Cynthia Bailey Explains Why Noelle Robinson Took a Social Media Break After Coming Out
The Real Housewives of Atlanta mom opened up about her daughter coming out as sexually fluid last year.
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Cynthia Bailey opened up about her daughter, Noelle Robinson, during the Instagram Live panel, Amplify Our Voices: An Open Dialogue on Being Black in America, on June 22. Cynthia reflected on what it was like to share her daughter's coming out story during Season 12 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in the context of the current Black Lives Matter movement today.
"You know what? It's heartbreaking, honestly. Noelle came out last year [as sexually fluid], maybe about a year-and-a-half ago and, honestly, of all the things that I've shown on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, that probably was one of my proudest moments because I knew that if it took what it took for my child to come out and talk about being gay openly, I can't imagine all the other kids out there that felt afraid to talk to their parents about it," she told Justin Sylvester, the host of E’s Daily Pop!, who moderated the conversation. "And I know for a fact that parents that watched that episode felt very comfortable having those conversations with their kids that were fluid or gay or however they define themselves after watching Noelle and I just talking about it and me accept it."
Cynthia's message of acceptance, which also comes in the middle of Pride Month, didn't end on that note, sharing that everyone has to feel safe regardless of their sexuality or race.
"And even though Noelle got a lot of support and love from that episode, she got a lot of hate as well, which really broke my heart," Cynthia recalled about the response to the episode, which aired last November. "She actually had to get off social media for a little bit because people were trolling her, like bashing her — and she wasn't ready. She didn't know how to deal with that, and I didn't know how to help her with that other than tell her, 'Just don't worry about it. Forget what they're saying on social media. Take a social media break.'"
Intolerance of any kind is hard for the RHOA mom to witness. "It's really heartbreaking, and it's just not right," she said. "That's something that definitely has to change, and the world just has to do better."
"I feel so blessed to be alive to see all this change that's happening," she added.
Elsewhere in the conversation Cynthia noted, she wants to be a voice and advocate during the Black Lives Matter movement. "I'm excited to use my Blackness and just everything that I have that I can put out into the world to help uplift our race and just people because I think everyone deserves a fair shot," she said. "Let's just level the playing field and just let everybody go for it and try to be great."
Cynthia noted that everyone having to self-quarantine during COVID-19 means we can all reset and become aware of the injustices around us. "We're in a place spiritually now where we have the chance to really be present and pay attention to what's going on in the world," she said.
For Cynthia and her family, including Noelle, fiancé Mike Hill, and his daughters, Kayla and Ashlee, being present meant stepping out to protest earlier this month.
"I felt like it was worth us going out there to support this cause [after our COVID-19 self-quarantine]. For me, just watching everything that [Geroge Floyd] went through, I didn't feel like we had a choice. And our kids, they're a different generation, they're very woke. They're like, 'Look, we need to be out there on the front lines just showing our support in any way that we can.' And we wanted to share that experience with them and just make sure that they're safe," she said. "Getting out of the house for such a great cause, being apart of a peaceful protest was amazing."
As for anyone who wants to use their voice to troll, bash, and hate, Cynthia said, "Unfortunately, it's necessary to have hate to bring out love."
For the latest reporting on the George Floyd protests from NBC News and MSNBC’s worldwide team of correspondents, including a live blog with minute-to-minute updates, visit NBCNews.com and NBCBLK.
