The Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion Part 2: Is Kenya Moore Telling the Truth About Her Mom?

We're fact-checking Kenya Moore's claims about her mom in the latest installment of the RHOA reunion special

By Billy Nilles Mar 28, 2016 1:00 AMTags
Kenya Moore, Real Housewives of AtlantaBravo

When oh when will these reality TV stars learn that they can't just lie about facts on TV?

Take Kenya Moore during tonight's second installment of the Real Housewives of Atlanta three-part reunion special for example. When it came time for host Andy Cohen to turn his line of questioning towards Kenya's decision to ambush her estranged mother at her home with a camera crew, a question from a fan at home revealed that we may not know the real story when it comes to this complicated relationship.

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A fan only identified as Mr. Ray from D.C. wrote in to question Kenya about a People magazine article from May 1993 in which she told a story about how her mom called to congratulate her for winning Miss USA. Why would you turn her away when she clearly tried to connect with you, Mr. Ray wanted to know. And suddenly, it was all we cared about as well.

"No, that's untrue. She called me because People had done an article about her," Kenya said. "She called me to tell me not to speak to the press about her. She did not call to congratulate me."

Andy seemed a little puzzled by her explanation. "People magazine did a story about Miss USA doesn't speak to her mother?" he asked.

"Yes, but they also reached out to her, directly," Kenya replied. "And she gave a quote. And then she called. I was at the Miss Universe pageant at the time. She called and wanted to speak to me. I picked up the phone and she said, ‘May I speak to Kenya?' And I know her voice. And I just froze up and I said, ‘She's not here.' And then my cousin called me and said she wanted to tell me not to speak to the press about her."

So, is Kenya telling the truth? A quick Google search has us thinking no, she's not being honest. In the article, indeed published May 24, 1993, Kenya admits that her mom called her the day after her win and left a message at her hotel in Wichita.

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The particularly damning passage of the article reads: "'She said she just wanted to congratulate me,' recalls Moore, at her Westwood, Calif., apartment. 'But I didn't want to talk to her. I'm a very forgiving person. But I'll only forgive her if she asks for my forgiveness.'"

Despite what Kenya said during the reunion tonight, her mother Patricia is quoted in the story. "Though Patricia took a step toward rapprochement the day after the pageant—and, she says matter-of-factly, 'the door for communication has been and always will remain open'—she has not extended the apology her daughter demands," one passage reads.

In fact, the article ends with a blessing from Patricia towards her estranged daughter as she readied to represent Miss USA in that year's Miss Universe pageant. "'I'm praying for her," says Patricia," the story concludes. "'I wish her all the luck and success in the world.'"

There's no denying that Kenya's family life and childhood were rough—in fact, the article doesn't shy away from that reality, though it does offer a bit more context that Kenya's ever offered on RHOA for why Patricia made the particularly cruel decision she did—but it seems awfully suspect that Kenya denied that she'd ever offered this earlier version of events. Did she simply forget what she told People over 20 years ago? Or is she worried about maintaining her status as the unimpeachable hero of this story? We're not so sure.

What do you think about Kenya's claims? Sound off in the comments below!

The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on Bravo.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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