Phaedra Parks

Phaedra Parks
Born	Phaedra Creonta Parks 10/26/1973
Birthplace	Athens, Georgia, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Attorney, television personality, author, businesswoman, legal analyst
Known for	The Real Housewives of Atlanta, The Traitors
Education	University of Georgia (JD)
Children	2

Phaedra Creonta Parks (born October 26, 1973) is an American attorney, television personality, legal analyst, author, and businesswoman. She first gained national prominence as a cast member on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta, joining the series in its third season in 2010 and remaining a central figure through 2017. Prior to her television career, Parks had established herself as a practicing attorney in Atlanta, operating her own legal firm, The Parks Group, and earning recognition in the legal profession. After a period away from The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Parks returned to reality television with appearances on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip and Married to Medicine, before rejoining the Atlanta cast in 2024. She also appeared as a contestant on the second season of Peacock's The Traitors, where she attracted considerable attention for her performance as a traitor. In addition to her entertainment and legal work, Parks holds a license as a mortician and has authored a book on Southern etiquette. In March 2026, she was among several Real Housewives stars who visited Capitol Hill to advocate for HIV/AIDS research and prevention funding.

Early Life

Phaedra Creonta Parks was born on October 26, 1973, in Athens, Georgia. She grew up in the Athens area, a university city in the northeastern part of the state. Parks has described her upbringing as rooted in Southern traditions, a theme that would later become central to both her public persona and her published writing. Details about her parents and family background during childhood are limited in publicly available sources.

Parks has frequently referenced her Southern upbringing as formative to her personal and professional identity. Her interest in propriety, etiquette, and community leadership — subjects she would later write about — appear to have been influenced by her early years in Georgia.

Education

Parks attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Wesleyan College, founded in 1836, is the world's first college chartered to grant degrees to women. Parks subsequently attended the University of Georgia School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree. Her legal education provided the foundation for a career that would span entertainment law, criminal defense, and civil litigation. Parks has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia and has maintained her law license throughout her television career.

Career

Legal Career

Before entering the world of reality television, Parks built a legal career in Atlanta, Georgia. She founded and operated her own law firm, The Parks Group, which handled a range of legal matters including entertainment law, civil litigation, and criminal defense. Her work as an attorney brought her into contact with high-profile clients in the entertainment industry and in the Atlanta business community. In 2006, Parks received recognition as Attorney of the Year, a distinction noted in Jet magazine. This acknowledgment of her legal accomplishments predated her entry into television and helped establish her credibility as a professional outside of the entertainment sphere.

Parks is also a licensed mortician, a credential she obtained in addition to her law degree. This unusual combination of professional qualifications became a recurring topic of discussion during her appearances on The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Parks has continued to practice law and provide legal commentary throughout her television career. In January 2026, she offered legal analysis on the Nick Reiner trial, demonstrating her continued engagement with the legal profession alongside her entertainment work. In September 2025, Parks announced two major career updates, indicating continued expansion of her professional activities.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta (2010–2017)

Parks joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in its third season, which premiered in 2010. Her debut on the show coincided with her pregnancy, and her first season on the series documented the lead-up to the birth of her first son. Parks quickly became one of the more prominent cast members, known for her sharp wit, her Southern mannerisms, and her multiple professional pursuits. Her background as an attorney and mortician set her apart from other cast members and provided distinctive storylines.

Throughout her tenure on the show, Parks was involved in numerous storylines that drew significant viewer attention. Her relationship and eventual marriage to Apollo Nida was a central narrative arc. Nida's legal troubles — he was sentenced to federal prison on fraud charges in 2014 — became a major plotline on the series. The couple's subsequent separation and divorce played out in both the media and on the show, drawing extensive tabloid coverage.

In 2013, Bravo confirmed that Parks would be receiving her own spin-off series titled Rich People's Problems, in which she would assist wealthy clients with legal and personal matters. The spin-off was intended to capitalize on Parks' legal expertise and her popularity with viewers.

Parks' departure from The Real Housewives of Atlanta came after the ninth season in 2017. During the season reunion, Parks admitted to spreading false accusations about fellow cast member Kandi Burruss, specifically drug-related allegations that had no basis in fact. The fallout from this admission led to Parks not being asked to return for the following season. Her departure was one of the more significant cast changes in the history of the Real Housewives franchise, given her prominence on the show over seven seasons.

Return to Reality Television (2022–Present)

After several years away from Bravo, Parks made her return to reality television in 2022 when she was cast in the second season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, a spin-off series that brought together cast members from different Real Housewives franchises. The season aired on Peacock, NBCUniversal's streaming platform. Parks' participation in the series marked her reentry into the Bravo ecosystem and was well-received by fans of the franchise. In a 2021 interview, Parks discussed returning to reality television with the Housewives spin-off as well as her acting debut in the film Covenant.

In 2023, Parks joined the cast for the tenth season of Married to Medicine, another Bravo series set in Atlanta. This appearance further solidified her continued presence in the reality television landscape. Her transition between multiple Bravo properties demonstrated her versatility as a television personality and her enduring appeal to audiences.

Parks' most significant post-RHOA television appearance was on the second season of The Traitors, a competition series on Peacock hosted by Alan Cumming. The show, based on a Dutch format, features contestants divided into "faithfuls" and "traitors," with the traitors secretly eliminating other players. Parks was cast as one of the traitors and gained considerable notoriety for her performance in the role, which viewers and critics noted for its strategic and entertaining quality. Her appearance on The Traitors introduced her to a broader audience beyond the Real Housewives fanbase.

In 2024, Parks rejoined the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, marking her return to the show that had first brought her to national attention. Executive producer Andy Cohen addressed her return publicly, acknowledging the circumstances of her original departure while welcoming her back to the franchise.

Writing and Other Ventures

Parks authored a book on Southern etiquette and lifestyle, drawing on her upbringing in Georgia and her identity as a self-described Southern belle. The book, which offered advice on manners, entertaining, and personal conduct, was covered by publications including Glamour.

Beyond her legal and entertainment careers, Parks has been involved in various entrepreneurial endeavors. Her combination of credentials — attorney, mortician, author, and television personality — has been frequently cited as distinctive in the reality television landscape.

Advocacy

In March 2026, Parks was among a group of Real Housewives stars who visited Capitol Hill to advocate for HIV/AIDS research and prevention funding. The group, which also included Melissa Gorga, Nene Leakes, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Erika Jayne, and Luann de Lesseps, worked in partnership with the telehealth company MISTR to push for increased HIV prevention resources. The visit attracted media attention for the juxtaposition of the typically entertainment-focused Housewives brand with serious public health policy advocacy. Coverage from the New York Post noted that the presentation was "drama-free," contrasting with the combative reputation of the franchise.

Personal Life

Parks was previously married to Apollo Nida. The couple's relationship was documented on The Real Housewives of Atlanta from the time Parks joined the show. In 2014, Nida was sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud charges, including bank fraud and identity theft. The couple subsequently separated and divorced. Parks has two sons from the marriage, Ayden and Dylan Nida. Parks has spoken about keeping her children shielded from her reality television career, stating that her sons had never watched The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

In August 2025, Parks shared photographs from a vacation to Hong Kong with both of her sons, captioning the images "Raising Royalty." Parks has been noted for maintaining an active presence on social media, sharing aspects of her personal style and family life with her followers.

Parks experienced a car break-in in which sentimental items were stolen, an incident covered by People magazine.

Parks continues to reside in the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area.

Recognition

Parks was named Attorney of the Year in 2006, as noted in Jet magazine, in recognition of her legal work prior to her television career.

Her performance on the second season of The Traitors was one of the most discussed aspects of the 2024 competition television season. Parks' strategic gameplay as a traitor on the show earned her recognition among reality television fans and expanded her public profile beyond the Real Housewives franchise.

In September 2025, the Krewe of Athena announced that Parks would serve as the grand marshal for its parade during the 2026 Mardi Gras season. The announcement highlighted her multiple professional identities, describing her as a "Real Housewives of Atlanta star, attorney, entrepreneur, author and licensed mortician."

Parks has continued to receive media coverage for her professional activities and public appearances. In September 2025, she revealed two major career updates, which she described as an honor. Her multifaceted career spanning law, entertainment, writing, and activism has made her a fixture in both entertainment and Atlanta's professional community.

Legacy

Parks' tenure on The Real Housewives of Atlanta spanned a period of significant growth for the franchise, and she is considered one of the more memorable cast members in the show's history. Her sharp commentary, professional credentials, and involvement in some of the series' most dramatic storylines contributed to her status as a defining figure of the show's middle seasons. Her departure in 2017 and subsequent return in 2024 represented one of the more notable cast arcs in Real Housewives history.

Her appearance on The Traitors demonstrated her ability to captivate audiences in formats beyond the Housewives franchise. The competition series required a different set of skills than the interpersonal dynamics of RHOA, and Parks' success on the show broadened perceptions of her public persona.

Parks' advocacy work, including her March 2026 visit to Capitol Hill for HIV/AIDS funding, reflects a dimension of her public life that extends beyond entertainment. The participation of Real Housewives cast members in policy advocacy represented an unusual convergence of celebrity culture and legislative engagement, with Parks among those at the forefront of the effort.

As an attorney who maintained her legal practice while simultaneously building a television career, Parks has occupied a distinctive position in the reality television landscape. Her combination of a Juris Doctor degree, a mortician's license, authorship, and a long-running television presence has been a defining characteristic of her public identity throughout her career.