Room. She told the outlet she routinely sees the rumors about her being fired from the show ever since she joined the cast.

“I have no plans to leave RHOA at this time,” Bailey confirmed. “Every year there are rumors saying that I am getting fired, or not returning. I’ve been a peach holder consistently for 10 years now. I love my cast, and my Bravo family. I am looking forward to next season.”

While Bailey is on board to film another season, she said she’s still in negotiations with Bravo about her new contract. Fans first suspected Bailey was walking away from the series after she removed “RHOA” from her Instagram bio.

Before she confirmed the news that she’s staying, several reports claimed Bailey was leaving the show to focus on her family. Her fiance, Mike Hill, currently lives in Los Angeles for his Fox Sports show. The couple has been in a long-distance relationship since they began dating in 2018. However, they’ve been quarantined in L.A. due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although she appears cozy on social media with her future husband, Bailey reportedly has no plans to stay in California full-time. A source reports that she will return to Atlanta as soon as it’s safe for her to travel.

“Cynthia’s focus at this time is family and staying productive and healthy during these very uncertain times,” the insider added.

Bailey joined the Atlanta housewives back in Season 3. Viewers first met the former runway model when she was planning a wedding with her first husband, Peter Thomas. Over the past 10 seasons, fans of Bailey’s have seen her go through divorce, motherhood and friend drama while running multiple businesses.

She has also butted heads with several of her cast members, most notably NeNe Leakes. Bailey and Leakes were best friends until they fell out in Season 11. During that season, Bailey was caught between Leakes and Kenya Moore, who had been feuding off-camera. According to Leakes, Bailey chose to side with Moore by inviting her to her Seagrams launch party without Leakes’ knowledge. Although she has apologized to Leakes, both women have said their friendship isn’t the same as it was. They’re also set to address their issues further at the RHOA virtual reunion, which premieres on Sunday, May 10.