Andy Cohen Reacts After Kandi Burruss Reveals She's Taking 'Break' From Real Housewives of Atlanta

While on the red carpet at the 2024 Grammy Awards Sunday night, Burruss revealed that she's not returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

"I'm not really keeping up right now," the RHOA OG said when asked about the show. "I'm not keeping up. I already said it, so I'll tell you. I decided I'm not coming back this year."

Citing the show's extended hiatus prior to the its 16th season, Burruss said extra time to think contributed to her decision to take a step back.

She continued, "It's been 14 seasons, and they allowed us to sit around for a little too long, but during that time I had started working on a lot of other things, and I got some nice big projects coming soon, so I'm super excited about those things."

The musician and actress also said that during the break, she began questioning her role on the long-running series before ultimately deciding not to come back

"But it's not just that," Burruss added. "It's just like, after you really have time to think, and a friend of mine was like, 'Why do you keep doing it?' And I was like, 'Well, I think because I've just been doing it for so long, it feels weird to think not to do it?' So I was just like, 'You know what? I'm going to take a break, I'm going to take a moment… I'm not coming back this year.'"

While the news come as a surprise to many RHOA fans, it follows a season that fell largely flat, with Bravo announcing after the show's 15th season that it would retool the franchise, similarly to what the network did with The Real Housewives of New York City before its 14th season.

Per Variety, Bravo is reportedly close to announcing the show's new cast, and while it won't be a full reboot, only a few key cast members will return.

Bravo exec, Andy Cohen reacted to the news Monday morning, taking to Instagram to share a series of photos alongside Burruss over the years with the caption, "What can I say about @kandi !? One of the greats! A superstar! What a run! #Worldwide #RHOA."

He also discussed it on his SiriusXM radio show, where he reflected on the journey Burruss has had during her 14-year run on the reality series.

"Kandi announced last night on the Grammy red carpet that she's not gonna be returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta after an unbelievable run," Cohen said during Andy Cohen Live Monday "Incredible run. And you think about how much she not only went through on the show, but brought to the show."

Burruss, a founding member of R&B group Xscape and a celebrated songwriter known for co-writing hits like TLC's "No Scrubs" and Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills" joined RHOA during its second season and is the longest-serving cast Housewife of all any franchise.

"When she came on, she was with AJ. He, between filming our first season and shooting the reunion, was killed. She lost him. Mama Joyce was disapproving of AJ in her first season. This was season two of Atlanta. It was Kandi's first season. She also, in those early seasons, did the music and wrote "Tardy for the Party," which has become, you know, canon. I mean, it's just iconic to the moment," the Watch What Happens Live host continued. "She fell in love with Todd. He was working for Truly Original when they were on their trip in Africa. She brought us Mama Joyce. She brought us Bolo, she brought us the dungeon, bedroom Kandi, Don Juan, the Old Lady Gang. I mean, it goes on and on."

While Cohen praised Burruss for always bringing it in front of the camera, he also shouted out her work ethic behind the scenes.

"She was always very true to herself. She wanted to be the best," he noted. "She has been one of my favorite people to work with in my whole time. First, as an exec at Bravo, and then as an E.P. of The Housewives and hosting Watch What Happens Live. I love how competitive she is. I love how thoughtful and smart she is. She is so strategic."

Cohen continued, "She would call me anytime she had a thought about either the way the show was being marketed or not marketed or about the way that it was being scheduled, or she had a lot of really smart opinions and thoughts and she always wanted to know more. 'What's your strategy here? What are you thinking?' It was always a great dialogue, and then, sometimes at the end of the conversation, she would say, 'You know what? I'm glad I called. I totally get it now.' Sometimes she would say, 'Y'all are wrong,' and you know, and a lot of times she was right."

Cohen also detailed the emotional moment Burruss told him she was leaving the show.

"We had a long talk the other day, she and I and Todd on the phone," the 55-year-old revealed. "I appreciate her saying, 'You know what? I think this is just time.' She knows the show is at a crossroads right now and I don't even want to talk about where we're going with it."

While he admitted that he and Burruss were both "crying a little bit at the end of the call," he said that the Grammy-winning artist's future on the network isn't exactly done for good.

"I kind of worked myself up into a lather as we were talking," he said. "I told her I know that Bravo will be in business with her for a long time. They've got other things in development, so she is a talent that they're not gonna want to let go."

"She is one of the greats," Cohen concluded. "So, thank you Kandi for your service. I did tell her, I was like, 'You know, Kandi, you could drop back in in a year or two.'"