Why Kim Fields Left Real Housewives Of Atlanta After Only One Season
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" has seen quite the revolving door of cast members over the years. None of the ladies who starred in the very first season all the way back in 2008 have appeared on every one since, though Kandi Burruss has come close. She invited the cameras in beginning with Season 2, and Burruss announced she was leaving after Season 14. But while there are stars like Burruss, Cynthia Bailey, and Kenya Moore who have plenty of staying power, the Atlanta iteration has seen two previously full-time Housewives only stick around for one single season.
Shamari DeVoe only ever appeared on Season 11 before calling time on her "RHOA" career, while Kim Fields said goodbye to the show after only appearing on Season 8. DeVoe blamed the way she was coming across on screen as the reason for her departure, telling The Jasmine Brand in July 2021, "There's a lot in editing, so they make you look like something that you're not." She then referenced one scene in particular that showed her drinking alcohol. "They wanted to show me with my lil wine and make it seem like I'm just this drunk or whatever. But that's not me — there's a balance," she shared.
But now that we know DeVoe's reason for leaving the show, why exactly did Fields say sayonara to the series so soon?
Kim Fields wanted to do something new when she signed up for RHOA
You may recognize Kim Fields from all nine seasons of NBC's "The Facts of Life," but she didn't make it anywhere near that long when it came to "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Fields announced her departure in 2016 after just one season, admitting on the "Rickey Smiley Morning Show," "It feels more like Brett Favre and the Jets, you know — I'm done ... At the beginning of the season, what did my mama say? 'Get in and get out.' Listen to your mama." She suggested there was no bad blood though (despite her drama with Kenya Moore) and claimed she wanted to join the series to do something different. "It was to be able to do a genre that I'd been asked to do before and finding a way to do it that made sense for my team and for the family. Overall, it was a really great experience," she noted, shortly before getting busy with "Dancing with the Stars."
Fields shared a similar story when speaking about her "RHOA" departure on "The Breakfast Club" in June 2022, admitting, "The mandate at that time in my career was, I'm celebrating 40 years in the industry. And so my team and I said, 'Hey, let's go into unchartered waters. We only gonna do stuff that we've never done before." So, basically, after she'd done a season, she didn't feel the need to do more — makes sense!
Rumors swirled Kim Fields was let go from RHOA
Despite Kim Fields explaining she decided to walk away from "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" after getting her fix, rumors swirled at the time that maybe the Bravo higher-ups had also influenced the decision. All About The Tea's insider claimed in 2016, "Kim was let go from the show because the audience couldn't relate to her matronly attitude and boring life." Ouch! They then added, "The other Housewives often questioned her commitment to the demanding filming schedule ... Kim was not a good fit for the Atlanta crew." But it sounds like, if that's true, Fields wasn't exactly upset about the decision. "Kim wasn't interested in making a comeback to 'RHOA' because of how she and her husband [were] portrayed on the show," the source said, referring to Christopher Morgan.
Now for that all-important question, though: Would Fields ever actually return to Real Housewives? Maybe don't hold your breath. Ever since she left "RHOA" in 2016 the actor has managed to stay away from the "Real Housewives" cameras — and it sounds like she's planning to keep it that way. When asked by ET in March 2021 if she'd be willing to return, she responded, "I did that, so there's no need to do that again."