Porsha Williams Challenges Social Assumptions With Strategic Divorce Filing

Fans of The Real Housewives of Atlanta are savvy enough not to believe in fairy tales, so no hearts were broken when PEOPLE Magazine announced toxic wannabe princess, Porsha Williams, filed for divorce from her alleged Nigerian millionaire husband, Simon Guobadia. In an obvious full circle moment-15 months after three wedding ceremonies, a ridiculous amount of social media praise, and PDA, RHOA’s pretty girl Porsha Williams has filed for divorce on the grounds of an “ongoing matter”, and will return to the reality show just as sassy and single as fans expected her to be once the hype and money ran out with her marriage.

The marriage was controversial from the start. They alleged they got engaged one month after they began dating. At the time, Simon was still legally married to Falynn Pinna, who was also Porsha’s co-star. Porsha insisted her and Simon’s budding relationship had nothing to do with his pending divorce, though Pinna said she was blindsided by their new engagement. Either way, Porsha was confident enough to move forward in the reunion, quitting her job on the show, leaving her radio hosting gig at Dish Nation, and moving out of the Georgia mansion she scratched and survived to purchase after a divorce from Kordell Stewart left her broke. Porsha and Simon wed in 2022, and now, she says they are dunzo.

Porsha Saw Simon as a Meal-Ticket

Viewers of the most popular Housewives franchise are uttering a collective, “told you so” after seeing headlines announcing Porsha filed for divorce a week after news sources revealed Simon had a scammer past and was unable to receive American citizenship based on numerous incidents including credit card fraud and identity theft. According to Atlanta Black Star, Simon arrived in the U.S. on a six-month visitor’s visa in 1982, but returned to Nigeria in 1985 after overstaying the visa’s expiration. He was denied citizenship after marrying his first wife, Karron English, but came back to the U.S. in 1986 on another six-month visa but again failed to return home after the visa expired. Shortly after obtaining another temporary visa, Simon pleaded guilty in 1987 after being arrested for felony bank and credit card fraud. Between 1988 and 1991, he allegedly used a fake identity on his temporary resident pass-through and failed to disclose his criminal past on immigration documents.

Porsha ditched her baby daddy, Dennis McKinley, and married Simon a year and a half after he was introduced on RHOA as the dutiful husband of Falynn, one of the ladies introduced to fans in hopes of securing the coveted peach. Needless to say, Falynn didn’t secure a peach, but after giving the ladies a tour of her extravagant mansion courtesy of her rich husband Simon, she inadvertently offered Porsha an opportunity to level up.

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Porsha and Dennis conceived an adorable daughter together, but went through relationship problems. Although Dennis was a successful businessman, he didn’t have the amount of money and clout that Simon possessed by far. Less than a year after his introduction as Falynn’s husband, Simon filed for divorce citing infidelity and, before the ink was anywhere near his divorce documents, then curated an Instagram-friendly proposal to the peach-carrying Porsha. Fans were shocked at the audacity of the couple, flaunting their relationship while Simon was still married to Falynn. Porsha sent a bold message to the naysayers, posting the hashtag #lovewins when attacked on Instagram and Twitter. She was labeled a homewrecker and Simon was berated for abandoning the woman he claimed was his soulmate less than six months before his over-the-top proposal to Porsha.

Porsha secured her Nigerian bag and immediately embraced the soft life. She left Dish Nation and RHOA, and started planning an extravagant wedding celebration with her fiancé. The couple had three wedding ceremonies, one of course in his native country of Nigeria in full African garb. Over the next 15 months, Porsha and Simon’s followers were inundated with breathtaking photos of Mrs. Porsha Guobadia that were always accompanied by dramatic declarations of love from Simon. Porsha’s Bravo spin-off, Porsha’s Family Matters, performed poorly, but her social media pages performed like gangbusters with fans gushing over her exotic trips to Africa and her #relationshipgoals posts with Simon in tow.

Porsha Secures Her Season 16 ‘RHOA’ Storyline With Divorce

Shortly after the top of 2024, it was announced that Porsha would return to RHOA. The show was struggling with ratings and producers knew bringing Porsha back after a marriage that was a trending topic for almost six months would be a win. When the news broke that Simon was not an American citizen and had a long documented history of fraud and felonious behavior, RHOA fans immediately sensed Porsha’s RHOA storyline was about to be juicy. Porsha remained quiet on social media, but Simon posted a picture showing him smiling with the caption, “I dey kampe, no shaky. Happy Sunday” which translates to I am doing well. A week after the accusations, Porsha responded by filing for divorce but claims the reasons are unrelated to the recent allegations against her husband.

No one has ever accused Porsha of being as clueless as she attempts to act at times. Quite the contrary, she is recognized for being extremely strategic with her decisions, including her marriage to Simon. In addition to returning to RHOA, she also signed a scripted deal with NBCUniversal on “scripted project opportunities across the company’s broadcast and streaming properties.”

“I’m incredibly thankful for the vision and faith NBCUniversal has put in me to be a larger part of their family,” she shared with in a statement. “I’m looking forward to being back on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and showing the world my new world!”

If RHOA fans were excited about Porsha’s return initially, this new drama has them waiting for the season premiere with bated breath. Currently, it’s unclear if Porsha and Simon’s divorce is a result of the couple breaking up, or if it’s a precautionary measure to keep Porsha in the clear of Simon’s legal troubles. Regardless of the motivation for the divorce announcement, she has audiences waiting to see what will happen next on RHOA and her upcoming projects with NBCUniversal. Whether Simon will be a part of Porsha’s upcoming return or if he will fade to the back along with Kordell, Dennis, and the faceless others she introduced while on the show, it’s guaranteed to be entertaining.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta can be streamed on Peacock.

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