“Is Kandi Burruss Lesbian?” This was the question on every fan’s mind back when “RHOA” was in its ninth season. The subject of Burruss’s sexuality practically became her storyline, causing a handful of drama with a few housewives.
It is safe to say that “The Real Housewives Of Atlanta” pretty much had its most dramatic days in past seasons, one of which was the speculations on OG housewife Kandi Burruss’s sexuality. This is in no way crossing out the possibility of more drama on the show.
However, Kandi’s sexuality and lesbian rumors gained traction in the ninth season when the singer and reality star had to hash out the hearsays some housewives shared about who she was sleeping with. Here’s how it all panned out.
Burruss’s Pre-RHOA Days
Years before becoming a star on Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise, Kandi Burruss was a young Atlanta girl looking to make a career in music. She got her wish after forming a band with her childhood pals, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, LaTocha, and Tamika Scott.
The trio formed the Xscape girl group and was signed to Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def record label in high school. Kandi and her pals were still high school students when their first album, “Hummin Comin At Cha,” became a hit after release.
This was the start of their success. Xscape made more music and gained public recognition. On the side, Kandi’s talent grew beyond singing. She wrote songs for other stars in the industry, including TLC and Destiny’s Child.
Songs written by Kandi Burruss include “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Bug A Boo,” and the Grammy-winning evergreen hit, “No Scrubs.” Her crossover to reality TV came in the 2000s after Xscape went defunct.
Kandi Burruss On RHOA
When Kandi Joined “The Real Housewives Of Atlanta” in 2009, she quickly blended in with the friendship dynamics the women had. She was first friends with Kim Zolciak-Biermann, before growing close to Phaedra Parks.
For a while, fans were not psyched about Kandi’s input on the show, as many thought her low energy made her storyline boring. However, Kandi proved there was fire behind the relaxed demeanor in season 9.
She would usually contend with fellow housewives whenever her name came up in different dramas, but RHOA season 9 pretty much revolved around her.
The Speculations About Her Sexuality
It all started in Kandi’s friendship with Porsha Williams, which fizzled out as fast as it started. After the duo got closer, the status of their friendship became obscure due to some subtle, intimate moments.
Williams has been known to have same-sex experience, and her relationship with Kandi bordered on that. According to William, she and Burruss had a night of fun that had them cozying up. She also shared that the restaurateur invited her to “a sex dungeon.”
There were talks of her being with another housewife, Shamea Morton. However, this seemed like something Kandi did not capitalize on or wanted to be publicly known.
The Housewives’ Drama Over Kandi’s Sexuality
In subsequent episodes of “RHOA,” it became known that Williams was not the only cast member insinuating that Burruss was into girls. Phaedra Parks had also fueled the rumors with her deductions.
In fact, Parks was the one who started the small talks about Burruss. When confronted during the reunion, Parks shared that she had in no way referred to Kandi Burruss as a lesbian. She referenced one of the housewives’ dinners where Burruss’ matter cropped up. Parks stated:
“The question at the dinner was, did someone call Kandi a lesbian? In order for her to be a lesbian, that would mean she is only sleeping with women, correct? I never said she was a lesbian.”
While Parks blamed her insinuations on semantics, Williams retracted her part of the tea. After Burruss confronted the mom-of-one, she backpedaled and shared that she had been tipsy when they went out together.
Kandi Speaks Up
There were scores of back and forths on Kandi’s tea, but when it was time to speak up, the Old Lady Gang CEO did not mince words. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on the development, Kandi went all out, ready to contend with the negative takes.
Kandi recalled how she would have typically let go until people got tired of the narrative, but she felt she needed to do things differently by addressing the issue. She described RHOA season 9 as a “rollercoaster” that made her castmates stress her out throughout the year.
The music star mentioned that Williams made “stuff” up and “got caught up in so many lies.” Kandi addressed how Williams insinuated she was a lesbian trying to come out of the closet. She declared:
“I don’t know as far as her trying to say, you know, a ‘lesbian’ trying to come out of the closet or whatever … so my answer to that is, if I am then so is [Porsha].”
Is Kandi Burruss Lesbian?
The back and forth had the women involved becoming sworn enemies, but the question that burned bright still pointed to the possibility that Kandi Burruss was lesbian.
In an interview on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen,” Kandi was joined by former band member, Tiny. During the talk, lt came to light that Kandi had indeed had same-sex romantic experiences.
Cohen went ahead to ask if she and Tiny had ever been involved in that way. The pair denied this, noting that they were more like sisters. Tiny added that she was shocked that Kandi would be interested in women because she used to be quite uninterested in physical touch.
So is Kandi Burruss lesbian? Kandi confirmed she had been with a woman but insisted it was just a phase in her life. The star reaffirmed that she was not lesbian, and she was happily married to her spouse, Todd Tucker.