‘RHOA’ Alum Cynthia Bailey Says Ex-Husband Peter Thomas Told Her She Wouldn’t Have Staying Power on Show Without Him
There’s no husband in the history of a Housewives franchise that is more polarizing to watch than The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum, Peter Thomas. Thomas was controversial during his time on the show with Cynthia Bailey because he had no trouble engaging in conflict with Bailey’s co-stars. Some even joked that his name should have been “Patricia” because he often found himself at the center of the drama. In a recent interview, Bailey says her ex-husband told her that she wouldn’t survive on the show without him.
Peter Thomas claims Cynthia Bailey felt he stole her shine on the show
In the early days of Bailey being on the show, she was viewed as passive by fans. She was the wife of Peter Thomas, who had an outspoken personality, and close friends with Nene Leakes, who was equally outspoken. Per Thomas, that caused issues when filming.
While speaking with former show producer Carlos King on his Reality With the King podcast, King revealed how Bailey would become upset over feeling like Thomas was outshining her. “Behind the scenes, what people don’t know is Cynthia used to be mad at you for what she felt like you were taking away scenes from her and making the scenes about you and interfering with her friendship with Nene,” King revealed. Thomas agreed.
He added: “I thought that was the dumbest thing ever because the whole purpose of why we were on the show is because of the money they were paying her and the exposure that we were getting as a couple. So, the more we taped, either myself or her, but when the cameras were gone, she felt the wrath of the girls, especially Nene…I used to go to bed every night, and they’re on the phone, I used to wake up every morning, and they’re on the phone, and I’m like, ‘Yo, why are you talking to the enemy?’”
Cynthia Bailey says Peter Thomas told her she wouldn’t list on the show without him
Bailey has shot down claims that she’s passive and says she chooses to take the high road in some situations, which doesn’t always come across well in reality TV. During her own appearance on Reality With the King, King asked Bailey, “Were you ever told or felt that without Nene or Peter that you wouldn’t have any staying power on the show?” And Bailey said yes.
“100%. Actually, Peter may have told himself when we were breaking up,” she said with a laugh. “Peter was definitely a huge part of my story because we’d lost everything; we were struggling. We’d never seen someone on reality TV going through a financial struggle in real-time. I feel like in the middle of an argument, he might have said, ‘They’re not going to keep you on the show without me.’”
Thomas has never said such publicly, but he does believe he added to Bailey’s success on the show. Furthermore, he knows he makes great television.
The two are friends despite their divorce
Bailey and Thomas divorced after seven years of marriage. Despite no longer being married, they remain cordial. He admits he was upset over her suing him for an alleged loan on a property they purchased. The lawsuit has since been settled. He even reached out to Bailey to support her amid her divorce from Mike Hill.
