‘RHUGT’: Porsha Williams Recalls ‘Suicidal Moment’ Filming ‘RHOA’ Amid Postpartum Depression
The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams has shared her highs and lows in love throughout her time on the series. Fans watched her build herself back up after an embarrassing divorce, and she thought she’d found love and the family she yearned for when she met and had a baby with Dennis McKinley. But their fairytale was short-lived. In episode 2 of Season 3 of UltimateGirls Trip, Williams gets candid about postpartum depression, and why they split.
Porsha Williams reflects on ‘suicidal moment’ filming ‘RHOA’ amid postpartum depression battle
Season 11 chronicled Williams in a new relationship with Atlanta businessman, Dennis McKinley. Some of her co-stars warned her against moving so quickly with McKinley, but she insisted she was head over heels in love. Within a year of dating, the couple announced they were expecting their first child together. It was an exciting moment for Williams, considering she had a miscarriage in her first marriage to former NFL star, Kordell Stewart.
But after delivering her daughter, Pilar aka PJ, via C-Section, she experienced a rough patch. While speaking with her co-stars at lunch following a visit to an elephant sanctuary, she opened up about the difficult time.
“After I gave birth, I was literally in the middle of postpartum depression. And I just let the camera see whatever it was. Y’all know that’s a suicidal moment…[I dealt with it on national television],” she recalls. “A producer came to me, and she said this to me, and this is what made me to that season, her name is Joy. She sat me down, and I said, ‘Joy, I can’t do this season.’ And she was like, ‘It’s OK. You don’t have to say a word. You don’t have to do anything. We’re just going to be here for you to tell your story because I know you’re going to come out of it.’ It’s always like what my mother always said, ‘Fake it til you make it, baby girl.’ And I pushed through.”
In a confessional, Williams tells a producer: “When I look back, I’m grateful for the experience of Housewives around that time of postpartum depression because it forced me to get up and do something.”
The reality star discovered her then-fiance cheated on her while pregnant with their child
Part of Williams’ postpartum depression was discovering McKinley had been unfaithful. When their daughter was just two months old, the couple split, and McKinley moved out of their shared home. They attended couple’s counseling sessions to try and work past it.
According to McKinley, he wasn’t sexually attracted to Williams during her pregnancy, or after. “We had a rough pregnancy, all the way from start to finish,” McKinley said in the therapy session. “Sex during pregnancy, it’s nothing what a man wants to do…and after PJ got here, postpartum was very real. We cried together like every night. That’s not a good enough why, but that’s the why.”
He added: “It was a poor decision, and it was a selfish decision. I made a mistake, I cheated…I’ve done my best to let Porsha know that I love her, and I’m remorseful and apologetic. The priority for me is the baby.”
They later reconciled and McKinley re-proposed. Williams accepted, but they split for good in 2020.
She has since married Simon Guobadia
Within a few months of Williams’ and McKinley’s final split, she’d moved on and became engaged to Nigerian-American businessman, Simon Guobadia. The relationship was controversial as Guobadia was still legally married to Williams’ former co-star, Falynn Pina. they both insisted Williams had nothing to do with his divorce, with Guobadia alleging Pina cheated and became pregnant by another man.
According to the couple, they became engaged within 30 days of dating. They officially wed in November 2022.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
How to get help: In the U.S. and Canada, text the Crisis Text Line at 741741 to reach a crisis counselor for support.
