Real Housewives AtlantaK. Michelle & Pinky Cole Join the Peach Table — and They're Coming In Hot

New Housewives

K. Michelle

R&B Singer · Country Artist · Reality Veteran

After years of making waves on VH1's Love & Hip Hop franchise, K. Michelle is finally stepping into the Bravo universe — and she's not arriving quietly. Known for her unfiltered honesty, powerhouse vocals, and willingness to go there, she's already stirring the pot before the season even premieres. Her pointed skepticism of Phaedra Parks came through loud and clear in the Season 17 trailer, making it clear she didn't come to make friends.

"I trust no lawyer that don't practice the law."

Pinky Cole

Entrepreneur · Slutty Vegan Founder · Community Activist

The CEO behind the Slutty Vegan empire — one of Atlanta's most recognizable plant-based restaurant brands with dozens of locations nationwide — Pinky Cole-Hayes has built her brand from the ground up, including buying it back after it was taken from her. She's no stranger to television, having worked as a producer behind the scenes. Now she's stepping in front of the camera, and the Season 17 trailer makes it clear she brought every bit of her boldness with her.

"They counted me out… Bravo counted me in."

Bravo dropped the Season 17 trailer for The Real Housewives of Atlanta on February 24th, and along with confirming the returning cast, it officially unveiled two powerhouse newcomers who are already creating friction before a single episode has aired.

Both K. Michelle and Pinky Cole-Hayes announced their castings on Instagram — and both did so in their own signature ways. K. Michelle, no stranger to dramatic entrances, simply wrote: "I just flipped the switch." Pinky, ever the entrepreneur, framed her moment as a business decision with the brand power to match: "They counted me out… Bravo counted me in." The energy was set before cameras even started rolling for Season 17.

K. Michelle Steps Into the Bravo Universe

Fans of Love & Hip Hop know that K. Michelle has never been the type to hold her tongue, and that signature candor appears to be translating seamlessly onto the RHOA set. The R&B and country singer has built a devoted following over years of reality TV appearances, but this marks her first time in the Real Housewives franchise — a world where the drama hits differently. In the trailer, she's already locking horns with veteran cast member Phaedra Parks, questioning her legal credentials with the kind of directness that tends to define breakout RHOA moments.

Two women who built empires from scratch are now walking into the most talked-about living room in Atlanta — and neither of them came to sit still.

Pinky Cole Brings Business, Boldness & Drama

If you've been paying attention to Atlanta's entrepreneurial landscape, Pinky Cole-Hayes needs no introduction. The founder of Slutty Vegan has expanded her plant-based brand across dozens of locations, navigated the turbulence of reclaiming her own company, and built a profile that extends well beyond the restaurant world into authorship, community activism, and brand strategy. What she hasn't done — until now — is be the subject of the cameras rather than the one controlling what they capture. The Season 17 trailer suggests that transition is going smoothly, as she's already trading barbs with Angela Oakley in what promises to be a memorable sparring partnership.

A Season Full of Returning Energy

The two newcomers join a cast stacked with familiar names. Porsha Williams, Phaedra Parks, Drew Sidora, Kelli Ferrell, Shamea Morton Mwangi, and Angela Oakley all return as full-time Housewives, with the beloved Cynthia Bailey back in a "Friend of the Housewives" role. The Season 17 trailer teases a cast trip to Dallas that erupts into screaming matches between Drew and K. Michelle, a rumor-fueled confrontation involving Porsha, and plenty of the layered, overlapping drama that has made RHOA one of Bravo's most enduring franchises for 17 seasons.

Season 17 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta premieres Sunday, April 5 at 8 PM ET on Bravo, with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock. Mark your calendars — the dolls are coming alive.