Phaedra Parks On Her 'RHOA' Return: I Wasn't Nervous About Anything

The Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s Phaedra Parks never beats the “keep a check” allegations, and her latest drop with one of her favorite snack brands is proof of that.

Staying true to herself and her love for fashion, Parks co-designed a cheeky new snack-inspired statement clutch in a new collaboration with Cheez-It Snap’d. She described the new Snap’d Back Bag as a product that reflects her, thanks to its multiple uses.

“I wanted the bag to be reminiscent of the actual bag, but I put some of my iconic, you know, moments on reality TV, Housewives in particular. ‘Now check that,’ we all know that read, and people have always loved it, so I put that on there. But I wanted it to be useful and have multiple uses, like myself — many jobs for the bag,” Parks told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “So, it can not only carry your snacks but also your work products, some of your little gym things. It’s not going to have just one purpose. It’s gonna be cheeky, but it’s gonna have a space for everyone to enjoy it.”

She added, “I like to be cute, but at the same time, I want to have fun with my fashions. And with this bag, not only is it adorable, it’s also affordable. It’s $16, commemorating Season 16 for the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Everyone can have this. Even the terrorists can’t stop this bag, honey.”

On her return to ‘RHOA’

With fans buzzing about her return to the Bravo series after her exit in 2017, Parks said at the time that she looks at the show in a whole new light, despite some of its elements that are nostalgic for her.

“Well, Porsha obviously asked me to come back. I love Porsha. We’ve had a great relationship for years,” she said. “And you know, it’s revamped. I mean, I have definitely called it the Titanic in the past, but, you know, we’re yachting. We’ve got new ladies, and they’re fun, and it’s very nostalgic, because there’s Porsha, myself, Shamea and Cynthia, but there’s also a new core group of ladies who bring in a new core group of, hopefully, new viewers.”

Parks added that there weren’t any nerves about returning to the show after being gone for quite a bit, but rather excitement about what may become of it.

“I wasn’t nervous about anything, but I’m excited about the possibilities that I can bring to the show,” she said. “Hopefully, we return to our flagship position where we used to be when I first got on the show. And I’m just hoping for success, I’m hoping for fun, I’m hoping we’ll have drama. But at the end of the day, people will see the sisterhood. I just want people to enjoy watching and have us be the talk of the watercooler and discussions, like we used to be.”

At this point in her career, having appeared on several reality television shows, including Married to Medicine, The Traitors and The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, the mother of two could teach a crash course or two on the art of time management.

The art of balance

“There’s truly a real balance,” Parks said. “I just try to prioritize. The biggest and most important job is being a mom, so I have to do that every day, and everything else comes second. I’m a single parent, so that’s not always the easiest thing to do, but it can be done. I’ve got a village around me. I’ve got great staff, great parents, great brothers, and they make it look easy, but sometimes it can be quite difficult. And, hopefully, when people see me, they see what can be done. Because being a single parent, being a woman, being in the profession that I have chosen, from the mortician business to being a lawyer, they’re definitely male-dominated businesses that don’t make it all that easy for women.”

At this time, Parks is currently helping her younger son, Dylan, affectionately known as Mr. President, launch his pants line after he developed a love for sewing a few years ago. In her true nature, she’s always got her eye on the prize and what’s to come in the future, and she noted that she’d love to fulfill a dream of hosting Saturday Night Live.

“I am the biggest fan of Saturday Night Live. I would love to, and they generally don’t — outside of Kim Kardashian, I’ve never seen them lean into the reality docuseries space. But if I had that opportunity, I would just be amazed,” Parks said. “I would just go crazy.”

The new, limited-edition Snap’d Back Bag, co-designed by Phaedra Parks and inspired by her iconic snapbacks, debuted in May on CheezIt.com.