Kenya Moore says she's already given ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ co-star Marlo Hampton her 'last chance'

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Kenya Moore is having a fantastic season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta this year, and it’s partially due to her experiences on two other reality shows.

Being on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip and Dancing With the Stars between seasons 13 and 14 of RHOA left her feeling “completely renewed” because she was able to play a different role in those different environments. The lasting effect of that was that she saw her role on RHOA in a new light.

On a recent episode of In The Know’s pop culture interview series We Should Talk, Moore opened up about the “renewed” space she found herself in going into Season 14; where she stands in her relationships with cast mates Marlo Hampton, Sanya Richards-Ross and Kandi Burruss; similarities she sees between herself and Real Housewives of Potomac‘s Gizelle Bryant and much more.

Listen to In The Know’s full interview with Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore below, and keep reading for highlights from the interview:

On how her time on Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip and Dancing With the Stars improved her self-esteem: It renewed me. When you are shown to be a “villain” for so many years in a particular environment and then you take me out of that and put me in a brand-new group of girls to start over and see how I interact with other people, you start to really see the truth. It’s not just me! Clearly, it was a mixture of other things happening on our show [that caused me to come across as a villain]. … It did things for my self-esteem, honestly, too, because it wears on you for people to constantly trash you or drag you or make others feel like you’re this person that you’re not. To be shown in a different light more authentic to who I am felt a lot better. Also, when I did Dancing With the Stars, it was a completely different environment, […] I was just in my element. By watching me there and on DWTS and RHUGT and then coming into Season 14 of RHOA, I was just completely renewed.

On being done with Marlo Hampton: It was the last chance [I am giving her], but it didn’t stop there. Some other things in this season happen and she kind of came after my family. It was a boundary that I was like, “You know what? The things that were said, you can’t come back from that.” That’s the thing about low blows: You can’t just apologize them away. Once you hit someone purposefully to try to destroy them or hurt them or really tear them down, I can’t say it clearly enough: You can’t come back from that. It’s a “never” for me. I have learned in my life that, when there are people that I care about or are my friends, I’m really a pushover to a degree. I forgive so easily, and I have to stop doing that because I will give people too many chances. … When people show you who they are, you have to really believe them. I was shown who she was very early on, but I ignored it.

On her friendship with Kandi Burruss: It’s so fun to be in scenes with her. It’s so fun to have our daughters [together]. Our daughters were both born out of IVF, and that’s one thing that we share as a bond between us. I have so many similarities with Kandi that it’s kind of scary! We both peaked or became really known in the ’90s, and we’ve sustained our careers in entertainment. We’ve pivoted, and now we’re both on the same platform on this show. I really respect her, and she has so much talent, but what I love most about her is that she’s probably the most genuine person that I know. She doesn’t ever come after anyone. She doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. I really just genuinely love her as a person, and I feel like she’s a sister to me. Whenever I’ve needed her, she’s always been there.

On the similarities she sees between herself and RHOP star Gizelle Bryant: She is that person that a lot of viewers love to hate, and it’s not by any fault of her own. It’s because she’s a beautiful woman, she’s stunning, she’s smart, she’s articulate and she speaks her truth. She speaks her mind, and that can be very intimidating to a lot of people. She is a pot-stirrer at times, and she calls people to task! She calls them to be accountable for the things that they say and that they do, and I feel that I’m the same way on my show. Sometimes I’m the only person that has done that, especially last season, where I’m the only person that speaks up, I’m the only person that calls things out and I didn’t have any backup. I feel like sometimes that’s the position that Gizelle is in, too.

Watch In The Know’s full interview with Kenya Moore below, and watch The Real Housewives of Atlanta on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET only on Bravo:

If you enjoyed this story, check out In The Know’s recent interview with “Real Housewives of Dubai” star Chanel Ayan here!

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