‘RHOA’: The Real Issue Between Shamea Morton and Porsha Williams, According to Cynthia Bailey

Cynthia Bailey says things between former BFF Shamea Morton and Porsha Williams may be to the point of no return. Things will continue to unveil throughout Season 17 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

After years of being a friend to the show, Morton was promoted to a full time cast member during Season 16. However, her once-close friendship with Williams disintegrated and doesn’t seem to reconcile anytime soon.

“It’s a little tricky for us to navigate … it just goes a lot deeper,” Bailey said in an interview with Reality Tea, noting that their history goes back generations, involving their families, primarily their mothers. Last season, Williams revealed that one of her mother’s businesses, a daycare center, went into foreclosure years back, and Morton’s mother — who was her close friend — purchased the building behind her back, causing estrangement. 

Bailey says the strained relationship between Williams and Morton is further complicated by everyone else in the group having their own individual issues. “If you’re going through a divorce, you gravitate to people going through a divorce,” Bailey said. “It’s just a little all over the place.”

Luckily, Bailey says the issues between Williams and Morton don’t ruin the entirety of the group. “Friend groups can kind of divide up … but it’s also real,” she explained.

Rumors about things getting physical between Morton and Williams during a cast trip this season have run rampant. In an interview with Blavity, Morton explained that despite no longer having a friendship with Williams, she can co-exist with her in the friend group and remain cordial. She also says she paid no mind to critics who felt she chose Williams’ validation over her role on the show.

“I always pride myself on just being a good person and being a good friend. And I’m not working on anyone else’s clock or timetable. I think that we all process things differently. And that was a childhood friend of mine. So you don’t get over that kind of stuff overnight,” Morton admitted. “But now, I’m in a great space, and I’m happy, and I know that you’re gonna really enjoy this next season because I’ve made some amazing friends. I’m super excited about the new cast members. So I think we really have an amazing group, including Porsha. I think all of us bring something amazing to this cast.”