Marlo Hampton Departs The Real Housewives of Atlanta Ahead of Season 16: ‘A Fresh Start’ (Exclusive)

Marlo Hampton no longer has her peach.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star will not return to the Bravo franchise for Season 16, she told PEOPLE exclusively.

“My contract with The Real Housewives of Atlanta ended when season 15 ended,” says Hampton. “This hiatus from RHO is a fresh start, giving me space to engage in new creative fun projects focused on my future, not reliving my past.”

She adds, “My nephews are entering key stages of their academic adolescence, and I’m focused on representing myself in their eyes and getting back to showcasing my multi-faceted lifestyle of philanthropy, fashion and fabulousness! I’m grateful for this amazing platform housewiveswhich allowed me to raise awareness for foster care, my non-profit organization Glam It Up, Inc., and showcase my fashion salon, Le’Archive.”

“I look forward to continuing my relationship with Bravo and NBC Universal,” concludes Hampton.

Drew Sidora, Marlo Hampton, Shereé Whitfield, Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore and Sanya Richards Ross.

AB+DM/Bravo via Getty

Porsha Williams files for divorce from Simon Guobadia after 15 months of marriage (Exclusive)

Hampton’s exit comes just two years after she became a full-time housewife. She first appeared in the franchise in Season 4 as a friend of former cast member NeNe Leakes. Style keeper Le’ Archive returned in seasons 6, 8, and 9 as a guest, and was a friend again in seasons 10, 11, 12, and 13.

Along the way, Hampton and her questionable reading proved to be a fan favorite, leading to a social media campaign demanding her promotion — something Bravo did in seasons 14 and 15.

“It’s still surreal to me,” Hampton told PEOPLE in April 2022, adding that she wouldn’t feel like the role was “really real” until she saw herself on the show. “I have this peach… I’m just excited.”

Shereé Whitfield, Drew Sidora, Kenya Moore, Marlo Hampton, Kandi Burruss and Sanya Richards Ross in ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ Season 14. Bravo ‘RHOA’ star Marlo Hampton tearfully recalls foster care past after running away from home at age 10

But lower ratings and a conflicted cast dynamic forced the network to make major changes RHO. The series paused production for months and remade Housewives, and Andy Cohen explained at BravoCon 2023 in November that The Real Housewives of New York City-the stylistic reboot would not have come but for the show to use certain stars as hosts.

“I always like to build with what we have,” he said at the time. “I think Atlanta it has some really strong building blocks that are already in place that we have an opportunity to grow Atlanta.”

Those elements began to become clearer this month with the news that Kandi Burruss will be leaving the show after 14 years and Porsha Williams will return after a two-season absence.

The fates of other stars – including Kenya Moore, Drew Sidora, Shereé Whitfield and Sanya Richards-Ross – remain unknown. PEOPLE has reached out to Bravo for comment.

Drew Sidora is skipping BravoCon 2023 amid divorce and rumors of a possible series reboot

Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Drew Sidors, Andy Cohen, Shereé Whitfield, Marlo Hampton and Sanya Richards Ross at the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ Season 15 Reunion.

Jocelyn Prescod/Bravo

RHO pre-produced on Bravo in October 2008. Developed as the third part of the franchise, it quickly became the most popular and dominated the ratings for years.

Earlier this month, Cohen, 55, opened up about the future of the franchise while discussing the return of Williams Guobadia on his SiriusXM Radio Andy channel.

“We have an excellent lineup,” he said. “We have some amazing new girls, and this will feel, I feel very positive about the new season Atlantaso just wait and you’ll hear more.”

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Previous episodes The Real Housewives of Atlanta can be streamed on Peacock.

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Source: HIS Education