No, Jeannie Mai is not joining the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. After rumors spread that Jeannie, 43, was replacing longtime star Kandi Burruss on the hit Bravo series, she finally clarified the whole situation on May 9 when Kenya Moore appeared on The Real. “That was crazy,” Jeannie, who welcomed her first child with husband Jeezy in January, said to Kenya, 51, and co-host Loni Love. “I was literally just over here having a baby and I’m hearing these rumors, I was like, ‘Where? How am I going to go from this into that because that’s a full-time job.’ ”
While Jeannie has no plans to join RHOA, which just premiered its 14th season, Kenya believes that she’d make a great addition to the show. “Girl, you would make an excellent Housewife. You could come on as my friend,” she told Jeannie. Loni co-signed Kenya’s sentiment, but unfortunately, Jeannie reiterated that it won’t be happening. “Do you know when they say where there’s smoke, there’s fire? That was a complete rumor. I haven’t talked to one person, my people haven’t talked to one person from Bravo, so that was a complete rumor that got made up,” she explained.
Jeannie also noted how starring on Real Housewives is a “full-time job” and that she’s far too busy caring for her 4-month-old daughter, Monaco. “The door is closed. It’s sealed. There wasn’t a door to begin with. It was a wall. There is no door. No, and I say that, just because it’s a lot of work.” Furthermore, Jeannie noted that she’s learned how hard being on Bravo is from her co-host, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Garcelle Beauvais. “I always ask her, ‘How do you get your mind in the place of going in to shoot and you’re not ready for what might come at you?’ ” Jeannie said. “And she tells me too, it’s a full-time job.”
Well, there you have it: Jeannie’s not joining RHOA anytime soon. The hit show still has a stacked cast though, with Kenya, Kandi, Drew Sidora, Sheree Whitfield, Marlo Hampton, and newbie Sanya Richards-Ross. This season is missing longtime stars Porsha Williams and Cynthia Bailey, who both left the show after season 13.