# Phaedra Parks

Phaedra Creonta Parks (born October 26, 1973) is an American attorney, legal analyst, television personality, author, activist, and businesswoman.
She is best known for appearing on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta from 2010 until 2017, rejoining the cast in 2024. Prior to this, she was an established attorney, fronting her own legal firm, The Parks Group. In 2022, she starred on the second season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip on Peacock, and in 2023, joined the cast for the tenth season of Married to Medicine.

## Early life

Parks was born in Athens, Georgia, where RHOA co-star NeNe Leakes also lived, and attended the same high school as Leakes. She is one of four children to pastor parents Regina Bell and Henry Parks. Before undertaking a Juris Doctor at the University of Georgia School of Law, she attended the London School of Economics (LSE) and Wesleyan College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours.

## Career

Parks first appeared on The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2010. She was already an established attorney, with her own legal practice, The Parks Group. Throughout her career, she had represented multiple public figures such as Bobby Brown. In 2006, she was awarded 'Attorney of the Year' and has served on Georgia's Law School Alumni Council, the Grammy Recording Board, UGA Law School Board, and G-Capp. She has served as a legal analyst on shows like Fox News and NBC regarding the Michael Jackson trial. Parks has also acted as a television producer for BET's The Tiny and Toya Show.
Her appearance on The Real Housewives of Atlanta helped her become nominated as one of Atlanta's top 100 Black women of influence, as her season 3 debut kick-started high publicity and positive attention for Parks. Her seven season stint on the show saw Parks involved in multiple main storylines including the dissolution of her marriage to Apollo Nida and pregnancies resulting in sons Ayden and Dylan. In 2017, Parks was ultimately fired ahead of the show's tenth season following a damaging rumour she circulated about fellow RHOA cast member Kandi Burruss and her husband, Todd Tucker concerning Porsha Williams and Shamea Morton. Following her departure from RHOA, Bravo tentatively announced a new unscripted series focused on Parks alone titled, Rich People's Problems. The show was never released.
In 2013, Parks released her first book, Secrets of the Southern Belle: How to Be Nice, Work Hard, Look Pretty, Have Fun and Never Have an Off Moment. In 2020, Parks and then-boyfriend, Medina Islam, appeared on the season two premiere of Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition She made her acting debut in Covenant, an eight-episode anthology series on Allblk, in October 2021. She played Bernice Whitfield, the family matriarch. In 2021, it was announced that Parks would be appearing on the second season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip (subtitled Ex-Wives Club), the franchise's 'mash-up' series produced by Peacock featuring multiple well-known former housewives from the franchise.
In 2022, alongside Parks' RHUGT main cast appearance, she additionally starred in a recurring guest role in The Real Housewives of Dubai's first season, as a friend of housewife Caroline Brooks. Shereé Whitfield stated that Parks filmed for Season 14 of RHOA at her fashion show, however scenes featuring Parks were never aired. Rumours regarding Parks' return to RHOA in a full-time capacity have begun to swirl following executive producer Andy Cohen stating he would love to have her back, following her 2017 firing. Reportedly, her appearances on RHUGT, RHOA and RHODXB are to test whether her Bravo comeback appeals to audiences. Kandi Burruss has stated she would leave RHOA if Parks returns.
In January 2023, it was announced that Parks would return for the fifth season (and second Ex-Wives Club season) of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, taking place in Marrakesh, Morocco and set to premiere in 2024. Parks signed onto the tenth season of Married to Medicine, replacing Dr. Contessa Metcalfe and Anila Sajja. In September 2023, it was announced that Parks would be a contestant on Peacock's second season of The Traitors, which aired in early 2024. She was selected to be a 'traitor' and was banished in episode ten.
In July 2024, it was announced that Parks would be returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, after a six-season hiatus, for the sixteenth season. In September 2024, Parks was announced as one of the celebrities competing on season 33 of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with Valentin Chmerkovskiy.

## Personal life

Between 2009 and 2017, Parks was married to Apollo Nida. Nida was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud, but Parks has maintained she had no knowledge of his criminal activity. With Nida, she has two children. She dated Medina Islam before breaking up in 2021.
Regarding The Real Housewives of Atlanta and similar shows, Parks stated that she would “never” let her children watch the programs, saying “That’s not child-appropriate” and “I don’t think it was created for children and so I don’t know if any responsible parent allows their child to watch those types of shows.”

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Tiny and Toya | Consulting producer | |
| 2010–2017, 2024– | The Real Housewives of Atlanta | Herself | Main cast (seasons 3–9, 16–) |
| 2011–2022 | The Wendy Williams Show | Herself | |
| 2012–2024 | Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen | Herself | Guest |
| 2014–2022 | Dish Nation | Herself | Guest co-host in seasons 10 and 11 |
| 2015, 2023– | Married to Medicine | Herself | Guest (season 3) Main cast (season 10–) |
| 2018 | Braxton Family Values | Herself | |
| 2020 | Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Covenant | Bernice Whitfield | 2 episodes |
| 2022–24 | The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip | Herself | Main cast (Seasons 2 & 5) |
| 2022 | The Real Housewives of Dubai | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | The Real Housewives of New Jersey | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2024 | The Traitors | Contestant - Traitor | 7th Place (season 2) |
| 2024 | Dancing with the Stars | Contestant with Val Chmerkovskiy | 8th place (season 33) |
| 2024 | Will Trent | Adela Blakely | 1 episode |