Celebrity
She has a new memoir, a new reality show, and a new man.
Then she heads up to their chambers to check.
Williams returns minutes later and reports back, He declined, but she says it with a gracious smile.
you’re able to presume what hed say about her would beglowing.
What does she love about him?
Everything, Williams had told me earlier, sitting cross-legged on a pin-tucked cream leather sectional.
Shes in a sky-blue tie-dye sweatsuit, batting a thousand lashes.
I love his loyalty.
He really loves me for me.
Every part of me.
Good, bad, ugly.
Hes a true partner.
Williams met Simon Guobadia while filming her final season ofThe Real Housewives of Atlanta.
We are crazy in love, Williams wrote.
I know its fast, but we are living life each day to its fullest.
Impressively, Williams continued posting about him through the chaos, awash in the glow of unbothered love.
At 40, Williams is emanating the kind of happiness you find when you finally know yourself.
The reason Im able to be in a healthy relationship is because Im healthier.
I had to let go of certain past pains, past baggage, she says.
And as soon as I did that, thats when love came my way.
She also documents a series of abusive relationships with men, including being pursued by R. Kelly.
I wanted less stress in my life.
And I knew that it was coming to an end of an era for me, she says.
I no longer wanted to have that part of my life be on the show.
Simon is, you might guess, a big topic of discussion among them.
We still havea lot of drama surrounding itin my family.
Because for me, its a love story.
Its a beautiful love story.
Ive always been open when it comes to love.
As you’re able to see, I love to post about us.
But she knew she wouldnt be able to narrate parts of her life without backup.
But now, a producer, her assistant, and a voice coach were in the room watching.
I realized some of those stories in there, I wasnt able to do it.
So I didnt, she says.
Instead, she got her sister, Lauren whos appeared onRHOAandPorshas Family Matters to recite the more difficult chapters.
And then I looked at who I am today, and it made me feel really good.
Williams was 25, an aspiring singer.
Williams says Kelly denied being with his wife and encouraged Williams to take off her clothes.
Ill never understand why I was afraid to leave, she writes.
And each time I wanted to be like, You know what?
Of course, she debated whether to even tell her story.
With time, shes become more kind to her past self.
If someone knew that I was talking to him, they would be like, Well, why?
she says, referring to R. Kelly.
They wouldnt understand that I had already been sexually abused before and that I didnt understand these things.
At the time, I didnt understand.
Now, I can look back and say, OK, this was a pattern.
This was me thinking I wasnt worthy, that he was better.
And in that case, it just happened to be a superstar.
Making my value only be seen if he says Im valuable.
I just had to put it in there.
Around middle school, Williams formed a singing group with two girlfriends.
I felt like I was a star.
I felt like I was just beautiful, Williams remembers.
She enjoyed performing her way out of misery.
By the time she attended Southwest DeKalb High School, Williams says, My little butt had popped out.
The schools drill team coach asked her if she could dance, and she joined the Dancing Divas squad.
As a teenager, she began finding herself in abusive relationships.
Williams met NFL player Kordell Stewart in her late 20s after praying to God for a husband.
She quickly assumed a role as a whimsical, if occasionally misguided, narrator.
Stewart, too, was featured prominently on the show, depicted as a controlling husband.
After their divorce, Williams decided to keep rolling as she was coping.
She felt pressure to keep a partner.
I never prepped a storyline, she stresses.
Its not so much me feeling like I gotta find someone.
Its feeling that youre lacking if you dont have someone.
She adds, When you sign up for these shows, they want to see everything.
But not everyone shows everything, I suggest.
And they arent a Housewife, or theyre probably a villain of the show, Williams replies.
Most villains dont have to have a real storyline because they use everybody elses.
At the height of the shows infamy, theRHOAcast could move planets off the strength of their reads.
A nemesis was born.
The lies, started by Phaedra Parks, unraveled during the reunion, which famously led to Parks exile.
Sometimes theyre half-apologies, but unlike some of her colleagues, they are valiant attempts.
Holding myself accountable is a big part of who I am today, she says.
I only deal with people who I know are meant to be in my life.
I dont have any relationships with anybody who I dont feel their energy should be around me.
Thats a good way to be, right there.
Putting your business out there isnt comfortable.
Theres a part of me that was doing it just for the money, she says.
Its like being a salesperson.
If you dont sell, you dont get commission.
And so, if they dont hire me next season, thats it.
Season 13 notably showed Williamsparticipating in Black Lives Matterprotests during the pandemic and self-filming her arrests.
I use my Instagram.
I use my name, she says.
Bravos universe of socialites remains one of televisions most compelling social experiments.
Cast members who make the most of the experience are never the same as when we met.
I started to love myself more, says Williams.
I started to see myself not through the eyes of other people, other men.
I started not caring about what people spoke about me or the words that they called me.
For me, it really is a whole journey about me getting my own voice.
Understanding that Im worthy.
Everything I need, I have within me already.
Williams now bakes alone timeinto her schedule, carving space in her calendar for when shes at her lowest.
In the past, I would attempt to work through it and then just break the fuck down.
Now, Im like, Oh, I feel something.
Dennis, can you take the baby?
I just focus on me.
I do something to take a stab at pull myself out of it.
When it comes to putting it all out there, mom is among the greatest and most complicated.
The best reality stars understand the art and compromise of spectacle.
They need theater to survive.
Does Porsha thenlivefor drama?
She gives the question less than a seconds thought.
Oh, I have a good time with drama, she says with a laugh.
Drama and I have always had a good time.
Its the ups and downs of it all.
Thats what makes it entertaining when it comes to reality television.
It doesnt really include much drama.
Photographer: Peyton Fulford
Bookings: Special Projects
